Miniatures

Description

Written at the request of my good friend Roberto Pérez, the challenge was to attempt to compose in the style of Stravinsky.
I. March: In this piece, I employ a mode frequently used by the great Russian master: the octatonic mode, which divides the octave into equal parts, giving it a symmetrical character. This mode consists of eight pitches arranged symmetrically through alternating semitones and whole tones. All the harmony and melodic material derive from it, although I occasionally take certain liberties (departures from the mode). Formally, it follows a ternary A-B-A’ structure, essentially consisting of a thematic presentation and a continuous development leading to a varied recapitulation. Toward the final cadence, the E-flat clarinet presents the theme in augmentation, and the piece concludes with a perfect fifth interval.
II. Elegy: This is perhaps the most unusual of the four pieces in the cycle. It is highly cantabile and makes use of serial technique. This technique -fundamental for understanding 20th-century music-, was also employed by Stravinsky, albeit in a very personal way. The bass clarinet opens with a highly lyrical theme, followed by the E-flat clarinet with another theme derived from the series. In the central part of the first section, both instruments play in a very high register, approaching a nearly strident quality. The second section provides strong contrast, being entirely rhythmic, with both instruments treated as percussion. The final section recapitulates the themes from the first, in this case significantly transformed and almost plaintive in character. In the closing cadence, the two instruments form a minor third interval.
III. Arabesque: As the title suggests, I employ ornamentation that gives the piece its distinctive character, although the use of rhythm is closer to the Messiaen’s style. In this approach, the bass clarinet functions as a Talea -a repeating rhythmic ostinato-, while the E-flat clarinet fills in around it, until both instruments converge and the pattern changes. From that point on, the instruments alternate between the ostinato pattern and the filling figure. The piece concludes with this second pattern. The harmonic and melodic structures here are very free -“allow me to do things I cannot explain,” Stravinsky once said in an interview. In the final cadence, I use the interval of a minor second.
IV. Finale: This final piece concludes the cycle and takes the form of a Rondo, that is, a cyclical return of a principal thematic structure. In the freer, episodic sections, I attempt to summarize everything that has come before, although I do not use serial technique at any point; instead, I rely on modal harmonic and melodic procedures with complete structural freedom. To conclude, both instruments play the same pitch, separated by two octaves. You may have noticed that each piece ends with a different interval, through which I aim to close the cycle, -from the perfect fifth, through the minor third and minor second, to the unison-. In this way, I seek to evoke a sense of fulfillment and closure, reflecting the long and creative life of the great genius, Igor Stravinsky.