Link: https://soundcloud.com/francescoclementi/milton-project/s-o3KmRdT6dSn
For the Multimodal Milton project, I’m planning to represent my chosen passage by creating an ambient/spoken word piece of music. I am using lines 49-81 as follows: “ Who durst defie th’ Omnipotent to Arms. Nine times the Space that measures Day and Night To mortal men, he with his horrid crew Lay vanquisht, rowling in the fiery Gulfe Confounded though immortal: But his doom Reserv’d him to more wrath; for now the thought Both of lost happiness and lasting pain Torments him; round he throws his baleful eyes That witness’d huge affliction and dismay Mixt with obdurate pride and stedfast hate: At once as far as Angels kenn he views The dismal Situation waste and wilde, A Dungeon horrible, on all sides round As one great Furnace flam’d, yet from those flames No light, but rather darkness visible Serv’d only to discover sights of woe, Regions of sorrow, doleful shades, where peace And rest can never dwell, hope never comes That comes to all; but torture without end Still urges, and a fiery Deluge, fed With ever-burning Sulphur unconsum’d: Such place Eternal Justice had prepar’d For those rebellious, here their Prison ordain’d In utter darkness, and their portion set As far remov’d from God and light of Heav’n As from the Center thrice to th’ utmost Pole. O how unlike the place from whence they fell! There the companions of his fall, o’rewhelm’d With Floods and Whirlwinds of tempestuous fire, He soon discerns, and weltring by his side One next himself in power, and next in crime, Long after known in PALESTINE, and nam’d BEELZEBUB.” I’ve chosen this piece of the text because I believe it is an incredibly personal and intimate look into Satan’s suffering. This passage is unique as it represents how tormented Satan is through a detailed description of physical aspects and emotions. This description serves well as an exemplar of how Paradise Lost is different from other texts as I believe it personifies Satan and provides him with very human qualities including remorse. The remorse Satan struggles with is palpable through this passage as phrases such as “lost happiness and lasting pain” highlight his struggle and longing. I believe this passage is important because it captures the unique characterization of Satan, and the way he is in Paradise Lost. This text also stands out to me because of its use of color and tone. Milton paints a dark, cold, and depressing scene through an onslaught of descriptive words and phrases. “Pain”, “affliction”, “dismay”, and “sorrow” are nouns that capture Satan’s suffering, and I believe they help bring this image to life. Lines 49-81 are gut-wrenching and dark, and we are able to experience some of Satan’s pain. For my artifact, I am creating a piece of music that will compliment my reading of these lines. I was captivated by the effect of Milton’s dark descriptive words which highlighted an event of suffering unlike no other, and I want to enhance this scene by composing music to fit with it. For me, music has also brought emotions and stories to life in a way unlike any film, novel, or piece of art has. After reading these lines of text, I feel like they are very theatrical, and they require something in the background to truly bring them to life. My inspiration for my musical composition comes from the soundtracks of Trent Reznor and his work with Nine Inch Nails. Recently, I’ve been listening to his newest releases: Ghosts V: Together and Ghosts VI: Locusts, and I’ve been very inspired by these records, specifically the latter one. Like I am aiming for my composition to be, “Locusts” is incredibly dark yet minimal, and Reznor is able to terrify and haunt his listeners simply through the use of a repetitive piano melody in a minor key, samples, and his effective use of ambient and atmospheric synthesizers. Aesthetically, I am pursuing a very similar sound to Trent Reznor. However, my form and story will be based on my spoken word passage of lines 49-81. I want to mold the composition in with the text by featuring sonic accents when the text changes. An example of this could be when Milton talks of a “fiery gulf” versus “regions of sorrow” because I believe these two phrases both carry very different tones, and I want the music to project that and enhance it.
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