When Midori asked me to create a piece based on Negro spirituals—focusing on the violin’s capacity to express pain and sorrow and fitting into a program that explores diverse spiritual influences—I was immediately intrigued. However, I spent time reflecting on how I could approach this in a new, personal way. I have always been deeply moved by the way Negro spirituals express profound sorrow and pain, but also resilience and joy. Yet, rather than referencing them in a literal or transparent way, I wanted to capture their emotional essence and transform it through my own musical language that includes incorporating electronic elements and my own improvisational practice as a performer.  

As I started this process, I found myself drawn to spiritual methodologies from the African diaspora, particularly Yoruba practices. I began asking: What recurring themes exist between Yoruba spiritual traditions and the messages conveyed in these songs? How broadly can “spirituals” be interpreted in the context of sound as a vehicle for spirituality? This led me to explore concepts of ancestral memory and the ways memory is embedded in nature.  

The piece contains sounds of water, wind, deep vibrating sine tones, electronic drones, whispers of Yoruba prayer, and my own humming and singing within the electronics. The violin blends with these elements, enhancing the atmosphere through exploration of texture and timbre, while remaining fragmented and lyrical.  

Resonances of spirit is part of a multipiece project that continues to explore these themes of memory, spirituality, and nature. This piece for solo violin and electronics, written for Midori, is Volume 1 of the series. —Che Buford