Migrant (2015)

John Ravnan, viola; Kristen Ironside, piano. Audio excerpts and sheet music are here.

These movements are loosely based upon the life cycle of the North American Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). Once common throughout the US, its populations are in serious distress owing to a variety of pressures – pesticides, habitat degradation, and obstacles along its migratory route – from humans.  Populations of the Monarch east of the Rocky Mountains are estimated to have declined 90% in the period of 1994-2014.  Essentially a tropical species, the Monarch has evolved an ingenious strategy to re-colonize virtually all of temperate North America each summer.  From their mountain refuge in Mexico, the over-wintering generation begins to fly north in the early spring.  It reaches Texas by March, where this generation then lays its eggs and dies.  This process is repeated until the population reaches central Canada.  The last generation of the summer, responding to a stimulus still not understood, then begins one of the most incredible migrations known to science.  Some individuals will fly more than 2000 miles to the roost in mountains of central Mexico that they have never seen.  There they will blanket evergreens by the millions in a dormant state until they are stirred by the warmth of the following spring. 

I. Oviposition  An adult female lays her eggs one at a time on the underside of young leaves of the common milkweed.  The decrease in the abundance of this plant – owing to relentless roadside mowing and the use of herbicides – is a major contributor to the decline of the Monarch.  As few as 2% of the eggs laid will survive to adulthood.  The music follows the female’s leisurely, gliding flight, with brief pauses to lay eggs.

II. Instars  The Monarch caterpillar goes through five stages of growth – called instars – each concluding with a shedding of the skin.  The fifth instar is as much as 2000 times the size of the newly hatched first instar.  It develops a bright pattern of green, yellow and black stripes that warns predators – much as the bright coloration of the adult does – of a very distasteful meal if it is eaten.  At the completion of the fifth instar the caterpillar sheds its skin once more, leaving a bright green chrysalis.  This movement is divided into 5 sections – one for each instar – with each announced by a quick twinkling motive high in the piano.  The music becomes increasingly loud and ponderous as the caterpillar grows.

III. Chrysalis   The beautiful sea green chrysalis is hung from the underside of a horizontal surface, often a leaf on the food plant.  In this dormant stage the organs and other structures of the caterpillar silently re-arrange into the morphology of the adult butterfly (the imago).   The sparsely distributed melodic material in the viola in this section re-works melody from the first movement.  The misty, slowly-evolving harmony gradually becomes thicker and louder as the adult nears emergence, which in turn is announced by a grand fanfare.

IV. King Billy   The common name “Monarch” dates back to colonial America and likely stems from its colors, which are associated with King William III of England (1650-1702), also known as William of Orange.  Thus, “King Billy” is a nickname.  For the adult stage of this new generation, the music returns to the materials of the first movement.  Appearing late in the movement is a quotation of the Mexican folk song De Colores ([made of] may colors).  De Colores does not speak specifically of a butterfly, but does mention the many colors of nature and how we humans love and emulate this riot of color.