The story of Faust begins with a wager between Satan and the Archangel. The stakes are the souls of mankind and dominion over the earth. The outcome of this bet hinges on the choices of one man -Faust, the alchemist.
The scene I have chosen begins when plague breaks out in Faust’s village. The innocent suffer and die as Faust helplessly pores over his books for a cure. This sets the stage for his temptation and fall at the hands of Mephisto.
The music is performed entirely on the banjo, tuned F# B F# B C#. Much of material is inspired by classical music, particularly the organ works of Bach. He often employs melodic fast material that bounces off a pedal point. I found this technique to work perfectly on the banjo in conjunction with a three finger picking style.
The Faust legend has a long history of intertwining with classical works. I wanted to reference this lineage in the music while integrating the “folk” sound of the banjo to represent the collective character of the villagers, both during their celebration and the outbreak of the plague. I like to call the result “Dark Banjo”.