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Work

Melancholia

by Andrián Pertout (2009)

Score Sample

View a sample of the score of this work
This sample is from the Quartets: 4 Percussion version of this work

Audio Sample

Performance by Jasmine Chen, Laurence MacFarlane from the CD La flor en la colina

This sample is of the Duos: 2 Percussion version of this work

Versions of this work

Select from the following versions of this work to view more detailed information:

- Duos: 2 Percussion

- Quartets: 4 Percussion

Products featuring this work

Format Title Version AMC Library Price  

Parts

Melancholia : for two percussionists and 8-speaker sound diffusion / Andrián Pertout.

Duos: 2 Percussion Not for loan $32.73 Add to cart

Score

Melancholia : for two percussionists and 8-speaker sound diffusion / Andrián Pertout.

Duos: 2 Percussion Available for loan $49.09 Add to cart

Parts

Melancholia : for four percussionists and thirty-six found objects / Andrián Pertout

Quartets: 4 Percussion Not for loan $57.27 Add to cart

Score

Melancholia : for four percussionists and thirty-six found objects / Andrián Pertout

Quartets: 4 Percussion Available for loan $59.09 Add to cart

CD

La flor en la colina / Andrian Pertout

Duos: 2 Percussion Available for loan Non-Commercial  

Work Overview

Melancholia was especially composed for Australian percussion ensemble Speak Percussion.

The work serves as an exploration of the musical properties of Albrecht Dürer's Melancholia 1 (1514) 4×4 magic square and investigates its potential for structural indeterminacy. The magic square is firstly presented within the metrical scheme in its original form (rows 1 to 4: 16+3+2+13, 5+10+11+8, 9+6+7+12 and 4+15+14+1), to be then followed by an additional seven rotations and reflections (270% rotation, 180% rotation, 90% rotation, horizontal reflection, vertical reflection, right diagonal, left diagonal). In the 32-bar score, each player is presented with an 8-module structure and 8 staves of music with materials that (as a 2-stave set) may be interpreted horizontally, vertically and diagonally, as well as another 30 unique combinations. The compositional strategy allows for each 4-bar module to be repeated 3, 5 or 7 times, with freedom to overlap materials (from one 4-bar module to the next) up until the closing 4-bar module. The pitch material (assigned to Player 1 and 2) consists of an 8-note series based on an arrangement of the common three bells 'change-ringing' sequence - effectively 123, 213, 231, 321, 312, and 132 transformed into four-note loops. The pitch series begins with 1232 and 2131, and is then followed by the extension 2313 and 2131, to be concluded with an inversion of this expanded 16-note series (3212, 2313, 2131 and 2313). In the next 32-note set, further combinations are then introduced (3121 and 1323 and extension 3121 and 3212), and finally, the inversion of this second expanded 16-note series is presented (1323, 3121, 1323 and 1232). The same 64 pitches are also assigned to Player 3 and 4, but allocated to each separate part (two sets of 8 staves of music for Player 1-2 and 3-4) as a 32-note series in reverse. With regards to rhythm, all polyrhythmic ratios between 1 and 16 not greater than 1 have been systematically utilized within the rhythmic framework of the composition.

Work Details

Year: 2009

Duration: 12-20 min.

Performances of this work

7 Jan 12: ‘Acousmatic’ Premiere: Goethe-Institut Santiago, XI Festival Internacional de Música Electroacústica de Santiago – Ai-maako 2011 (11th International Festival of Electroacoustic Music of Santiago), Santiago, Chile

7 Jul 11: School of Music, University of Auckland, New Zealand.. Featuring Jasmine Chen, Laurence MacFarlane.

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