things that flow

In setting out to compose this piece, my two initial ideas were to create a continuous sound from flowing from beginning to end, in contrast to the harpsichord’s usual bright sound and rapid decay, and to have some kind of systematic organization of musical material in operation throughout, as would befit a piece written for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The piece is based on a single pentatonic 16-note melody, stated at the outset, which is cyclically repeated from beginning to end. Whenever the melody is stated in a different pentatonic mode, the pitches are transformed according to a regular system of permutations on the space of available modes. The result is a gradually shifting melodic shape as the original tune travels through the space of modes.

The cyclic repetition of a basic, underlying melody reflects my experiences with Southeast Asian musics and is also reminiscent of Baroque variation cycles for keyboard. These cycles, the always-changing pitch transformations and musical textures of the piece are reflected in the title, taken from a film about a young Buddhist who is taught to always “follow things that flow.”

This work was commissioned by the Music and Theater Arts Department of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for the inauguration of a harpsichord by Eric Herz.

A two-manual harpsichord with a 4′ stop is required.

11×8.5 PDF score
$15

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 (ASCAP) and © Christopher Adler (ASCAP)