In Venus - Davis Carr [DIGITAL]

In Venus is a dramatic, emotional work for solo 4-mallet marimba that centers on the concept/feeling of "envy." While the title is a play on words, but coincidentally, in mythology is a Roman goddess of love, desire, prosperity, and victory.

Genre: Marimba (4-mallet) | # of Players: 1
Series: N/A
Level: Medium Advanced | Duration: 6:40

Instrumentation
Marimba [4.5-octave]

Program Notes
The original inspiration for this piece is difficult to describe through writing, but the core inspiration is envy. When I finally realized this piece had to be about envy, I created a sort of framework for a story in my head.

The only chunk of music I had for a long time was the theme from m. 23 to 29 which ended up becoming the seed of this piece. I picture it as a person having a fake argument with themselves in a mirror, angry about what someone else possesses or has achieved. The piece begins with a fit of rage that branches off, is quieted down, and then comes back even stronger, only to vanish at its most intense, energetic point. Out of the silence, a sorrowful version of envy emerges: a person longing for love, affection, and warmth. I pictured the person, now in a miserable state, on a park bench soaking in their depression. Suddenly, they see a couple at the park and their happiness. They see the couple’s emotions of love, joy, and content as they embrace one another. While the person walks home, they feel an upbeat, warped version of the couple’s happiness that eventually brings them back to seething in their mirror. The piece ends with expanded themes from the original fit of rage, a person thinking the most envious, hateful thoughts, only for them to never resolve. The main theme of the piece is portraying how the emotion of envy causes angry thoughts in the moment, but these thoughts are inevitably bottled up and never spoken aloud.

Although I do not share the experiences of the person in my story, while composing I realized that I needed to ask myself where I found hatred and anger. The personal hatred that fueled my writing and themes was the frustration of imposter syndrome I have always experienced while composing. In a way, I began to envy a version of myself who was uninhibited by self-doubt and lack of confidence. I furiously envied a version of myself who was able to compose with ease.

The title, In Venus, is a play on a non-existent word that I thought I heard in the lyrics of a song. “Enviness” is, in fact, not a word, but Venus in mythology is a Roman goddess of love, desire, prosperity, and victory. I thought this was a fantastic coincidence.

– D.C.

Davis Carr, marimba