SKU: CL.RWS-2021-00
Depicting the creative work of American inventor Charles F. Kettering, Bryce Newton??s Spark of Creation portrays the relentlessly inventive nature of Kettering??s mind. After a bold and driving introduction, the piece gives way to a lush chorale, symbolic of the success and extreme merit of Kettering??s contributions to our modern society. Spark of Creation merges history, music and the curiosity of the human mind into a setting that your students and audiences will thoroughly enjoy. An outstanding selection for festivals and contests!
SKU: CL.RWS-2021-01
Depicting the creative work of American inventor Charles F. Kettering, Bryce Newton’s Spark of Creation portrays the relentlessly inventive nature of Kettering’s mind. After a bold and driving introduction, the piece gives way to a lush chorale, symbolic of the success and extreme merit of Kettering’s contributions to our modern society. Spark of Creation merges history, music and the curiosity of the human mind into a setting that your students and audiences will thoroughly enjoy. An outstanding selection for festivals and contests!
SKU: PE.EP72785A
ISBN 9790577011349. 210 x 297mm inches. English.
From the composer:
How did it all begin? And what happened next?
I found myself pondering these questions in an art gallery in Bremen, in a James Turrell installation that carved through three storeys of the gallery. Looking down from the top floor through great circles of colour-changing light to the distant sparkling points in a dark ellipse on the ground floor, I felt that I was looking back in time to the origins of the universe – and I started to hear children’s voices in my mind’s ear, accompanied by twinkling metal percussion.
It occurred to me that the beginning of our world was a good story to be sung by children, especially the unique Hallé Children’s Choir, and accompanied by the magnificent Hallé Orchestra.
Haydn’s Creation immediately comes to mind as a precedent, but that is a setting and elaboration of the Book of Genesis. I thought we should tell the modern version of our story, and be as scientifically accurate as possible.
That’s easier said than done! For a start, it’s hard to find a modern account of creation that is anything like as compact as the one in Genesis. I talked about it with my regular collaborator, Alasdair Middleton. Neither of us could remember being taught anything about the Big Bang or Evolution at school, although I had certainly spent many happy hours making papier-mâché dinosaurs. So the first thing we had to do was a lot of research – reading books for grown-ups, books for children, looking at charts and diagrams and watching films. There was a wonderful moment, reading Adam Rutherford’s The Origin of Life, when I had the glorious feeling I understood everything – but that quickly evaporated as soon as I put the book down.
Scientific ideas seem to date very quickly, so this account of the beginning of our world is necessarily provisional. It&rs.
SKU: HL.35006346
UPC: 747510068594. 6.75x10.5 inches.
This sparkling creation by James Eliot using the Latin Gloria in Excelsis Deo text is a wonderful dialogue between the choir and piano accompaniment. It works as a winter/holiday selection as well as a general title for a festival or contest. Contrasting sections add charm and learning opportunities abound throughout. Fresh and appealing! Available separately: SATB, 3-part mixed.
SKU: HL.35011048
UPC: 747510071587.
Invention is an exciting work for high school or college orchestra that features an accented, multi-metered main theme, contrapuntal writing, a fugue, a reflective melodic interlude, and an optional extended violin cadenza. The title refers to the process undertaken by great inventors such as Thomas Edison and Leonardo Da Vinci. In this work, the composer reflects the many emotions and processes an inventor might experience as he is working on his creation: the spark of inspiration, the excitement of a new project, trial and error, frustration and anger, intensity, and, at last, success!
SKU: CL.RWS-2021-75
SKU: HL.35011049
SKU: BT.AMP-342-020
9x12 inches. English-German-French-Dutch.
