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Ziggurat, Randall Snyder

Randall Snyder Compositions

ZIGGURAT Invocation Level One Level Two Level Three Level Four Level Five Level Six-cadenza Level Seven The toccata-fantasy “Ziggurat” derives its structure from the Sumerian step-pyramid that in its most characteristic shape consisted of seven levels. While the exact function of the ziggurat is speculative, this work’s conception is that of an hierarchical ladder, each succeeding level demanding a higher degree of sensitivity culminating in a final initiatory test (cadenza) before admittance to the seventh level. “Ziggurat” consists of an opening invocation and seven sections that ascend through the organ’s four and one-half octave range in a general evolution from …