This 12-movement tone poem is an interdisciplinary collaboration between composer Jeremi W. Edwards and visual artist Ashley Gates, merging musical and visual expressions of Neo-Baroque and Neo-Rococo aesthetics. Gates’ visual work draws on the rich legacy of Baroque and Rococo styles, two distinct yet interconnected periods in art history, while infusing these traditions with a contemporary sensibility. The resulting Neo-Baroque and Neo-Rococo pieces are reimagined with a modern touch, yet remain grounded in the delicate details, vivid ornamentation, and intricate textures that define these historical styles. In response, Jeremi W. Edwards composition mirrors these artistic qualities through musical language, blending polyphonic textures from the Baroque period with avant-garde techniques of the 20th and 21st centuries to create a cohesive yet multidimensional auditory experience.

The Baroque period (1600–1750) is widely known for its emphasis on emotional expression, dramatic contrasts, and richly layered textures. Musically, Baroque composers like J.S. Bach and Handel employed complex polyphony—the simultaneous combination of independent melodic lines—as a structural and expressive foundation. Polyphony allowed for intricate interactions between voices, achieving an unparalleled depth and richness in the harmonic fabric. This technique is central to Jeremi W. Edwards compositional approach, where polyphonic textures evoke the layered and ornate qualities of Gates’ Neo-Baroque visual art. The Rococo period (c. 1720–1780), an evolution of the Baroque, introduced a shift toward lighter, more graceful aesthetics. Characterized by decorative elegance and fluidity, Rococo art and music moved away from the grandeur of the Baroque, favoring homophonic textures (melodies accompanied by chords) and shorter, more tuneful phrases. Rococo music, which emphasized clarity and charm, laid the groundwork for the Classical period’s emphasis on balance and form. In the current composition, the nuanced tempos and expressive pacing in each movement serve as a nod to the refined elegance of Rococo aesthetics.

The Neo-Baroque and Neo-Rococo elements in Gates’ work are complemented by compositional techniques inspired by the avant-garde New York School, a collective of mid-20th-century composers who explored chance, freedom, and spontaneous expression in music. Influenced by figures such as John Cage, Jeremi W. Edwards integrates aleatoric (chance-based) and quasi-improvisatory elements, allowing performers a degree of interpretive freedom that creates subtle variations with each performance. This approach departs from the rigid structures of Baroque and Rococo music, inviting the listener into an experience of musical “living art” that evolves in real time. By blending these distinct styles, the piece reflects a dialog between historical and modern sensibilities, engaging audiences in a reinterpretation of past forms through a contemporary lens.

Jeremi W. Edwards