Five States of Change was commissioned by Kunstfactor for the 4th section of the Dutch National Brass Band Championships (NBK) 2011. It is dedicated to Jappie Dijkstra and the Music Information Centre (MUI), Arnhem, Holland, in acknowledgement of their outstanding work in developing band repertoire.The composer writes: The idea for the piece came when I was reading an article about a branch of Chinese philosophy which is abbreviated as Wu Xing*, which has no exact translation but can mean, for example, five elements, five phases or five states of change. It is central to all elements of Chinese thought, including science, philosophy, medicine andastrology, and in simple terms tries to create various cyclic relationships between five elements in all walks of life.An example is: Earth - Metal - Water - Wood - Fire - (Earth) etc. where (in one cycle) earth bears metal, metal changes to liquid (water) when heated, water helps trees grow, wood burns to create fire, fire produces ash (earth) and the cycle continues.I was particularly interested in the cycle of emotions:- Meditation - Sorrow - Fear - Anger - Joy - (Meditation) etc. and thought this cyclic principle would provide an effective emotional journey for a piece of music. So Five States of Change has five equal sections which loosely characterise this emotional cycle. I have tried to make the music grow organically, with minimal repetition, and each movement evolves from the musical elements at the end of the previous one, with the opening material appearing, transformed, at the end of the piece to complete the cycle. *in full Wu zhong liu xing zhi chi or the five types of chi dominating at different times Five States of Change is geschreven in opdracht van Kunstfactor voor de 4e divisie van de NBK (Nederlandse Brassband Kampioenschappen) 2011. Het werk is opgedragen aan Jappie Dijkstra en het MUI (Muziekuitleen- en Informatiecentrum)te Arnhem,als waardering voor hun inspanningen met betrekking tot de ontwikkeling van het repertoire voor blaasorkesten.De componist schrijft: Het idee voor het werk kwam in mij op toen ik een artikel las over een takbinnen de Chinese filosofie waarvan denaam wordt afgekort tot Wu Xing* - waar geen exacte vertaling voor is, maar wat zoveel betekent als vijf elementen, vijf fasen of vijf stadia van verandering. Het gaat om eenwezenlijk onderdeel van alle componenten binnen hetChinese gedachtegoed, inclusief de wetenschap, filosofie, geneeskunst en astrologie. Simpel gezegd draait het om het creëren van diverse cyclische verbanden tussen vijf elementendie in ieders leven een rol spelen.Een voorbeeld: Aarde - Metaal - Water- Hout - Vuur - (Aarde) enz. In deze cyclus bevat aarde metaal, metaal verandert in vloeistof (water) door verhitting, water helpt bomen te groeien, houtdat brandt creëert vuur, en vuur produceert as (aarde). Zo blijft de cyclus voortgaan. Zelf wasik vooral ge nteresseerd in de cyclus van emoties: Meditatie - Verdriet - Angst - Boosheid - Vreugde - (Meditatie) enz. De gedachte aandit cyclische principe leverde een reis door een muzikale wereld van emoties op. Five States of Changebestaat uit vijf delen die betrekking hebben op de emotionele cyclus. Ik heb geprobeerd de muziek op natuurlijke wijzete laten ontstaan, met zo weinig mogelijk herhalingen. Elk deel vloeit voort uit de muzikale elementen uit het slot van hetvoorgaande deel. Het openingsmateriaal komt, in getransformeerde gedaante, terug aan het einde van het werk.Five States of Change wurde von Kunstfactor für die vierte Abteilung der Holländischen Nationalen Brass-Band-Meisterschaft (NBK) 2011 in Auftrag gegeben. Die Widmung gilt Jappie Dijkstra und dem Musik-Informationszentrum (MUI) in Arnhem(Holland), in Anerkennung derer außerordentlichen Bemühungen um die Entwicklung des Blasorchester-Repertoires. Der Komponist über sein Werk: Die Idee zu diesem Stück kam mir beim Lesen eines Artikels über