JUNE 2004

The inspiring starting point for my piece was the improvising of a melody and accompaniment which appeared to exhibit very interesting intervallic relationships on both horizontal and vertical planes. Using the longer note values of the accompaniment, I was able to create another melodic line. I then assigned this new melody with another accompaniment. From this new accompaniment, I extracted another melodic line and to this, assigned yet another accompaniment. My compositional process became, as one may describe from a visual standpoint, like the 'weaving' of horizontal and vertical elements.

Very soon, my title arrived: Interweaves. I spent some months writing the piece in short-score form and I am now a little over half way through the orchestration. The work may be divided into two major sections. The first commences with the statement of the original melody and accompaniment which has a dreamy, flowing and lyrical character. A new melody and accompaniment (extracted from the original material) then 'interweaves' with this music. Subsequently, another new melody and accompaniment is also interwoven and the process gathers momentum. The smooth and flowing nature of the music begins to be disturbed by the introduction of shorter note values which are articulated staccato. These new detached and more rhythmic gestures pervade the music until they eventually dominate it completely. There follows a greater and greater increase of rhythmic activity until a maximum point is reached and the section ends.

The second section sees a condensing and semi-verticalization of the musical material from the first section. It retraces the evolution of the music in the first section but in a distorted, uneasy fashion above a low, ever-present A-flat pedal. I am still uncertain of how exactly to finish my piece - should it peter out or end with a great crash?