Jayson Mackie

Amethyst Music

Different shades of various colours have always acted as a springboard, generating different moods and musical ideas for many of my works - as have the varied facets of colour displayed from precious and semi-precious stones.

Amethyst Music is subject to this influence of colour, as when I began sketching some ideas, the dominant [musical] colour of the material that seemed to be emerging was in line with the various shades of purple present in an amethyst. After some research on the precious stone, I discovered that the name amethyst comes from the Ancient Greek, a (not) methustos (intoxicated). This is a reference to the belief held that the stone protected its owner from inebriation, so the Ancient Greeks and Romans wore amethyst and made drinking vessels out of it, in the belief that it would prevent drunkenness. In my piece, I wanted to elegantly draw the player and listener in, to undergo a kind of musical intoxication.

Today the amethyst isn't as highly valued as other stones such as rubies and emeralds, as when it was first unearthed, due to the discovery of extensive deposits in Brazil. Surprisingly the world's largest amethyst vein is found in Austria, and their hues range from light pinkish violet, to a deep rich purple. The work was written in February 2010 and is about 4 minutes in duration.