Format : Sheet music
SKU: HL.14040983
French.
The Modal Column is a cycle of paired pieces for piano, starting from the classical structure- prelude-fugue - used by Bach in Das wohltemperierte Klavier. The modes that are being used have a relatively simple octavizing structure, hence an almost infinite variety of combinations that can generate a large number of pieces, impossible to exhaust by a composer. Therein lies the idea of a column, in the sense given by Brancusi, i.e. an endless succession of modules.
In the vision of the author, the mechanism of the mode is a secondary (ancillary) aspect, the primary goal is deciphering the ethos incorporated in it.
The prelude-fugue structure hypostatizesthe musical discourse at the two possible extremes. free-constructed. While Romanian music rules in free areas, like any old music with an (especially oral) tradition, the constructed pieces start from Dutch (Flemish) or Venetian polyphony, which precedes the idea of fugue, understood as a technology of the movement (dynamics) of sound, after the models of Giovanni Gabrieli or Ockeghem.
The Modal Column is first of all the presentation of a melodic world but, as the subtitle indicates, also an investigation into the ethos of Romanian music. The forms in which the pieces are thought are simple, non-ostentatious, the whole cycle being in fact a musical workshop, whose better parts may be worth including in ampler works. Before the succinct description of the six couples in Books I and II, a few observations, necessary from a musicological point of view:
SKU: PR.165000970
ISBN 9781491100462. UPC: 680160626717. 9x12 inches.
Commissioned by a consortium of 20 high school and university bands coordinated by Scott Hanna of the University of Texas at Austin, Downshifting is inspired by Welcher’s joy of bicycle riding. Welcher explains in the program note: When I decided to write a piece for band that was basically entertaining and uplifting, it made perfect sense to call it Downshifting... With three gears on the front sprocket and seven on the rear, it’s possible to keep one’s legs going at a constant speed (for me, q = 126) while the bike itself may be moving very slowly or very quickly. I determined to capitalize on this in writing Downshifting, which keeps the same mathematical inner pulse, ‘shifting’ (with a ratchet) as the terrain changes..One of the joys of life for me is riding my 21-speed bicycle. As a basically non-athletic person who nonetheless likes to stay in shape, I have found that riding my bike provides just the exercise I need. The workout is strenuous, but pleasant—and the infinite variety of scenery I pass keeps me alert and wide awake. When I decided to write a piece for band that was basically entertaining and uplifting, it made perfect sense to call it Downshifting.With three gears on the front sprocket and seven on the rear, it’s possible to keep ones legs going at a constant speed (for me, that’s 126 to the quarter note) while the bike itself may be moving very slowly or very quickly. I determined to capitalize on this in writing the music, which manages to keep the same mathematical inner pulse, “shifting†(with a ratchet) as the terrain changes. So Downshifting begins with that steady pulse, on a grid of eighth notes in 2/4 to propel the little vehicle forward. There’s a joyous little tune in our heads as we begin our ride. As the initial thrill of riding on the flat gives way to monotony, we stay in that pulse for the first minute or so of the ride. Then, as the first hill becomes visible, we shift the bike down: even though the eighths are equal, the pulse feels slower (and we’re now in 6/8 time). Ultimately the compound meter shifts again as the climb begins, and we’re now plodding doggedly up the hill. (The music reflects all of these changes, with subtitles such as “Working harder—Seeing the climb, aheadâ€, “Steady and committed…the climb begins!â€, “Straining against the gradeâ€, etc.).There are two hills, and two long climbs (but in different keys, reflecting the change in scenery). When at last the summit of the second hill is reached (“Flying, Over the Topâ€), we coast at last down the other side at breakneck speed. The initial joyous melody returns, but now in a spread-out coasting pulse. At the end of the ride, we slow to a stop—then take one last sprint (shifting five times in the process) in order to end on a biker’s high.Downshifting was commissioned by a consortium of fourteen high school and college bands, overseen by my longtime colleague at the University of Texas, Scott Hanna. The piece is dedicated to him (and to all bicycle enthusiasts).
