Maree Docia ‘At Last, Sunrise’: Here Comes Tomorrow

Maree Docia: At Last, Sunrise

Context

Hidden in the deep depths of Spotify you can find this simple track by Maree Docia. At Last, Sunrise, along with its adorable artwork, is a short work for piano and string ensemble. What is truly intriguing is that there is absolutely no information whatsoever on Maree Docia. This leads me to believe that this is perhaps a pseudonym being used by someone who doesn’t want to be identified. 

Also intriguing is that you won’t find this work or the album it features anywhere else. It seems Maree Docia has given sole rights to Spotify. This means no hard copy CDs, no Youtube or other streaming platforms. What we do know is that the album that At Last, Sunrise features on, was released in August 2015.

The Music

Scored for piano and strings, At Last, Sunrise opens with the piano playing repeating octave phrases. The strings enter with warm supporting chords, before quickly dying away as the piano keep the slow momentum of the music moving along. After another eight measures the strings enter again with the same shimmering accompaniment. 

The dichotomy between the high strings and piano and the very low strings creates an interesting texture that sounds quite full, but actually is quite empty in terms how Maree Docia has built the chords up. 

As the piano begins moving up in pitch, it consistently keeps the pulse moving through the music. As the music gets higher in pitch, the dynamics also grow too. This soon ends with a reprise of the opening singing through before the piano ends the piece as it started it – alone. 

Final Thoughts

Although only short in duration, At Last, Sunrise is a really effective work that has certainly been inspired by minimalism and the sparser style of underscore music. The warm strings, perhaps representing the rising sun, support the constant delicate piano part that keeps the music ticking along. A really sweet piece of music, only heard by some. 

Ⓒ Alex Burns

Happy Reading!

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