ATLANTIS OF THE SANDS

String Orchestra - Grade 3

Duration: 4 Minutes

Whenever I sit down to start a new composition, I always ask myself “What is something I haven’t done yet?” For Atlantis of the Sands, this was a desire to combine an exotic harmonic landscape with my own natural obsession for fantastical sounds.

From the very first few measures, music theory nerds will recognize the “Phrygian Dominant Scale”, which utilizes the seven notes of the harmonic scale, but using the 5th scale degree as the tonic note. This scale can be heard in countless interpretations of the deserts of Arabia and gives the audience an immediate sense of its desert landscape.

The title originates from the real-life myth of the lost city of Ūbār, which is said to have been destroyed by a natural disaster or by God himself. During the 20th Century, several expeditions were led to find this “Atlantis of the Sands”. However, the actual location of Ūbār is still debated to this day. My interpretation of the legend relies on my never-ending imagination where I see a great city of trade and prosperity, tied up in the exciting prospect of an Arabian adventure.