Sanskara for Solo Horn by Stacy Garrop

SANSKARA is a free-flowing, lyrical solo work for horn, inspired by the Sufi religion practiced by Garrop’s first composition teacher. The composer has written: “While he and I never talked about his beliefs, I was intrigued to research Sufism while studying with him. While researching, I came across the word sanskara. The word means impressions imprinted onto a person’s soul as memories from their past lives; these impressions shape the person’s desires and actions in their current life. The ideas of reincarnation, and previous actions coming to bear on someone’s next life, were fascinating to my young mind, and I crafted SANSKARA into a series of melodic waves to represent one’s past impressions.”