Aitvaras by Vince Wallace

Aitvaras is a trio for vibes, marimba, and djembe. This short work is based on the house spirit/demon of the same name in Lithuanian mythology. In many cases, this Lithuanian creature is described as having the appearance of a rooster while indoors and the appearance of a dragon outdoors. An Aitvaras will lodge itself in a person’s house and will most often refuse to leave. It brings both good and bad luck to the inhabitants of the house. Aitvaras provide their adopted home with stolen gold and grain, often getting the household into trouble. Lithuanian legend says an Aitvaras can be purchased from the devil – the price being the buyer’s soul. Compositionally, Aitvaras is based on octatonic collections and strong polyrhythm/hemiola, the later representing the duality of both good and bad present in an Aitvaras.