eine Richtung derchinesischen Philosophie, die abgekürzt Wu Xing* heißt, was nicht wörtlich übersetzt werden kann, aber so viel wie fünf Elemente, fünf Phasen oder fünf Stadien der Verwandlung bedeutet. DiesesPrinzip nimmt eine zentrale Position im gesamten chinesischen Gedankengut ein, sei es in der Wissenschaft, Medizin oder Astrologie. Einfach ausgedrückt, werden damit in allen Lebensbereichen verschiedene zyklische Beziehungen zwischenfünf Elementen hergestellt.Zum Beispiel: Erde - Metall - Wasser - Holz - Feuer - (Erde) - usw. In diesem Zyklus enthält die Erde Metall, das sich bei Erhitzung verflüssigt (Wasser); Wasser lässt Bäume wachsen, deren Holz verbrennt (Feuer)und zu Asche wird (Erde), womit der Kreislauf von neuem beginnt.Mich interessierte besonders der Kreislauf von Gefühlen:Meditation - Trauer - Angst - Ärger - Freude - (Meditation) usw.Ich dachte mir, dass dieser Kreislauf eine wirkungsvolleemotionale Reise“ durch ein Musikstück darstellen könnte. Folglich besteht Five States of Change aus fünf gleichen Abschnitten, die diesen Kreislauf der Gefühle grob nachzeichnen. Ich habe versucht, die Musik organischwachsen zu lassen mit möglichst wenig Wiederholungen. Jeder Satz entwickelt sich aus den Elementen vom Ende des vorhergehenden Satzes und das Material der Eröffnung vollendet am Schluss des Werkes den Kreis. *Abkürzung für Wu zhongliu xing zhi chi oder Die fünf Arten von Chi, die zu unterschiedlichen Zeiten dominierenFive States of Change est une commande de l’institut Kunstfactor pour la 4e division des Championnats néerlandais de Brass Band en 2011. Cette œuvre est dédiée Jappie Dijkstra et au Music Information Centre (MUI) d’Arnhem, aux Pays-Bas, en hommage leur rôle exceptionnel dans le développement du répertoire pour Orchestre Vent.Le compositeur écrit : L’idée de cette composition m’est venue alors que je lisais un article sur un aspect de la philosophie chinoise, connu sous l’abréviation de Wu Xing*, qu’il est impossible de traduire littéralement mais qui peut signifier, par exemple, cinq éléments, cinq phases ou cinq états de changement. Toutechose dans l’univers est le fruit d’un cycle de création (ou d’engendrement) et de domination (ou contrôle). Ce concept est essentiel tous les éléments de la pensée chinoise, y compris les sciences, la philosophie, la médecine et l’astrologie et, en termes simples, il représente les multiples rapports cycliques qui existent entre cinq éléments liés l’univers et toute chose dans l’univers, donc l’homme.Évoquons le cycle de la création : Terre - Métal - Eau - Bois - Feu - (Terre) etc. La terre contient des minéraux, source de métal, le métal peut être fondu et se liquéfie, l’eau arrose et fait pousser les arbres, le bois br le et produit du feu, le feu produit des cendres, une sorte de terre, dans une dynamique cyclique perpétuelle.Parmi tous les cycles existants, celui des émotions éveilla particulièrement mon intérêt : Méditation - Chagrin - Peur - Colère - Joie - (Méditation) etc. et je me suis dit que ce principe cyclique pourrait être la source d’un puissant et émotionnel voyage musical. Five States of Change se compose donc de cinq parties égales qui reflètent assez librement ce cycle des émotions. J’ai essayé de faire en sorte que la musique se développe de manière fluide et naturelle, avec un minimum de répétitions. Chaque mouvement s’ouvre partir des éléments musicaux qui parachèvent le mouvement précédent, tandis que L’idea di comporre questo brano è venuta a Philip Sparke leggendo un articolo sulla filosofi a cinese che si basa su cicli di cinque elementi, fasi e stadi di cambiamento. A Sparke interessavano in particolare il flusso dei sentimenti come la meditazione, il lutto, la paura, la rabbia e la gioia. A partire da questi elementi ha composto un impressionante “viaggio” musicale suddiviso in cinque sezioni, tematicamente intrecciate tra loro, quasi a voler formare un cerchio.
