How to compose like Arvo Pärt, tintinnabuli style

Summary

This video provides a comprehensive guide to composing music in the unique style of Arvo Pärt, an Estonian composer known for his distinctive 'tintinnabuli' technique. It delves into the fundamental concepts and practical tools needed to create a sound that blends ancient and modern aesthetics, achieving both simplicity and depth. The instructor breaks down key elements like melodic modes, tonic triads, and the systematic relationship between 'M' and 'T' voices. The video also explores advanced techniques such as incorporating rhythmic displacement, going beyond a seven-note scale, and strategically designing structures to match an instrument's range. With engaging audio mockups and animations, viewers gain an in-depth understanding of Pärt's compositional approach and leave equipped to create their own music in this captivating style.

Takeaways

• 🎵 Arvo Pärt's compositional style, known as the tintinnabuli technique, combines ancient and modern elements, creating a sound that is simultaneously simple and profound.
• 🎼 The tintinnabuli style uses two types of musical voices: M-voices (made up of scale segments) and T-voices (using only notes from the tonic triad).
• 🎶 M-voices serve as structural origins, with T-voices systematically branching out from them in various positions (close or open) above or below.
• 🎻 Pärt often structures his compositions to align with the range limitations of specific instruments.
• 🎵 The M-voice can be constructed using different systems, such as increasing or decreasing segment lengths, mirroring patterns across modes, or setting syllables to scale segments.
• 🎹 T-voices can be added above or below the M-voice in close or open positions, using notes from the tonic triad.
• 🎺 Symmetry and balance are crucial in Pärt's compositions, achieved through mirroring, alternating patterns, and strategically designing climactic moments.
• 🎼 Variety and complexity can be introduced by going beyond the seven-note diatonic scale, raising or lowering specific scale degrees, or incorporating rhythmic displacement.
• 🎻 Pärt's music invites a new perspective on existing compositions, reframing elements like parallel motion and tonic triads within the tintinnabuli style.
• 🎹 The script provides practical examples and exercises for composing in Pärt's style, including recomposing Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 as a tintinnabuli homage.

Q & A

What are the two types of musical voices described in Arvo Pärt's tintinnabuli style?

The two types of musical voices in Arvo Pärt's tintinnabuli style are M voices and T voices. M voices are made up of scale segments, whereas T voices use members of a tonic triad.

How does an M voice function within Arvo Pärt's tintinnabuli style?

An M voice functions as the structural origin of all other voices, either directly or indirectly, in Arvo Pärt's tintinnabuli style.

What is the significance of the tonic triad in the tintinnabuli style?

The tonic triad is significant in the tintinnabuli style as it provides orientation for each line written, with T voices using only members of this triad, thus grounding the music in a harmonic foundation.

How are M voices and T voices related in Arvo Pärt's composition technique?

M voices and T voices are systematically related, with T voices branching out from M voices in a patterned way, following rules that only allow the use of notes from the tonic triad in relation to the M voice.

What are the four orientations of a scale segment to a central pitch according to Arvo Pärt?

The four orientations are: descending toward the central pitch, ascending toward the central pitch, ascending away from the central pitch, and descending away from the central pitch.

How does Arvo Pärt use instrument range in his compositions?

Arvo Pärt often picks keys and structures to correspond with the limits of an instrument's range, carefully considering the practical concerns and capabilities of the instruments used.

What is the role of symmetry in Arvo Pärt's tintinnabuli compositions?

Symmetry plays a crucial role in creating balance and structure in Pärt's compositions, often through mirrored segments, systematic or symmetric design, and the strategic placement of M and T voices.

How can composers add harmonic complexity using rhythmic delay in the tintinnabuli style?

Rhythmic delay can add harmonic complexity by creating overlaps and suspensions between notes, blending consecutive sonorities into a cascade of harmonies and enriching the texture of the composition.

What is a practical approach to composing in the tintinnabuli style as described in the script?

A practical approach includes starting with an underlying scale and tonic triad, systematically creating M and T voices, and considering instrument ranges and symmetrical structures to elaborate the music.

