J. Mark Scearce
J. Mark Scearce is the director of the Music Department at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Prior appointments were on the music faculties of the universities of Hawaii, North Texas and Southern Maine, among others. The composer of 60 instrumental works and over a hundred text settings, his works include 10 compositions for orchestra, seven for chorus, two band, two operas and two ballets. Dr. Scearce has won five international music competitions, is the recipient of five advanced degrees in music and philosophy and has five commercial recordings available on the Delos, Warner Bros, Capstone, Centaur and Equilibrium labels. A sixth, a four-channel Sony Super Audio CD of his first string quartet, Y2K, is available online at frystreetquartet.com.
FROM THE COMPOSER
"God Picks Up the Reed-Flute World"
Dr. Scearce’s instrumental quartet setting of two lyric poems by the great 13th century Islamic Persian sage and poet mystic Jalal ad-Din Rumi expresses Rumi’s view that life is music, if we only listen, and that music helps us focus our whole being on the divine.
The two poems — or really poetic excerpts of much larger ruminations (pun intended) — are words about music. In the first poem, Rumi tells us that “everything is music” and that “even should the whole world’s harp burn, there will still be hidden music playing.” Those of us who feel closest to our God when we create music “out of the ether” understand only too well what Rumi is saying: “Where words leave off, music begins.” The second poem is more instructive, telling us to “be your note.” In this way, we are God’s music played on the reed-flute world. With this “reed” in mind, and the allusions in the first poem to strumming, flutes’ notes and a burning harp, I chose my instrumental quartet. I thank Coleman Barks for his translation and my friend Assad Meymandi for his guidance in understanding Rumi the man. And, of course, I thank the Foundation for Universal Sacred Music for commissioning this work, but, more important, for its visionary commitment to unifying all peoples through the power of music. -J. Mark Scearce
