Four Bit Modulo Phase Triplex for Violin, Piano and Cello.

December 2023

Source Material:

This work is derived from binary data generated by randomly sampling noise from a field recording captured under a highway underpass at 41.814011, -71.406527 (Providence, RI). Each “1” in the score corresponds to the performance of a 16th note or chord, predetermined at the start of the movement. Each “0” represents a rest.

Movement I

Notation and Looping:

The opening 4 bars represent a direct transcription of the binary pattern: “1” = note/chord, “0” = rest.

Violin, piano, and cello subsequently enter into instrument-specific loops of differing lengths:

• Violin: 4-bar loop, repeated 24 times (notated as 8 sets of 3 loops).
• Piano: 4¼-bar loop, repeated 24 times (4 sets of 6 loops).
• Cello: 4½-bar loop, repeated 24 times (6 sections of 4 loops).

Loops may phase against one another due to differing loop lengths; all instruments maintain 16th-note subdivisions at 120 BPM.

Dynamics:

A grey envelope overlay represents dynamic contour.

• Violin loop: First 12 iterations: ff to pp; next 12 iterations: fff to ppp.
• Same rules apply to piano and cello.

Articulation:

• All sounding notes (“1”) are staccato.
• Violin and cello may execute snap pizzicato randomly, preferably at the loop’s onset when the instrument is at a higher dynamic.

Movement II

Tempo:

120 BPM; 16th-note rhythms now performed as triplets. Piano may later deviate in tempo.

Notation:

• New preset pitch material is indicated at the start of each instrument’s loop.
• Snap pizzicatos are now fixed, with spacing considerations to avoid excessive clustering (omit redundant notes if necessary).
• The first note of each loop for violin and cello is marked sfz, serving as a temporal cue for the piano.

Phasing and Temporal Manipulation:

• First ~10 bars (~1 minute): all instruments in strict tempo.
• From ~1:00 onwards, piano gradually phases out: individual notes separate in time, volume decrescendos.
• Approaching the final ~20 seconds, piano phase and tempo reintegrate; crescendo to fff, and all instruments synchronize.
• Violin and cello: continuous crescendo from mf to fff over the course of the 3-minute movement.

Movement III

Tempo:

130 BPM; all notes performed as 16th notes.

Structural Outline:

• Initial section: instruments in strict tempo.
• Subsequent sections: gradual deviations in tempo, pitch (octave displacement), and dynamics, producing aleatoric textures.
• Single cello note at loop onset is sfz.

Looping Scheme:

• Loops vary in length (beats): 3 to 7 to 8 to 4, etc.
• Entire loop sequence is repeated:
• 3 iterations in strict tempo.
• 3 iterations with tempo deviations.
• 3 iterations with deviations in tempo, dynamic, and octave; violin and cello incorporate random pizzicati.
• Final section: disintegration and collapse, allowing rhythmic, pitch, and textural dissolution.

General Performance Notes:

• All instruments adhere to 16th-note subdivisions unless specified.
• Phasing is intrinsic; performers must maintain awareness of loop length and dynamic contour.
• Snap pizzicato, sfz, and staccato articulations are integral for both texture and temporal referencing.
• Dynamics, articulation, and pitch deviations are intentionally flexible in Movements II and III to create evolving, spatialized textures.

This piece is accompanied by a graphic score illustrating the phasing, timing and loop relationships between violin, cello, and piano.