SKU: BT.AMP-342-120
Five States of Change was commissioned by Kunstfactor for the 4th section of the Dutch National Brass Band Championships (NBK) 2011. It is dedicated to Jappie Dijkstra and the Music Information Centre (MUI), Arnhem, Holland, in acknowledgement of their outstanding work in developing band repertoire.The composer writes: The idea for the piece came when I was reading an article about a branch of Chinese philosophy which is abbreviated as Wu Xing*, which has no exact translation but can mean, for example, five elements, five phases or five states of change. It is central to all elements of Chinese thought, including science, philosophy, medicine andastrology, and in simple terms tries to create various cyclic relationships between five elements in all walks of life.An example is: Earth - Metal - Water - Wood - Fire - (Earth) etc. where (in one cycle) earth bears metal, metal changes to liquid (water) when heated, water helps trees grow, wood burns to create fire, fire produces ash (earth) and the cycle continues.I was particularly interested in the cycle of emotions:- Meditation - Sorrow - Fear - Anger - Joy - (Meditation) etc. and thought this cyclic principle would provide an effective emotional journey for a piece of music. So Five States of Change has five equal sections which loosely characterise this emotional cycle. I have tried to make the music grow organically, with minimal repetition, and each movement evolves from the musical elements at the end of the previous one, with the opening material appearing, transformed, at the end of the piece to complete the cycle. *in full Wu zhong liu xing zhi chi or the five types of chi dominating at different times Five States of Change is geschreven in opdracht van Kunstfactor voor de 4e divisie van de NBK (Nederlandse Brassband Kampioenschappen) 2011. Het werk is opgedragen aan Jappie Dijkstra en het MUI (Muziekuitleen- en Informatiecentrum) te Arnhem,als waardering voor hun inspanningen met betrekking tot de ontwikkeling van het repertoire voor blaasorkesten.De componist schrijft: Het idee voor het werk kwam in mij op toen ik een artikel las over een takbinnen de Chinese filosofie waarvan denaam wordt afgekort tot Wu Xing* - waar geen exacte vertaling voor is, maar wat zoveel betekent als vijf elementen, vijf fasen of vijf stadia van verandering. Het gaat om eenwezenlijk onderdeel van alle componenten binnen hetChinese gedachtegoed, inclusief de wetenschap, filosofie, geneeskunst en astrologie. Simpel gezegd draait het om het creëren van diverse cyclische verbanden tussen vijf elementendie in ieders leven een rol spelen.Een voorbeeld: Aarde - Metaal - Water- Hout - Vuur - (Aarde) enz. In deze cyclus bevat aarde metaal, metaal verandert in vloeistof (water) door verhitting, water helpt bomen te groeien, houtdat brandt creëert vuur, en vuur produceert as (aarde). Zo blijft de cyclus voortgaan. Zelf wasik vooral ge nteresseerd in de cyclus van emoties: Meditatie - Verdriet - Angst - Boosheid - Vreugde - (Meditatie) enz. De gedachte aandit cyclische principe leverde een reis door een muzikale wereld van emoties op. Five States of Changebestaat uit vijf delen die betrekking hebben op de emotionele cyclus. Ik heb geprobeerd de muziek op natuurlijke wijzete laten ontstaan, met zo weinig mogelijk herhalingen. Elk deel vloeit voort uit de muzikale elementen uit het slot van hetvoorgaande deel. Het openingsmateriaal komt, in getransformeerde gedaante, terug aan het einde van het werk.Five States of Change wurde von Kunstfactor für die vierte Abteilung der Holländischen Nationalen Brass-Band-Meisterschaft (NBK) 2011 in Auftrag gegeben. Die Widmung gilt Jappie Dijkstra und dem Musik-Informationszentrum (MUI) in Arnhem(Holland), in Anerkennung derer außerordentlichen Bemühungen um die Entwicklung des Blasorchester-Repertoires. Der Komponist über sein Werk: Die Idee zu diesem Stück kam mir beim Lesen eines Artikels über eine Richtung derchinesischen Philosophie, die