Verses I-IV (2001-5)
trumpet and drumset with video/electronic
Verses
was written for duo Contour and, specifically, as first repertoire for
a prototype 19- and 24-division trumpet designed by David Cowie at the
Centre for New Musical Instruments (CNMI), a research centre at London
Guildhall University. There are two Verses so far, although it is hoped
that they will eventually become an extended cycle of up to eight
pieces; both use the trumpetıs 19-division set-up. In terms of their
form, they very loosely apply the word verse as it is used in poetry,
in which a defined number of lines are combined following metrical
rules (the rules of prosody). However, music is a more abstract art
than poetry and, therefore, it is possible to take greater liberties.
If two verses of a poem were spoken together, the listener would soon
lose the meaning of the individual lines but in music, when two lines
are sounded together, a tension is created which is vibrant and
reactive. This is the idea behind Verses that verse forms can be
applied in linear as well as block-vertical ways in music to make an
engaging, abstract narrative. In Verse 1, the two lines pull against
each other; although they are very independent they do come together,
as if bound by strong yet invisible threads. Here, the verse is implied
in repetition within the structure; the equivalent of word-change
within a fixed, repeating meter is motive change within a recognisable
(yet fluid) musical gesture. In Verse 2, the percussion part repeats
exactly, four times, although the trumpet part avoids repetition; the
percussion clarifies the metrical structure while the trumpet imitates
word-change by subtle variation and alterations of mood and emphasis.
Donald
Boustedıs microtonal music has evolved predominantly from collaborative
projects with performers. Most is quarter-tonal, although there
are pieces in 48-; 36-; 19- and 18-divisions. A majority of these
pieces are for solo recorder or recorder duet and were written over a
ten year period of working with recorder players Kathryn Bennetts and
Peter Bowman. During this time The Quarter-Tone Recorder Manual ,
co-authored with Bennetts and Bowman, was researched and published
(Moeck Verlag, 1998) and the 26 minute quarter-tone recorder duet OEA
Journey Among Travellersı was released on CD following an Arts Council
England award. There is also a quarter-tone euphonium piece; a
suite of quarter-tone pieces for alto saxophone; a percussion concerto
(which uses quarter-tones in the wind instruments only) and a
quarter-tone trumpet concerto. As well as these instrumental
pieces there is a growing output of electro-acoustic work which
utilises a range of equal and just tunings. The great majority of
these pieces are structured microtonal works in the sense
that the microtonal pitches are incorporated within the fabric of the
pitch structure.
