This piece was written for the VOCES8 composition competition.

In Greek and Roman mythology there was a creature known as the “Siren”. These beings would lure people at sea to them using their irresistible sounding voices. Once captured by the sounds, the people would lose consciousness and sail toward sirens uncontrollably. They would then meet their gruesome fate as the creatures would begin their feast on the humans.

This piece captures the essence of these mythical voices. The use harmony throughout the piece is used to intrigue the audience. The tonality is simultaneously unusual yet familiar.

The words are based on the famous poem “The Sirens” by James Russell Lowell. The music however only includes the first stanza from the poem. The rest of the piece is constructed with vowel and consonant sounds (“Mm” and “Ah” for example) for 8mbral effect.

The piece ends with a gradual dynamic change from pianissimo to fortissimo to a chord stacked in perfect fifths. This is to symbolise the final call from the sirens before their attack.