abgekürzt Wu Xing* heißt, was nicht wörtlich übersetzt werden kann, aber so viel wie fünf Elemente, fünf Phasen oder fünf Stadien der Verwandlung bedeutet. DiesesPrinzip nimmt eine zentrale Position im gesamten chinesischen Gedankengut ein, sei es in der Wissenschaft, Medizin oder Astrologie. Einfach ausgedrückt, werden damit in allen Lebensbereichen verschiedene zyklische Beziehungen zwischenfünf Elementen hergestellt.Zum Beispiel: Erde - Metall - Wasser - Holz - Feuer - (Erde) - usw. In diesem Zyklus enthält die Erde Metall, das sich bei Erhitzung verflüssigt (Wasser); Wasser lässt Bäume wachsen, deren Holz verbrennt (Feuer)und zu Asche wird (Erde), womit der Kreislauf von neuem beginnt.Mich interessierte besonders der Kreislauf von Gefühlen:Meditation - Trauer - Angst - Ärger - Freude - (Meditation) usw.Ich dachte mir, dass dieser Kreislauf eine wirkungsvolleemotionale Reise“ durch ein Musikstück darstellen könnte. Folglich besteht Five States of Change aus fünf gleichen Abschnitten, die diesen Kreislauf der Gefühle grob nachzeichnen. Ich habe versucht, die Musik organischwachsen zu lassen mit möglichst wenig Wiederholungen. Jeder Satz entwickelt sich aus den Elementen vom Ende des vorhergehenden Satzes und das Material der Eröffnung vollendet am Schluss des Werkes den Kreis. *Abkürzung für Wu zhongliu xing zhi chi oder Die fünf Arten von Chi, die zu unterschiedlichen Zeiten dominierenFive States of Change est une commande de l’institut Kunstfactor pour la 4e division des Championnats néerlandais de Brass Band en 2011. Cette œuvre est dédiée Jappie Dijkstra et au Music Information Centre (MUI) d’Arnhem, aux Pays-Bas, en hommage leur rôle exceptionnel dans le développement du répertoire pour Orchestre Vent.Le compositeur écrit : L’idée de cette composition m’est venue alors que je lisais un article sur un aspect de la philosophie chinoise, connu sous l’abréviation de Wu Xing*, qu’il est impossible de traduire littéralement mais qui peut signifier, par exemple, cinq éléments, cinq phases ou cinq états de changement. Toutechose dans l’univers est le fruit d’un cycle de création (ou d’engendrement) et de domination (ou contrôle). Ce concept est essentiel tous les éléments de la pensée chinoise, y compris les sciences, la philosophie, la médecine et l’astrologie et, en termes simples, il représente les multiples rapports cycliques qui existent entre cinq éléments liés l’univers et toute chose dans l’univers, donc l’homme.Évoquons le cycle de la création : Terre - Métal - Eau - Bois - Feu - (Terre) etc. La terre contient des minéraux, source de métal, le métal peut être fondu et se liquéfie, l’eau arrose et fait pousser les arbres, le bois br le et produit du feu, le feu produit des cendres, une sorte de terre, dans une dynamique cyclique perpétuelle.Parmi tous les cycles existants, celui des émotions éveilla particulièrement mon intérêt : Méditation - Chagrin - Peur - Colère - Joie - (Méditation) etc. et je me suis dit que ce principe cyclique pourrait être la source d’un puissant et émotionnel voyage musical. Five States of Change se compose donc de cinq parties égales qui reflètent assez librement ce cycle des émotions. J’ai essayé de faire en sorte que la musique se développe de manière fluide et naturelle, avec un minimum de répétitions. Chaque mouvement s’ouvre partir des éléments musicaux qui parachèvent le mouvement précédent, tandis que L’idea di comporre questo brano è venuta a Philip Sparke leggendo un articolo sulla filosofi a cinese che si basa su cicli di cinque elementi, fasi e stadi di cambiamento. A Sparke interessavano in particolare il flusso dei sentimenti come la meditazione, il lutto, la paura, la rabbia e la gioia. A partire da questi elementi ha composto un impressionante “viaggio” musicale suddiviso in cinque sezioni, tematicamente intrecciate tra loro, quasi a voler formare un cerchio.
SKU: BT.AMP-342-010
SKU: BT.AMP-342-140
SKU: HL.49046544
ISBN 9781705122655. UPC: 842819108726. 9.0x12.0x0.224 inches.
