Robert Martin

Nighttime

'Nighttime; Enigma; and Nostalgia are a set of three quintets for flute; clarinet; violin; cello; and piano. These three pieces can be played individually; or as a triptych. The titles refer to various paintings by Arshile Gorky (Vosdanig Manoog Adoian). As Paul Griffiths; Music Critic of the New York Times; observed; 'Martin's interest was apparently not so much in the subject matter of that particular picture as in the general notion of what gives an abstract image wholeness and presence.' The pieces were composed in 1979 in Manhattan; New York and were never performed. Each score carries a postscript. For Nighttime; the postscript is 'Tu ne cede malis; sed contra audentior ito.' This comes from Book VI of Virgil's Aeneid. After descending into the underworld; Aeneas is told by the Sybil not to submit to misfortune; rather to face it with courage. For Enigma; The postscript is 'The question is complex; and life is short.' In Nostalgia; there is a brief melody in the flute that appears twice (once at the end); and is designated 'Melodie nostalgique.' The postscript reads; '...for the evanescence of all things.' The reasons for these postscripts may now be forgotten. The first; concernig misfortune; turns out to be an apt motto for events in my life that shortly followed. The postscript of the second piece might be an ancient oracle's cryptic answer to a question concerning the puzzle of our existence. The last postscript refers to impermanence. There is a moment when things come into existence; and another moment when things go out of existence. Each is a precious point in time; and music is the natural art to express this concept.'