‘He's like fire and ice and rage. He's like the night, and the storm in the heart of the sun. He's ancient and forever. He burns at the center of time and he can see the turn of the universe. And he's wonderful.’
Being an avid fan since the series revival, when the opportunity to write a vocal piece arose, it occurred to me quickly to set an extract of dialogue from Doctor Who. I have always loved the passage above, from ‘The Family of Blood’ for its sheer beauty and lyricism. It is a description of the Doctor and makes poignant allusions to him as having the qualities of a deity. A theme not untouched before with him previously described as ‘a lonely angel,’ of which there is no ‘higher authority.’ Musically, I was inspired by French Impressionism, specifically Ravel’s Chansons Madecasse. There is also a reference to the opening of Holst’s Saturn ‘Bringer of Old Age,’ which sounds like a clock ticking, symbolizing the passing of time. It is a slight gesture towards irony, for as a time traveler, he lies almost in antithesis of the linear conception of time that a clock represents.