Notes:

This piece, “Hundun” is dedicated to Magan Levin and Shawn, was written for harp and double bass. 

Hundun is a “legendary faceless being” in Chinese mythology. Hundun can be separated into two words: “Hun”, abundantly flowing, mix in, or chaos; “Dun”, thick, solid, or sincere.   The Daoist philosopher Zhuangzi (370-301 B.C.) described Hundun as the primal Oneness which first divided into heaven, earth and the ten-thousand things. Laozi, Dao master (ca. 4th century B.C.) said: "Dao begat the one; one begat two; two begat three; three begat the ten-thousand things. What is perhaps most intriguing about this cosmogony is the fact that the world was not perceived as beginning in chaos. Hundun did not impose order upon the preexistent confusion and thus bring law into being. Hundun, or the Dao, was the pre-cosmic order."

The composer borrowed the theory of Daoist to descried Hundun.  There are three main stages: Qi (breath), Xing (shape), and Zhi (substance) that have begun to exit but are stilled merged as one.  The Primal Beginnings were the breath beginning to assume shape.  The Primal Material was the breath when its began to assume substance. 

There are three main sections: Qi, Xing, and Zhi in this piece.  The music always begins with something very simple and to grow more and larger.  Musical elements in each section are related to each other.  Some repeating musical patterns are continued to link with the entire piece.