Ph’nglui mglw’nath Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn (String Quartet)

£6.00

Ph’nglui mglw’nath Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn
“In his house at R’lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming”

for String Quartet
Duration: 4’40”

by Edward Caine

parts included.

Category:

Description

Ph’nglui mglw’nath Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn
“In his house at R’lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming”

for String Quartet
Duration: 4’40”

by Edward Caine

parts included.

For a while I was interested in the cult pulp fiction novelist H.P. Lovecraft and his eldritch creations. I particularly enjoyed The Call of Cthulhu in which a series of investigations leads to the discovery of a cult which worships a giant winged creature with a tentacled face called Cthulhu.

In the book the cultists chant “Ph’nglui mglw’nath Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn”, a phrase which by Lovecraft’s admission is unpronounceable. In contrast to Tolkien’s Elven language, Lovecraft did not attempt to create a syntax, but merely the impression of an exotic tongue.

My piece attempts to use spectrally-informed composition to in some way “pronounce” the chant using the instruments of a string quartet. Each letter has it’s own characteristic sound, mimicking human speech. I added some artistic license and eldritch sounds to make it atmospheric and scary. This is in some ways a precursor sketch to another Lovecraftian piece R’lyeh for large orchestra.

Reviews

There are no reviews yet.

Be the first to review “Ph’nglui mglw’nath Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn (String Quartet)”

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *