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During the summer of 1998, I concentrated on composing two - voice canons at the unison. This activity yielded around forty short pieces. I would try and finish a canon at one sitting. There was no rhyme or reason to their composition, except maybe to create a sense of spontaneity by finishing an idea quickly. I had the interesting problem of what to do after I tired of writing them. By spreading them all out in front of me, I started to look for similarities. Two large groups emerged: one was fairly chromatic and dissonant (originally strings came to mind here), the other, mostly diatonic and consonant (with winds in mind). These groupings made sense because when finding an initial melodic line to start the canon, the overall "sound' of the line influenced the harmony and following lines. Once set on a course, the piece would spin itself out. Another similarity noted was that the canons featured either a prominent G or C as a fundamental pitch. Also noted were motivic similarities. After leaving the collection for a period of time, I returned and composed with my eraser ( a term for editing originated I think by Igor Stravinsky) to make the lines cleaner and stronger. The diatonic grouping became the source of the Canonic Dances performed here. The other group formed the basis for Temporal Shadows (See Home Page). Click below to listen to a recording. Set I (Duration 4:06)
Set II (Duration 2:39)
Set III (Duration 2:08)
Total Duration 8:53 Recorded: Lawrence University, Conservatory of Music, Appleton, Wisconsin, 2001. Monte Perkins and Renee DeBoer, bassoons. Larry Darling, Recording Engineer. |