I FINALLY got a real solid start on my new violin duet I’ve been commissioned to write!! It’s super intriguing!!! I originally thought I’d add a piano part, but I don’t know now… I may just go Ravel-violin/cello-duet-style and have the two violins remain by themselves. Or, if I do add a piano part, I want to have it wait a while to come in… Can’t wait to see where this goes and how it unfolds! ?
Wanna see how I approached the beginnings of this basic construction? Check out The Music Nerds video #1! ?
Hello Sarah,
I enjoyed your theory video. This type of use of set theory in a piece reminds me a lot of Husa’s Cello Concerto. I may have to borrow the circular visual representation for a piece of my own, if that is ok.
…you are probably a lot farther now than at the original date of this post. Maybe you could write a duo in this style with an optional piano part (possibly using an inverse of the first row used as an idea). That way you could potentially have two to three pieces in one.
I’ll be looking forward to hearing the piece one day. Happy Composing!
Hi Samantha! I’m glad you enjoyed my video! 🙂 I’ve always tended to think more in terms of intervallic relationships anyway, and set theory is a fantastic way to take that further.
I’ve used these concepts a lot more deeply in works like my “Organic Circuitry” (https://itun.es/us/sBbO8?i=1017124967) and “Resplendence” (https://soundcloud.com/sarah-wallin-huff/resplendence-digital-demo) — where I used a lot of invariance and combinatoriality principles: that’s for another video… ;-p
And then there’s my violin trio “Counterpoint Invariable” (https://itunes.apple.com/us/playlist/counterpoint-invariable/idpl.40bb35afc90340da99af7c5dac6c85f2), where the whole thing is one giant map (see https://sjwallin.wpcomstaging.com/2012/01/04/for-my-nerdy-friends) of unchanging phrases that are inverted, retrograded, augmented, cannoned, etc… It’s super cool, one of my favs!!
For the newest duet, “Weeping Willow,” because my friend had a very specific sonic world he was wanting, I couldn’t go all out entirely with my set theory. I ended up letting it give me a solid start on certain melodies I wanted to use, and then went a little more conventional with my ideas. And I did end up bringing in the piano a lot sooner; it really needed the support. But I’m so happy to say that I finished it over this past weekend, and my friend LOVES it!!!
You can hear the digital demo at https://soundcloud.com/sarah-wallin-huff/weeping-willow-digital-demo My friends and I are actually going to record it on Dec 18, and I’ll have just enough time to add it to my new ESOTERICA album! Just in time for Christmas, haha! 🙂
Thanks again for stopping by!
Oh, PS… If you’re at all interested in checking out the score to the finished duet, you can get it here: https://squareup.com/store/sarah-wallin-huff/item/weeping-willow-score 🙂