How does Arvo Pärt's music reorient the way one might think about other music?

Arvo Pärt's music, with its emphasis on simplicity, depth, and structural symmetry, can offer a new perspective on existing music, encouraging a reevaluation of harmonic and melodic relationships.

Outlines

00:00

🎵 Introduction to Arvo Pärt's Tintinnabuli Style

This paragraph introduces the Tintinnabuli style of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. It discusses the aesthetic of blending ancient and modern sounds, simplicity and depth. The paragraph provides an overview of the concepts and practical toolkit for composing in Pärt's style, aiming to enable the viewer to create music after watching the video. It also mentions that the content is derived from a college course on 20th-century compositional techniques, enhanced with audio mockups and animations to illustrate the connection between music and underlying structure.

05:01

🎼 Understanding Pärt's Tintinnabuli Structure

This paragraph delves into the details of Arvo Pärt's Tintinnabuli structure. It explains the two types of musical voices: M voices (made up of scale segments) and T voices (using only members of the tonic triad). M voices function as the structural origin for other voices, either directly or indirectly. T voices branch out systematically from M voices. The paragraph also discusses how to write the first M voice using an underlying scale and tonic triad, and the four melodic modes (orientations of scale segments to a central pitch). It provides examples of different M voice patterns and highlights the importance of instrument range when defining the system.

10:01

🎻 Composing T Voices and Elaborating the Structure

This paragraph focuses on composing T voices and elaborating the underlying structure of M and T voices. It explains the rules for T voices, which use only notes from the tonic triad and relate to an M voice in a patterned way. The paragraph discusses four possible positions for T voices relative to an M voice (close or open, above or below). It provides an example of an M voice with two T voices and demonstrates how Pärt's "Variations for the Healing of Arka" elaborates the same structure in different variations. It also shows another example of building symmetry and layers through M and T voices, rhythmic patterns, and pairing singers in a choral setting.

15:03

🎹 Adding Complexity and Variety

This paragraph explores ways to add complexity and variety to Pärt's Tintinnabuli style. It discusses adding a second M voice, often in parallel motion (thirds or tenths) with the primary M voice, to create a thicker texture. The example is set in E minor to match the lowest range of an organ, with strategic placement of M and T voices across the registers. The paragraph also introduces the idea of going beyond a seven-note diatonic scale, such as using raised and lowered scale degrees 6 and 7 in the lowest register. It demonstrates a choral sketch with rhythmic displacement of T voices to create suspensions and voice overlap, adding more variety and complexity.

20:04

🎻 Applying Pärt's Concepts to Bach's Cello Suite

This paragraph explores how Pärt's concepts and techniques can reorient the listener's perspective on existing music, using an example from Bach's famous Cello Suite No. 1 in G major. It suggests interpreting the arpeggiated notes in the upper voice as an M voice moving away from and toward a central pitch, with other voices potentially functioning as T voices or parallel M voices. The paragraph proposes creating a homage to Bach and Pärt by continuing Bach's opening measures in Pärt's style, setting systematic parameters and incorporating textures and processes from Pärt's "Spiegel im Spiegel."

25:05

🎼 Conclusion: Homage to Bach and Pärt

This paragraph concludes the video by presenting a homage to Bach and Pärt, built upon the opening measures of Bach's Cello Suite No. 1. It sets parameters inspired by Pärt's style, such as using the upper line as the primary M voice, a T voice in open position below it, and a second M voice in parallel tenths. The paragraph describes how the piano left hand expresses the second M voice on downbeats, allowing for a T voice pattern alternating between high and low extremes of the piano's range. It mentions a separate video where the four melodic modes are represented by branches of a fractal-based tree and the path and symmetry of the M voice are visualized as light moving along those branches.

Keywords

💡Tintinnabuli

Tintinnabuli is a compositional technique developed by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. It involves two melodic lines, one consisting of a scale (the 'M-voice') and the other using only the notes of the tonic triad (the 'T-voice'). The M-voice serves as the structural foundation, with the T-voice systematically branching out from it. This creates a sound that is simultaneously ancient and modern, simple yet deep. The term 'tintinnabuli' comes from the Latin word for 'little bells,' evoking the ringing, resonant quality of the music.

