Mouravieff, Léon: Pietà

The tripartite composition “The Virgin” (Nativité, The Virgin with the Child – Pietà, The Virgin and the Crucified, BEL 499 – Easter Triptych, The Virgin by the Cross, BEL 497) is one of Mouravieff’s late works. The three pieces may be played together or separately. Mouravieff was very interested in ancient Greek tragedy, and this prompted him to attempt to revive the ancient Greek art of movement. In addition to devising rhythmic patterns with strong and weak beats, he continued to make use of ancient Greek rhythms, and later applied his insights to the rhythm of breathing. He described this in terms of long and short beats (1.5 and 1 in length) with an appropriate caesura. By means of this duality, which corresponded to patterns of breathing or the pulse (some musicians may nowadays find this rather difficult), Mouravieff attempted in an idiosyncratic manner to make full use of the important element of rhythm in music.