i sleep, but my heart is awake

for five-string kantele. 5’

The kantele is a traditional Finnish instrument, which has variants throughout the Baltic region. Here it appears in its simplest, most ancient form.
For inspiration, I drew on Gregorian chant and notions from sacred geometry, creating something which might equally have sprung from the forgotten past, or the distant future. The tuning is just, with frequency ratios 225 : 200 : 180 : 150 : 144. And there is a ghostly 13-fold symmetry in the rhythm as well.

This piece was published in the December 2023 issue of Kantele Magazine, under the title “minä nukun, mutta sydämeni valvoo.”

The title is from Songs of Songs 5:2.

Photo credits: Original