My heroes are not your heroes

for solo piano

duration: 9 minutes

John Dorhauer 2011

In the most general terms, My heroes are not your heroes is about the loss and subsequent regaining of the self. Semantically, the piece blends varying elements of modernism, postmodernism, quotation and the absurd. Ideally, My heroes satisfies a few different musical trajectories simultaneously, although the exact interpretation of the piece was left intentionally open-ended. Everything is structured around four separate lines of spoken text I am Batman, Your mother is Batman, No one is Batman, and We are all Batman that require the pianist to momentarily break the fourth wall. The idea for these texts came from the pianist for whom the piece was written, as did the idea of incorporating quotations of both the Batman and Superman themes. The most effective way I found to make elements that are so absurd (at least on the surface) work was to have them operate on different levels in equal proportions. On a deeper level, I perceive the idea of Batman to be a superhero in the more general sense. In other words, Batman represents the idealized self. The two themes then represent opposite spectra of the self: Batmans theme, which is reliant on driving rhythms and smaller intervals, represents the flawed nature of man, while Supermans theme, which is defined by spacious, fanfare rhythms and wider intervals, is associated with the purer aspects of man and the desire for immortality. This image of the idealized self is originally associated internally in the first section. The second section begins to lose this sense by projecting it onto others, only to lose it completely in the third section. The final section presents the resolution of this conflict, where the idealized self can be shared with all humanity. On a more visceral level, there is a constant conflict between motives associated with these widely known musical themes. Musical elements that are connected with either theme are presented independently in the introduction, but there is an escalating sense of conflict between these two distinct characters that drives the rest of the piece. Quotations are disguised amidst a dense harmonic language, but moments of more isolated quotations are intended to provide accessibility to the listener. This conflict ultimately leads towards the resolution that occurs at the end, where the Superman chorale remains in triumphant glory. Whether the listener chooses to engage in an arc that is more philosophical or philistine (or something in between), there will undoubtedly be something to take away from this piece.

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My heroes are not your heroesJohn Dorhauer

Hostile Postulate Pub., 2011

2011

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