Adagio |
or solo viola
Duration: ~8'
Premiere: December 14, 2015 by Matthew Readdick, San Francisco Conservatory of Music's Viola Project X
When given the task of writing a piece for solo viola, I thought about what were the defining traits of a viola. To me, it was its lush, dark timbre. I came up with a melody that was derived from four notes of the major pentatonic scale. I found that doing so created a somewhat ambiguous tonal center, while retaining the familiarity of the pentatonic scale. The piece evolves to a middle section that transforms this tetrachord by means of its prime inversion. While it is a new set of pitches, the air of the pentatonic scale lingers, providing a nostalgia to the original melody.
A big thanks to my friend Matthew Readdick for collaborating with and advising me on this composition process.
Duration: ~8'
Premiere: December 14, 2015 by Matthew Readdick, San Francisco Conservatory of Music's Viola Project X
When given the task of writing a piece for solo viola, I thought about what were the defining traits of a viola. To me, it was its lush, dark timbre. I came up with a melody that was derived from four notes of the major pentatonic scale. I found that doing so created a somewhat ambiguous tonal center, while retaining the familiarity of the pentatonic scale. The piece evolves to a middle section that transforms this tetrachord by means of its prime inversion. While it is a new set of pitches, the air of the pentatonic scale lingers, providing a nostalgia to the original melody.
A big thanks to my friend Matthew Readdick for collaborating with and advising me on this composition process.