💡M-voice

The M-voice (short for 'melodic voice') is one of the two main components of Pärt's tintinnabuli style. It consists of segments of a scale, each segment oriented in a specific way to a central pitch (usually the tonic). The M-voice forms the underlying structure and foundation of the music, with the other voices (T-voices) branching out from it. The M-voice is often written in a systematic or symmetric design, gradually increasing or decreasing the size of the segments. It provides the melodic foundation and establishes the key and mode of the piece.

💡T-voice

The T-voice (short for 'tintinnabuli voice') is the second main component of Pärt's tintinnabuli style. It is derived directly from the M-voice, using only the notes of the tonic triad (the root, third, and fifth of the key). The T-voice is positioned in a patterned relationship to the M-voice, either above or below it, in 'close' or 'open' positions. This creates a harmony that is both simple (using only triadic notes) and rich (through its relationship to the M-voice). The T-voice adds harmonic depth and complexity to the music, while remaining systematic and consonant.

💡Melodic Modes

In Pärt's tintinnabuli style, the composer uses four different 'melodic modes' to orient the segments of the M-voice in relation to the central pitch. The four modes are: descending toward the central pitch, ascending toward the central pitch, ascending away from the central pitch, and descending away from the central pitch. By cycling through these modes systematically, Pärt creates a sense of balance and symmetry in the M-voice. The choice of melodic mode also affects the harmonic relationship between the M and T voices, adding depth and complexity to the music.

💡Symmetry

Symmetry is a key principle in Pärt's tintinnabuli style. It can be found in the design of the M-voice (e.g., segments gradually increasing or decreasing in size), the relationship between the M and T voices (e.g., parallel motion at the interval of a sixth or tenth), and the overall form of the piece. Pärt often creates layers of symmetry, mirroring phrases and using pairings of voices to build a sense of balance and unity. The presence of symmetry contributes to the simple yet deep aesthetic of the tintinnabuli style, evoking a sense of timelessness and profundity.

💡Parallel Motion

Parallel motion refers to the way in which Pärt often constructs additional M or T voices in his tintinnabuli music. Rather than moving in contrary motion, the voices will often move in parallel intervals, most commonly at the interval of a sixth or a tenth. This creates a sense of unity and coherence within the texture, while still allowing for harmonic complexity. The parallel motion between voices helps to reinforce the underlying symmetry and structure of the composition.

💡Text Setting

Pärt often composes vocal music with a text (such as sacred texts in Latin or other languages). In these cases, he may use the number of syllables in each word to determine the length of each segment in the M-voice. For example, a word with two syllables would correspond to a segment of two notes in the scale, while a word with five syllables would have a five-note segment. This systematic approach to text setting allows Pärt to integrate the text organically into the underlying structure of the music, further reinforcing the balance and unity of the composition.

💡Instrument Range

When composing tintinnabuli music, Pärt often takes the range and capabilities of the specific instruments into consideration. He may design the underlying structure (particularly the lowest notes of the M-voice) to correspond to the lowest playable notes on an instrument like the violin, organ, or cello. This strategic approach helps to ensure that the music fits comfortably within the practical limitations of the instruments, while still maintaining the desired symmetry and balance of the composition.

💡Rhythmic Displacement

Pärt employs rhythmic displacement as a technique to add more variety and depth to his tintinnabuli music. Instead of strictly aligning the T-voices to the downbeats of each measure, he may displace them by a certain number of beats, creating a cascading effect where notes from one measure blend into the next. This introduces more complex harmonies through suspensions and voice overlap, while still maintaining the underlying systematic structure. Rhythmic displacement helps to prevent the music from becoming too repetitive or static, adding a sense of forward motion and harmonic richness.

