This video is a recording of a piece of music I improvised and named Chrysalis of Saturn, continuing the theme of my previous improvisation, Saturn Return. Chrysalis is a hypothetical moon that was suggested to have once orbited Saturn, hundreds of millions of years ago, then became unstable and was torn apart by tidal forces. It is believed that it underwent this violent transformation to form the rings around Saturn that we see today, hence the name.
It is the story of something solid being pulled apart until it becomes a beautiful structured system of rings. The modes and textures I used represent this paradox of darkness and brightness, and the settling of the transformed shape after the catastrophic shearing.
The piece focuses more on the aftermath of the storm than the violence; and the symbolic alchemy of the transformation. In the music, the patterns I used within the texture often transformed, not suddenly, but by gradually emerging, making me think of a metamorphosis, like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis.
The momentum in the fast broken chord figurations represents the energy of continued tidal forces, the centrifugal force that keeps the rings of Saturn from collapsing, and motion that has found a new orbit.
The E flat Aeolian mode (or natural minor scale) has darkness due to its flattened 3rd, 6th and 7th degrees, like the darkness inside the shell of a chrysalis, or the darkness of space, but with hints of hope and potential in the brighter major quality triads, such as chords VI and VII which I used a lot.
The B Dorian mode has shadow in its minor 3rd but also light in its major 6th, which felt a bit like the iridescence of the new wings of a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, or the shimmering ice and highly reflective nature of the rings of Saturn.
I rotated these two modes a number of times, echoing the rotation of Saturn’s rings.
Modes and Scales Table
| Mode Name | Scale Degree | Parent Scale | Note Names | Modal Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E♭ Aeolian (Natural Minor) | VI | G♭ Major | E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭ | 6th Mode of Major |
| B Dorian | II | A Major | B, C♯, D, E, F♯, G♯, A | 2nd Mode of Major |
Interval Formulas
- E♭ Aeolian: 1 — 2 — ♭3 — 4 — 5 — ♭6 — ♭7
- B Dorian: 1 — 2 — ♭3 — 4 — 5 — 6 — ♭7
Learn more about modes in general here: Complete Guide to Modes of the Major, Melodic Minor, and Harmonic Minor Scales
