Peregrinations portrays a life – that of William Darrell Hermann – using musical imagery, specific pitches related to the initials W.D.H., and quotations from significant musical compositions. The piece opens on the note B which, using the graph below in which the musical notes are written, represents W for William (or, coincidentally, B for Bill). The pitch B wavers and grows, as a cell grows and divides, creating a multicellular organism. A little later, a unifying theme arises made up of the notes B-D-A, which represent the initials W.D.H. (see the explanatory note below the grid).
A B C D E F G
H I J K L M N
O P Q R S T U
V W X Y Z
[In this grid, the musical note names are written along the top row, and the remaining letters of the alphabet distributed beneath, line by line. Therefore, the letter H is represented by the note A, the letter I by the note B, etc.] The B-D-A theme repeats at different pitches and in contrasting rhythms as the piece develops over the first few minutes, and what seem to be random elements come together into recognizable harmonies and singable melodies. Musical quotations significant to William Hermann and to the flute repertoire are heard throughout, beginning with Moonlight Serenade by Glenn Miller, followed with references to music of Poulenc, Prokofiev, Mozart, and Shostakovich’s 10th Symphony.