💡Perspective Shift

By studying Pärt's tintinnabuli style, one can gain a new perspective on existing music, particularly music from earlier eras. Rather than hearing a piece through the lens of traditional harmonic analysis, one may start to recognize patterns and relationships that resemble the M and T voice structures of tintinnabuli. This shift in perspective allows for a fresh interpretation of familiar works, highlighting the simplicity and depth that can be found within them. It encourages the listener to hear music not just as a series of chords and progressions, but as a interplay of melodic lines and systematic relationships.

Highlights

Introduction to Arvo Pärt's 'Tintinnabuli' style, blending ancient and modern music aesthetics.

Explanation of fundamental concepts for composing in Pärt's style without comprehensive music theory.

Use of audio mockups and animation to demonstrate the relationship between music and its underlying structure.

Overview of 'Tintinnabuli' structure, including the roles of M and T voices.

Explanation of M voices using scale segments and their systematic design.

Introduction to T voices, relying solely on the tonic triad and their systematic branching from M voices.

Techniques for composing with text, using syllable count to define segment lengths.

Methods for creating harmonic complexity through rhythmic delay.

Discussion on how Pärt's music reorients thinking about music composition.

Recomposition of Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 in Pärt's style.

Use of instrument register considerations in composition to match the instrument's range.

Strategies for going beyond a seven-note diatonic scale to add variety.

Use of raised and lowered versions of scale degrees for added complexity.

Incorporation of rhythmic displacements for a cascade of suspensions effect.

Homage to Bach and Pärt by blending elements of both composers' styles.

Transcripts

have you ever wanted to make music sound

simultaneously ancient and modern to

feel both simple and deep this is the

aesthetic produced by arvo's tinab style

I'm going to explain fundamental

concepts and give you a practical

toolkit for composing without getting

bogged down trying to be comprehensive

because I want you to be able to make

music as soon as you finish watching

this

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video

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[Laughter]

[Applause]

