My Heart with Jakarta Sinks in Rising Seas

This work was composed as an expression of deep concern for our planet and its people in the midst of the impacts from global warming. One local example of the devastating and rapidly unfolding impact of global warming is Indonesia and its capital Jakarta which is the fastest sinking city on Earth. With this in mind, the aim of this music is to evoked an image of sea rise and its impact on Jakarta in particular and the world in general. Moments suggesting the Indonesian gamelan metal xylophone are heard in the music while the over-all tessitura of the piece gradually descends (sinks) from its beginning through to a climatic cadence on a closely packed aggregate of pitches suggesting an F minor/major ninth chord (F. G, A-flat, C) on the lowest bars of the vibraphone. After this doleful sunken cadence, a coda softly rises from the depths of this cadential chord to convey a sense of hope. The vibraphone's fan vibrato is used sparingly in this piece for strategic moments suggesting a feeling of watery emersion. This work was selected by the Vibraphone Project Inc. for inclusion in its data base and its forthcoming anthology in 2022 celebrating the centennial of the invention of the vibraphone.