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The Threshing Floor

by Michael Kuehn

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This piece was composed for the Almond Tree Artist Collective exhibit "Ruth: Why Have I Found Favor?" It is a musical interpretation of the events and dialogue that take place in Ruth 3:1-13. The verses correspond with the following points in the piece:

0:00 - "My daughter, it's time..." (3:1-2)
0:26 - Naomi's instructions (3:3-4)
0:46 - "I will do everything you say..." (3:5)
1:00 - Ruth on her way to the threshing floor (3:6)
1:32 - "Ruth came quietly, uncovered his feet, and lay down..." (3:7-8)
1:54 - "I am your servant Ruth." (3:9)
2:07 - "The Lord bless you, my daughter!" (3:10)
2:32 - "...don't worry about a thing, my daughter..." (3:11)
2:58 - "...there is another man who is more closely related..." (3:12)
3:03 - "Stay here tonight, and in the morning I will talk to him." (3:13)

[Quotations from New Living Translation]

The book of Ruth is also known to be in a common Hebrew literary structure called a chiasm. In this form, the first and last portions of a narrative section mirror each other, the second and next to last mirror each other, and so forth until a midpoint is reached. Ruth 3:1-13 bears the marks of a "mini chiasm" within the larger one of the book as a whole. I attempted to follow a loosely chiastic structure in this piece as a nod to this literary form. The sections aren't identically mirrored in either the text or the music, but they allude to one another while still showing progression in the story.

Section A (0:00) - "Chime" motif, alluding to time
Section B (1:00) - An ascending chord progression in F Major
Section C (1:32) - Melodic phrases with Dm and Gm chords
Section D (1:48) - A major lift, moving Bb to C
Section E (1:54) - The midpoint, a progression not mirrored elsewhere
Mirrored D (2:07) - Bb to C movement
Mirrored C (2:21) - Dm to Gm movement (with Bb emphases too)
Mirrored B (2:32) - Ascending progression in F Major
Mirrored A (3:03) - "Chime" motif

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released September 30, 2023

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Michael Kuehn High Point, North Carolina

Michael is a classically-trained, modern storyteller. His technical background provides surprising nuanced progressions and turns of melody, paving new roads in tired four-chord towns. The sparse intimacy of these sonic landscapes invite you to come in and stay awhile, and hear stories of faith and friendship that just might remind you of your own. ... more

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