I composed the Piano Concerto in two stages: the first three movements during the years 1985-86, the next two in 1987, the final autograph of the last movement was ready by January, 1988. The concerto is dedicated to the American conductor Mario di Bonaventura. The markings of the movements are the following: 1. Vivace molto ritmico e preciso 2. Lento e deserto 3. Vivace cantabile 4. Allegro risoluto 5. Presto luminoso.The first performance of the three-movement Concerto was on October 23rd, 1986 in Graz. Mario di Bonaventura conducted while his brother, Anthony di Bonaventura, was the soloist. Two days later the performance was repeated in the Vienna Konzerthaus. After hearing the work twice, I came to the conclusion that the third movement is not an adequate finale; my feeling of form demanded continuation, a supplement. That led to the composing of the next two movements. The premiere of the whole cycle took place on February 29th, 1988, in the Vienna Konzerthaus with the same conductor and the same pianist. The orchestra consisted of the following: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, tenor trombone, percussion and strings. The flautist also plays the piccoIo, the clarinetist, the alto ocarina. The percussion is made up of diverse instruments, which one musician-virtuoso can play. It is more practical, however, if two or three musicians share the instruments. Besides traditional instruments the percussion part calls also for two simple wind instruments: the swanee whistle and the harmonica. The string instrument parts (two violins, viola, cello and doubles bass) can be performed soloistic since they do not contain divisi. For balance, however, the ensemble playing is recommended, for example 6-8 first violins, 6-8 second, 4-6 violas, 4-6 cellos, 3-4 double basses. In the Piano Concerto I realized new concepts of harmony and rhythm. The first movement is entirely written in bimetry: simultaneously 12/8 and 4/4 (8/8). This relates to the known triplet on a doule relation and in itself is nothing new. Because, however, I articulate 12 triola and 8 duola pulses, an entangled, up till now unheard kind of polymetry is created. The rhythm is additionally complicated because of asymmetric groupings inside two speed layers, which means accents are asymmetrically distributed. These groups, as in the talea technique, have a fixed, continuously repeating rhythmic structures of varying lengths in speed layers of 12/8 and 4/4. This means that the repeating pattern in the 12/8 level and the pattern in the 4/4 level do not coincide and continuously give a kaleidoscope of renewing combinations. In our perception we quickly resign from following particular rhythmical successions and that what is going on in time appears for us as something static, resting. This music, if it is played properly, in the right tempo and with the right accents inside particular layers, after a certain time 'rises, as it were, as a plane after taking off: the rhythmic action, too complex to be able to follow in detail, begins flying. This diffusion of individual structures into a different global structure is one of my basic compositional concepts: from the end of the fifties, from the orchestral works Apparitions and Atmospheres I continuously have been looking for new ways of resolving this basic question. The harmony of the first movement is based on mixtures, hence on the parallel leading of voices. This technique is used here in a rather simple form; later in the fourth movement it will be considerably developed. The second movement (the only slow one amongst five movements) also has a talea type of structure, it is however much simpler rhythmically, because it contains only one speed layer. The melody is consisted in the development of a rigorous interval mode in which two minor seconds and one major second alternate therefore nine notes inside an octave. This mode is transposed into different degrees and it also determines the harmony of the movement; however, in closing episode in the piano part there is a combination of diatonics (white keys) and pentatonics (black keys) led in brilliant, sparkling quasimixtures, while the orchestra continues to play in the nine tone mode. In this movement I used isolated sounds and extreme registers (piccolo in a very low register, bassoon in a very high register, canons played by the swanee whistle, the alto ocarina and brass with a harmon-mute' damper, cutting sound combinations of the piccolo, clarinet and oboe in an extremely high register, also alternating of a whistle-siren and xylophone). The third movement also has one speed layer and because of this it appears as simpler than the first, but actually the rhythm is very complicated in a different way here. Above the uninterrupted, fast and regular basic pulse, thanks to the asymmetric distribution of accents, different types of hemiolas and inherent melodical patterns appear (the term was coined by Gerhard Kubik in relation to central African music). If this movement is played with the adequate speed and with very clear accentuation, illusory rhythmic-melodical figures appear. These figures are not played directly; they do not appear in the score, but exist only in our perception as a result of co-operation of different voices. Already earlier I had experimented with illusory rhythmics, namely in Poeme symphonique for 100 metronomes (1962), in Continuum for harpsichord (1968), in Monument for two pianos (1976), and especially in the first and sixth piano etude Desordre and Automne a Varsovie (1985). The third movement of the Piano Concerto is up to now the clearest example of illusory rhythmics and illusory melody. In intervallic and chordal structure this movement is based on alternation, and also inter-relation of various modal and quasi-equidistant harmony spaces. The tempered twelve-part division of the octave allows for diatonical and other modal interval successions, which are not equidistant, but are based on the alternation of major and minor seconds in different groups. The tempered system also allows for the use of the anhemitonic pentatonic scale (the black keys of