BEAST FLOWER is an audio exploration of Gothic music starting with the monotonal Gregorian Chanting from 800CE to 1400CE and moving to the modern Goth music that evolved with the 21st century goth cultural movement.
At first, I had difficulty defining exactly what gothic music was. I looked through some music history books and inquired after a few music majors, but none of them could really give an exact definition. Since the gothic period is usually attributed to architecture during the broad span from 1200AD to 1400AD, I decided to use similar parameters for defining the musical genres, in the end choosing artists from a Gothic Music Website.
I combined music from the artists listed below:
(Click on the artists' names to view composer facts and click on the song titles to hear music)Johannes Sebastian Bach's -- Prelude And Fugue In A Minor, BWV 543
Gregorian Chant -- Mass For Christmas Day: Communion: Viderunt Omnes
Sergei Rachmaninoff's-- Prelude In C-Sharp Minor, OP. 3, No. 2
My Dying Bride’s -- Turn Loose the Swans
The audio mix explores the similarities and differences that have developed in the concept of Gothic music throughout the centuries, showing that despite growing secularism, there is still an overwhelming theme of human mortality and the exploration of the afterlife. The various tracks are recombined to create a new piece that stands alone as a composition independent from the individual pieces.