Elohim

We continue with Scelsi and this fascinating Elohim for 10 strings (4 violins, 3 violas, 3 cellos), a work difficult to date because it was published posthumously.

Elohim (אֱלוֹהִים, אלהים) in Hebrew is the plural of the word "divinity" – Eloah (אלוה) – which has raised many questions among biblical exegetes. Scelsi's Elohim revolves around a seven-note chord (E, A Bb, C, C#, F#, G) that appears 15 times throughout this short work, interspersed with "responses" that move toward the high notes, becoming increasingly more violent until they create a field of glissandi and finally fade away.

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