Ascent - Martin Ellerby

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Ascent is the fifteenth entry in a series of works under the collective title of ‘Epitaph’. In 1924 the British Mount Everest expedition made a 2nd official attempt at scaling Mount Everest, Earth’s highest mountain above sea level, in the Himalayas on the Chinese-Nepal border. After two summit attempts the third, on 8 June, which comprised George Leigh Mallory and Andrew Comyn Irvine, resulted in their disappearance and the unanswered question of whether or not they had reached their goal. Mallory’s body was found in 1999 but the question could still not be answered. To date the remains of Irvine remain undiscovered. To even reach a position of being able to attempt the summit takes a team of mountaineers and their party of
extreme courage, fitness and determination. Mallory and Irvine also required oxygen apparatus to take on the final leg. The mountain remained unconquered until 29 May 1953 when a later 9th British Mount Everest expedition placed Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay on the summit, the news being relayed in time to be announced on the morning of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation on 2 June of that year.

I first became aware of the tragedy of Mallory and Irvine whilst visiting Chester Cathedral where, in the cloisters, is a commemorative stained glass style window with the following inlaid text:

To remember two valiant men of Cheshire, George Leigh Mallory and Andrew Comyn Irvine, who among the snows of Mount Everest adventured their lives even unto death. “Ascensiones in corde suo disposuit.” Ps.LXXXIV.

The Latin text, from Psalm 84, translates as ‘In his heart he hath disposed to ascend by steps.’

In an additional, triangular, panel to the right below can be read: June 8th 1924.

My Epitaph XV is not descriptive of the Mallory and Irvine summit ascent but rather a spiritual impression of a relentless pursuit of an ideal or goal. It is cast for a large string orchestra of 40 players with divided parts providing rich, organ-like, textures withan opening motto theme that returns throughout the journey. Thomas Tallis wrote his 40-part motet Spem in alium in the age of the Renaissance and this was a scoring thought when I wrote Ascent. Spem in alium’s opening Latin text translates as “I have never put my hope in any other but in Thee.” – apt thoughts for this particular Epitaph. There is a requested strict tempo of crotchet equals 60 beats per minute with the exception of the final held, enigmatic, chord which is allowed to fade into silence at the will of the conductor. It is not a long work, but intense and reflective in equal measure – I hope it espouses a certain
‘passion’ as I cannot scale mountains but admire those who try. There was no ‘failure’ in the mission of those ‘two valiant men of Cheshire’, they either made it or paved the way for those who followed and did, some 11,346 summit ascents by 6,098 people at the time of writing Ascent.

Violin I – 8 players
Violin II – 6 players
Violin III – 4 players
Violin IV – 4 players
Viola I – 4 players
Viola II – 4 players
Cello I – 2 players
Cello II – 2 players
Cello III – 2 players
Double Bass I (4 string) – 2 players
Double Bass II (5 string) – 2 players

C.  6 minutes