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St

I've taught about arvo par style in a

college course on techniques used by

composers in the 20th century and to

make this video I took my material from

that course and improved it by adding

audio mockups and animation so that you

can see in real time how the music

relates to its underlying structure this

is more than an introduction to P's

Theory though I'll show you nuances for

composing regarding instrument register

ways you can go beyond an underlying

seven note scale and how to use rhythmic

delay to add harmonic complexity at the

end I'll also explore how parr's music

might reorient the way you think about

other music and I'll show you how I

recomposed Bach's Cello Suite number one

in the style of AR

V let me start with an overview of arvo

per style tinu nabell structure before

getting into the details for what each

voice voices there will be two types of

musical voices M voices and T voices an

M voice is made up of scale segments

whereas T voices will only use members

of a tonic Triad officially T here is

for tinabell but you can remember the t

as in tonic Triad an M voice functions

as a structural origin of all other

voices either directly or indirectly

each T voice is going to Branch out

systematically from some mvo if you add

a second mvoice it will relate to the

first mvoice usually in parallel motion

and additional T voices can also Branch

out from

it to write the first envoice we need an

underlying scale to move through and a

tonic Triad to provide some orientation

for each line we write minor keys are a

bit more common in parot music so I'm

starting with an a minor scale and an A

minor chord as our substrate with this

chosen melodic lines of an mvoice will

all be segments from an A minor scale

and each segment must Orient itself in

relation to a central pitch taken from

the tonic Triad we can change the

central pitch in a piece but for now

let's make our Central pitch the tonic a

for arvo per there are four orientations

of a scale segment to a central pitch

and he calls these melodic modes in

relation to the central pitch a scale

segment may go down and toward the

central pitch up and toward the central

pitch it can also move up and away or

down and away when writing an mvoice you

should try to think in terms of some

systematic or symmetric design but the

specifics are up to you in this example

with the central note a I've written

segments which are all in the mode of

descending toward the central pitch but

I made a simple system so that segments

will increase in size from one note to

two to three Etc ET if we choose instead

to use ascending away as our mode we'd

have

this we could also do the same but

alternate between descending toward the

central pitch and ascending toward the

central pitch and end up with this

creating symmetry like this underlies

the composition spegel IM spegel by

mirroring segments from different modes

and gradually increasing the size of the

segments in that piece the underlying

scale and triat are F major but the

central note still a notice how segments

gradually increase in size while cycling

through the different modes starting at

the segments of three notes the segments

move up and toward then down and toward

the central note then they increase in

size and move away from the central note

they continue to grow while alternating

pairs of segments move toward and away

from the central

note notice also here the lowest note G

in the M voice corresponds to the lowest

note available on the violin thinking

about range of instruments is an

important consideration when defining

the system you want to put in place

because you're going to apply this

system onto real instruments with their

own practical concerns arvo par often

picks keys and structures to correspond

with the limits of an instrument's range

the example here comes from a duet for

violin and piano but there's an

arrangement of this same piece for solo

organ in that version It's transposed

into C major so that the lowest bass

notes correspond to the lowest keys on

the organs manual and almost the entire

span of the pedal

board let's have a look at another

mvoice design found in P's music which

I've transposed to a minor the M voice

has individual phrases each of which

starts and ends on a different member of

the tonic Triad then lines start and end

on different pairs pairs of notes from

the Triad there's balance here after

motion upward through notes of the Triad

to get to the high tonic pitch we get

every pair of notes downward to rest on

the lower tonic

pitch working with a text offers yet

another possibility for structuring an M

voice each syllable of a word can

determine a segment's length you don't

have to do this but this is precisely

what occurs arvo de profundis in that

piece each syllable gets one note so

each word defines the length of a

segment if a word has two syllables

it'll Define a segment of two notes of

the scale whereas a word of five

syllables defines a segment with five

notes let's see an example with a text

I'll use something Latin to keep things

sounding sacred but you could use any

language using Google translate I came

up with this in this case the number of

syllables in each word is respectively 3

1 2 5 1 and

3 if I pick the mode that ascends away

from a central note we end up with this

melodic line let's hear this example of

cabic text setting I've put in some

organ accompaniment which incorporates T

voices and in the next section I'll show

you how to write

those

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in order to write a t voice we need an M

voice to tether it to let's have our M

voice be a complete iteration of the a

minor scale first go going up and then

coming back down to where we started I

should point out that even this has some

structural balance to it I've created an

idea to go seven steps up and away from

the central note a then I wrote a

symmetrical response that goes seven

steps down and toward our Central

pitch a t voice essentially has two

rules you may only use notes of our

tonic Triad and those notes should

relate to an mvoice in some patterned

way since I've picked a minor our t-

voice will then only use the pitches a C

or E let's have a look at four possible

relationships or positions that a TVO

might occupy in relation to our mvoice

the TVO can be the first available node

of the Triad above the mvoice it can be

the first available note below the

mvoice it can be the second available

note above or it can be the second

available note Below in these examples

I'll notate the T voice with with

diamond not heads which to me seems

fitting as the t- voice reminds me of

natural string harmonics when a t- voice

is the first available pitch above or

below I'll call this a close position in

contrast to an open position which would

be further

away to make actual music we come up

with a way of activating and expressing

an underlying structure of MN voices

arvo's minimalist piano piece for Alina

has just one M voice and one t voice but

a good starting point is probably to use

three or four underlying voices since I

haven't yet explained how to write a

second mvoice let's add two t voices to

our mvoice that went up and down the a

minor scale and use that as an

underlying structure one t-o will be the

closest position above and the other

will be the closest position

below to make this into a piece of music

we need to pick what instruments or

voice types will Express the structure

and come up with a patterned way of

expressing the structure parr's

variations for the healing of arka uses

this exact structure for its variations

but each variation is a different way of

elaborating the same structure at the

piano in the first variation all three

voices are expressed in a single line

with a rhythmic pattern of short short

long it starts with the upper T voice

and then moves to the lower T voice

before holding the M voice for twice as

long a nice touch is that holding the

notes of the mvo longer makes that line

easier to hear and there's an even more

beautiful subtlety when the mvoice

reverses Direction and goes down the

scale the pattern flips as well so that

the pattern begins from the lower T

voice instead of the upper

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one

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that's just one way to elaborate the

