BRYAN LIN
  • About
  • Works
    • Selected
    • Vocal
    • Instrumental
  • Contact
  • About
  • Works
    • Selected
    • Vocal
    • Instrumental
  • Contact

Adagio

Order Score
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.
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