the piano). From equidistant scales, therefore interval formations which are based on the division of an octave in equal distances, the twelve-tone tempered system allows only chromatics (only minor seconds) and the six-tone scale (the whole-tone: only major seconds). Moreover, the division of the octave into four parts only minor thirds) and three parts (three major thirds) is possible. In several music cultures different equidistant divisions of an octave are accepted, for example, in the Javanese slendro into five parts, in Melanesia into seven parts, popular also in southeastern Asia, and apart from this, in southern Africa. This does not mean an exact equidistance: there is a certain tolerance for the inaccurateness of the interval tuning. These exotic for us, Europeans, harmony and melody have attracted me for several years. However I did not want to re-tune the piano (microtone deviations appear in the concerto only in a few places in the horn and trombone parts led in natural tones). After the period of experimenting, I got to pseudo- or quasiequidistant intervals, which is neither whole-tone nor chromatic: in the twelve-tone system, two whole-tone scales are possible, shifted a minor second apart from each other. Therefore, I connect these two scales (or sound resources), and for example, places occur where the melodies and figurations in the piano part are created from both whole tone scales; in one band one six-tone sound resource is utilized, and in the other hand, the complementary. In this way whole-tonality and chromaticism mutually reduce themselves: a type of deformed equidistancism is formed, strangely brilliant and at the same time slanting; illusory harmony, indeed being created inside the tempered twelve-tone system, but in sound quality not belonging to it anymore. The appearance of such slantedequidistant harmony fields alternating with modal fields and based on chords built on fifths (mainly in the piano part), complemented with mixtures built on fifths in the orchestra, gives this movement an individual, soft-metallic colour (a metallic sound resulting from harmonics). The fourth movement was meant to be the central movement of the Concerto. Its melodc-rhythmic elements (embryos or fragments of motives) in themselves are simple. The movement also begins simply, with a succession of overlapping of these elements in the mixture type structures. Also here a kaleidoscope is created, due to a limited number of these elements - of these pebbles in the kaleidoscope - which continuously return in augmentations and diminutions. Step by step, however, so that in the beginning we cannot hear it, a compiled rhythmic organization of the talea type gradually comes into daylight, based on the simultaneity of two mutually shifted to each other speed layers (also triplet and duoles, however, with different asymmetric structures than in the first movement). While longer rests are gradually filled in with motive fragments, we slowly come to the conclusion that we have found ourselves inside a rhythmic-melodical whirl: without change in tempo, only through increasing the density of the musical events, a rotation is created in the stream of successive and compiled, augmented and diminished motive fragments, and increasing the density suggests acceleration. Thanks to the periodical structure of the composition, always new but however of the same (all the motivic cells are similar to earlier ones but none of them are exactly repeated; the general structure is therefore self-similar), an impression is created of a gigantic, indissoluble network. Also, rhythmic structures at first hidden gradually begin to emerge, two independent speed layers with their various internal accentuations. This great, self-similar whirl in a very indirect way relates to musical associations, which came to my mind while watching the graphic projection of the mathematical sets of Julia and of Mandelbrot made with the help of a computer. I saw these wonderful pictures of fractal creations, made by scientists from Brema, Peitgen and Richter, for the first time in 1984. From that time they have played a great role in my musical concepts. This does not mean, however, that composing the fourth movement I used mathematical methods or iterative calculus; indeed, I did use constructions which, however, are not based on mathematical thinking, but are rather craftman's constructions (in this respect, my attitude towards mathematics is similar to that of the graphic artist Maurits Escher). I am concerned rather with intuitional, poetic, synesthetic correspondence, not on the scientific, but on the poetic level of thinking. The fifth, very short Presto movement is harmonically very simple, but all the more complicated in its rhythmic structure: it is based on the further development of ''inherent patterns of the third movement. The quasi-equidistance system dominates harmonically and melodically in this movement, as in the third, alternating with harmonic fields, which are based on the division of the chromatic whole into diatonics and anhemitonic pentatonics. Polyrhythms and harmonic mixtures reach their greatest density, and at the same time this movement is strikingly light, enlightened with very bright colours: at first it seems chaotic, but after listening to it for a few times it is easy to grasp its content: many autonomous but self-similar figures which crossing themselves. I present my artistic credo in the Piano Concerto: I demonstrate my independence from criteria of the traditional avantgarde, as well as the fashionable postmodernism. Musical illusions which I consider to be also so important are not a goal in itself for me, but a foundation for my aesthetical attitude. I prefer musical forms which have a more object-like than processual character. Music as frozen time, as an object in imaginary space evoked by music in our imagination, as a creation which really develops in time, but in imagination it exists simultaneously in all its moments. The spell of time, the enduring its passing by, closing it in a moment of the present is my main intention as a composer. (Gyorgy Ligeti).