underlying structure per demonstrates

other options in the other variations of

that piece let's try out another example

of creating a structure and turning it

into something musical I'm starting with

an mvoice pattern of segments that

decreases in size from four notes to

three to two and then to one such that

each segment corresponds to a different

one of our modes though admittedly the

last segment won't have any motion to or

from the tonic since it's only one note

but it continues the pattern now let's

add two t voices above the mvo I've

started with one t voice in the first

position above and the second one will

be a member of the tonic Triad above the

first T voice before activating this

into music I want to compose a second

phrase way that demonstrates how parr's

music can create layers of symmetry I'm

still cycling through all four modes but

this time I started with the descending

mode toward the central note instead of

away I want to build symmetry into the

second phrase by having the T voices

occur below the mvo instead of above I'm

going to make this phrase in the style

of an Acappella Coral piece like arvo's

Magnificat this time each singer will

correspond to an M or t voice of the

underlying structure and I want to add

another layer of symmetry in how I

choose which singers take which part one

of P's Hallmarks in Coral writing

involves pairing up combinations of

singers so that when the full chorus

finally comes together it represents a

culmination of these pairings in my

example so far I only have two phrases

of structure to work with but it's

enough for me to demonstrate the idea

I'll make each half for a different pair

of singers the first phrase will be for

tenor and bass and the second half when

the T voices go below the mvoice I'll

write that for soprano and Alto and we

now have another layer of symmetry

between the two phrases to generate some

interest I've added a rhythmic pattern

of longer notes corresponding with the

beginnings and ends of each scale

segment in an mvoice I'm still

indicating the roles of M and T Voice by

putting the T voice into Diamond note

heads in the score and mvo segments are

shown with slur lines since this is

still a sketch I don't have Dynamics bar

lines or text but you should be able to

hear the layers upon lay layers of

structure and symmetry that I'm building

in if I were composing this with a text

I'd probably want to take that into

consideration from the beginning as I

build up the underlying

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structure

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to get a nice Lush and complex harmonic

fabric we can add a second mvoice which

is related to the first one by moving in

parallel T six or thirs since my example

is already written for voices in close

position let's make another mvoice that

is close to the rest of the notes by

setting it just a third away to continue

the systematic symmetry I've begun I

think the new envoice should lie below

the base part in the first half but then

when the positions invert the new

envoice can now be above the suprem line

we have a thicker texture with more

branches and Reflections from the

original M

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voice

[Laughter]

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the last example had M voices a third

apart but it also works really well to

have parallel tenths between your

primary and secondary M voices this is a

very frequent Construction in arvo's

music because there's enough space to

fit another voice in between if you want

to I'm going to make the next example

for solo organ so I'm switching to E

minor this is strategic because I have a

structure in mind already and I want the

lowest note of my structure to

correspond to the lowest note of the

organ per frequently makes underlying

structures that will match the lowest

range of instruments we saw this once

already when the lowest note of the M

voice for spegel imle corresponded to

the lowest note of a violin I'll start

with a pattern of scale segments for the

primary mvoice which I'm planning to put

into the left hand of the organist a

secondary mvoice which will go into the

pedals is going to be a tenth below it

the right hand can take two t voices in

open spacing above the primary mvoice

you don't have to choose an open

position like I did but whatever

relationship you choose you have to

stick with

it as I built my underlying structure I

was thinking about more than just the

lowest notes on the instrument I

strategically designed the system for my

mvoice so that there would be a

climactic high point around 2/3 of the

way through the piece to me this

provides some aesthetic balance it feels

like it builts up to something and still

had some time to settle down after since

I've already planned out the instrument

I only need to decide on some Rhythm for

this I'll put the M voices on downbeats

and arpeggiate the T voices but you're

free to try out another time signature

arhythmic pattern as long as your choice

for rhythm and meter stays consistent

let's hear how this

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sounds

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[Laughter]

