Uploaded August 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Jasdeep Singh Degun - Sitar
Mark Thomas - Director of Photography
Rob Kelledy - Sound recording and Mastering
Tim Williams - Editor and Producer
Psappha is grateful for the support its ‘Composing for…’ programme receives from: Arts Council England; Britford Bridge Trust; PRS Foundation Talent Development Partner scheme; and the Thistle Trust.
Learn more about Psappha - psappha.com
Please support Psappha's work: psappha.com/support-us
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'Daybreak' was composed for sitar player, Jasdeep Singh Degun, as part of Psappha Ensem-ble's 'Composing For’ scheme for emerging composers.
This piece takes the Gaelic psalm singing of the Hebrides as its point of departure. In the traditional psalm singing on islands like Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, one person (often the minister) will 'put out' basic melodies, which are interspersed with the congregation re-sponding to these melodies in their own time, following the basic shapes but embellishing them and creating clouds of sound.
The nature of the sitar as an instrument that emulates the human voice and which uses pre-cise ornamentation to create expression seems to share similar qualities with this Gaelic mu-sical tradition, despite the separation of the two cultures by over 4000 miles. In this piece, I emulate the effect of multiple voices on the sitar, as the sitar 'puts out' the calling melodies, which are developed in separate voices on the instrument.
Although this piece uses the notes of Raag Darbari, in the early stages of composing this piece I was inspired by the Raag Bhairav, and the meditative, stately and devotional charac-ter of these two ragas has influenced my composition. Traditionally sung at either end of the day, (Bhairav in the early morning, Darbari at twilight), when spiritual feeling and mys-tery are often at their strongest these ragas gave the piece its title, 'Daybreak'.
Learn more about Electra: electraperivolariscomposer.com
Jasdeep Singh Degun - Sitar
Mark Thomas - Director of Photography
Rob Kelledy - Sound recording and Mastering
Tim Williams - Editor and Producer
Psappha is grateful for the support its ‘Composing for…’ programme receives from: Arts Council England; Britford Bridge Trust; PRS Foundation Talent Development Partner scheme; and the Thistle Trust.
Learn more about Psappha - psappha.com
Please support Psappha's work: psappha.com/support-us
----
'Daybreak' was composed for sitar player, Jasdeep Singh Degun, as part of Psappha Ensem-ble's 'Composing For’ scheme for emerging composers.
This piece takes the Gaelic psalm singing of the Hebrides as its point of departure. In the traditional psalm singing on islands like Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, one person (often the minister) will 'put out' basic melodies, which are interspersed with the congregation re-sponding to these melodies in their own time, following the basic shapes but embellishing them and creating clouds of sound.
The nature of the sitar as an instrument that emulates the human voice and which uses pre-cise ornamentation to create expression seems to share similar qualities with this Gaelic mu-sical tradition, despite the separation of the two cultures by over 4000 miles. In this piece, I emulate the effect of multiple voices on the sitar, as the sitar 'puts out' the calling melodies, which are developed in separate voices on the instrument.
Although this piece uses the notes of Raag Darbari, in the early stages of composing this piece I was inspired by the Raag Bhairav, and the meditative, stately and devotional charac-ter of these two ragas has influenced my composition. Traditionally sung at either end of the day, (Bhairav in the early morning, Darbari at twilight), when spiritual feeling and mys-tery are often at their strongest these ragas gave the piece its title, 'Daybreak'.
Learn more about Electra: electraperivolariscomposer.com
