Thirst Unquenched

[Intro: Rubato / Ambient Textures] (Felt-muted piano clusters, processed wind samples) [Verse 1: Bolero rhythm (2/4 clave) / Speech-song delivery] Who quells this thirst that gnaws the soul? [Harmony: Cmin7(b5) → F7alt → B♭mMaj7] No balm can soothe, no cup make whole. [Vocal Technique: Breathless staccato on "cup make whole"] [Interlude: Extended clarinet improvisation over tritone ostinato] [Verse 2: Swing 16th-note subdivision / Contralto register] While mirth’s bright chorus fades to gray, [Arrangement Note: Bongó martillo pattern enters] I tread the dusk of lone dismay. [Production FX: Reverse reverb on "dusk"] [Bridge: Polyrhythmic 3 over 4 / Vocal multiphonics] My gaze ascends the boundless skies, [Scordatura Violin: Tuned to B-E-B-E for droning] Where distant stars ignite their sighs. [Guitar: Ebow sustain with ring modulator at 0:07 interval] [Instrumental Break: Decoding the maze motif] (Clarinet and string quartet in crab canon) [Verse 3: Samba-canção groove / Sprechstimme technique] The winds conspire—their whispered song [Percussion: Cuica friction drum mimicking wind] Unfurls the map where I belong. [Harmony: Bitonal - E♭ minor (vocal) vs. G major (strings)] [Middle 8: Prepared piano extended techniques] Yet every path, a mirrored maze, [Piano: Screwdriver on strings during "mirrored"] Reflects your shadow through the haze. [Vocal FX: Haas effect panning on "haze"] [Coda: Spectral deconstruction / Granular synthesis] Who quells this thirst that gnaws the soul? [Arrangement Alert: Gradual MIDI note decay from 1/1 to 1/64] No balm can soothe, no cup make whole. [Final Gesture: 20-second tape loop decay of "whole" syllable]