I think this sounds pretty good it's a

texture that's simple enough to

improvise with but it might also be a

little bit too simple notice for example

that whenever an M voice has a

particular note that entire measure will

be the same as any other measure which

has the same note in the mvoice what I

have here is a piece that evokes parot

at a local level but maybe doesn't

create quite enough depth and variety

over the course of the

piece I'll show you two great ways of

adding more variety and depth one way is

to go beyond a seven note dionic scale

for your underlying structure

a common way to achieve this is to do

something with raised and lowered

versions of scale degrees six and seven

in your structure if you're using a

minor scale you might opt for a change

in scale to correspond with different

sections of the piece or you might only

raise these notes for lines that Ascend

to Tonic what I'll demonstrate here is

to only raise scale degrees six and

seven in the lowest register of the

lowest voice I'll start by sketching out

a new structure this time in c minor

with the intention of of later working

it into a four-part coral work my mvoice

can go into the alto with the pattern of

alternating descending and ascending

segments now I'll add a t- voice above

and below in open position using only

members of the C Minor triad we can make

the base a second mvoice I'll write it a

tenth below my alto mvoice now we're

ready for the extra spice I'm going to

raise scale degrees 6 and seven but only

in my lowest voice we have an underlying

structure with a little more complexity

which is great but when we elaborate

this into a piece of music I want to

show you how to create even more variety

so that measures with the same pitch in

the envoice won't all end up identical

like in the last organ piece I

made I'm going to incorporate a pattern

of rhythmic displacement so that some

notes will stretch out into the

following measure then each voicing of a

measure will depend not just on on the

note of the mvoice in that measure but

also on the material preceding it with

the underlying structure I already have

I'll make a sketch for satb choir

without text and add in rhythmic

displacements of the T voices so that

each note lasts three beats followed by

AR rest my M voices will stick to down

beats to reinforce a 44 meter but I'll

delay the T voices consistently by two

or three beats so that those notes hold

into the following measure blending the

consecutive sonorities into a Cascade of

suspensions there will be a lot more

variety overall and notice how there

will even be a voice overlap when the

base has its big leap up to a flat

because the tenor will still be holding

G from the previous

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measure

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l

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so

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oh

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I'd like to close by showing you how

this material can give you a new

perspective on on existing music have a

look at this example from Box's famous

Cello Suite number one in G major the

cello arpeggiate notes to convey a sense

of three-part Harmony on most days I

would describe this as a simple

progression of tonic predominant

dominant occurring over a repeated bass

note but today after going through this

material maybe it sounds a little

different if we change our mindset from

ostrog German tonality the upper voice B

CB can also sound like of an M voice

away from and back toward a central note

of B in G major I could hear the motion

of d and e as another M voice moving in

parallel six and maybe that little lower

neighbor under C isn't so much a lower

neighbor as motion to a member of the

tonic Triad having M voices a sixth

apart and filling in between with a

member of the tonic Triad is what arvo

does in the piano part toegel

imel I want to make a little homage to

Bach and parrot by taking that opening

measure of Bach's Cello Suite and

continuing it in the style of arvo

perrot I can set some systematic

parameters which could have given rise

to the texture of box opening measures

and then follow through with some of the

textures and processes found in parrot's

spegel IM spegel not everything here

will sound exactly like parrot and I'm

okay with that since this homage will be

more about finding inspiration than

precisely imitating I'll make the upper

line the primary M voice the middle line

can be a t voice in open position below

it and I'll have the lowest voice as a

second mvoice in parallel tense to the

first mvoice just like in my last two

examples in the style of spegel egel

I'll make our M voice articulated in

Long notes on a string instrument but

since this is drawn from box Cello Suite

I'll make the line for cello instead of

violin to evoke spegel IM spegel I'm

going to have the piano left hand

Express the second M voice only on down

beats so that on beat 3 it can play an

additional TVO pattern related to the

mvoice by alternating between twinkling

highs and rumbling lows in arvo par

style I'm specifically setting this up

so that the pattern will push toward the

extremes of a piano's

range if you want to hear this I've done

that in a separate video where the four

melodic modes are each represented by

branches of a fractal-based tree and you

can see the path and symmetry of the mvo

as light moving along those

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branches

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