Blog

Quick Lecture on Three Recent Works

Delivered at The Salon Meeting of the American Composers Forum 1998

Quick Lecture on Three Recent Works
by Richard Byron Strunk

Delivered at The Salon Meeting
of the American Composer’s Forum
Minneapolis. MN. November 21, 1998.

The purpose of my speaking to you concerning the 3 works you are about to hear is simply to clarify and briefly explain the new compositional tools that I invented or discovered many years ago in the very early ‘80s. Throughout these many years I have developed and used these new compositional tools to author a number of new works including these recent works you are about to hear.

In a nut shell, what I’ve done is tonally map out a half dozen new diatonic-chromatic intervallic environments. Each of these diatonic-chromatic environments has its own unique intervallic emphasis. Each intervallic environment is made up of a basic 12-tone row set that affirms a particular set of intervals and is implied intervallically by the diatonic scales used in this environment. Plus, the diatonic scales within a particular environment can be inferred from the12-tone row. Each of these environments tonally and modally function analogously to the circle-of -perfect-5ths and its diatonic scales in the traditional tonal-modal system; but unlike the chromatic circle-of -perfect-5ths and its inferred diatonic realm, my chromatic-diatonic environments linguistically affirm alternate sets of intervals then the intervals that are affirmed in the traditional tonal-modal system.

In other words, wherein, the old system, Perfect 5ths, are often used as the outer interval of the basic triad, and used for cadences and in composing background formal structures, such as is the case with the classical sonata, in one on my diatonic-chromatic environments, possibly a Major 3rd might play that role, thus giving the composer triads like c, d flat, e; or c, d sharp, e, and Major 3rds would be used for cadences, and in composing background formal structures. The Major 3rd would be the linguistic formal tool that determines affirmation of the intervals natural to this intervallic diatonic-chromatic environment. Plus, the Major 3rd would determine what intervals and pitches constitute intervallic deviations from the diatonic-chromatic intervallic norm of this environment like what was once called in the old tonal-modal system foreign tones or chromaticism. In the compositions I write I use these new diatonic-scales to generate foreground material: such as themes, motives, and harmonies (the musical content of the piece), and the 12-tone row set implied by these new diatonic-scales, I use much like composers once used the circle-of-perfect-5ths, to organize the foreground material into an over all form, and the 12-tone row set also allows a freedom in form that can either move away from emphasizing the intervals that are natural and implied in this new tonal-modal environment or affirm them.

Simply put, in practice it ends up being a lot like modal shifting in the old system. The theme is stated in Major, then later in minor, the theme retains a linguistic coherent pattern so that it can be recognized as the same theme. In one statement there is a Major intervallic emphasis and in another statement there is a minor intervallic emphasis.

Another way of considering these works is that they are ‘Cubist’ renditions (combining multi-key-perspectives simultaneously in a single time frame) of previously composed works, although the actuality and ramifications of my system actually go well beyond the ‘Cubist’ method.

Although I do compose works that are wholly original material, because of these analogy properties between these new half dozen diatonic-chromatic environments and the old tonal-modal system, I can translate previously composed works from the old system into one of my new diatonic-chromatic environments with a whole knew intervallic emphasis then what occurred in the original composition. There are a lot of Kaleidoscopic musical effects that I can do by this technique so I call these pieces Kaleidoscopen. The three pieces you are about to hear are of this sort.

I am currently composing many new Kaleidoscopen for many kinds of ensembles. I am with this new technique writing new works that with their advanced and updated harmonic and melodic intervals can be liked by the listener of modern music, but also by retaining much of the stylistic integrity and coherent linguistic tonal patterns of the original work that I intervallicly vary the listeners that like old classical music, and have had problems understanding modern works, might, because there is so much in common in these Kaleidoscopen with what they already understand, also like these new works. In other words, I’m creating intersections between the modern and the old to build a bridge between listeners of old music and listeners of modern music. Plus I sometimes use ensembles other then traditional classical ensembles such as a Jazz quintet, or rock band to help bridge between pop and jazz listeners and listeners of old, and modern classical music.

Lastly, I’d like to mention, that these new half dozen diatonic-chromatic environments can be used to create music that is analyzable as having organic tonal integrity, of being non-eclectic, and at the same time considered with equal validity, as12-tone based music, synthetic scale based music, or polytonal and polymodal based music.

The first piece, is a new intervallic rendition of the 1st sonatina of op.36 by Clementi. I use a rock ensemble in this one. The next piece, is a new intervallic rendition of the ‘70s Pop song ‘Wildfire’. The last piece I have for your listening pleasure is a new intervallic rendition of a work by Charlie Parker that he called ‘Anthropology’ and even with my new musical technique used on a Bird solo transcription I did as usual still have to compose quite a bit, writing out all the parts and solos for this jazz quintet.

I had a lot of fun writing these works and I hope you have some fun and enjoyment in hearing them.