Study No. 2: Tremolo

Fragment XII

Fragment VII

This composition employs a 'cycling through' approach in its structure, operating on two distinct levels. Firstly, it operates at the pitch level, where segments of pitch classes undergo iterative transformations until they return to their initial presentation. Secondly, it engages with how the musical material is articulated, encompassing elements like registration, dynamics, and specific musical attributes such as tremolo, repeated pitches, trills, and more, all contributing to the overall character of the music.

While the piece revisits the same material six times, each iteration stands in stark contrast to the others. As a result, listeners will notice the recurrence of certain musical phenomena, yet never the exact reappearance of the same musical event.

Cycling Through Cycles – for bass clarinet and piano

Modules (Revision 11/30/22)

Performed by I-Hsiang Chao at the Eastman School of Music.

Piano Piece No. 5

After completing work on a theoretical treatise that presents a universal definition of structure, I became overwhelmed by possibilities for musical structure. I narrowed my focus to a study of rhythmic structure, and arrived at two insights: (1) any rhythm may be conceived either as a series of onsets or a series of durations; and (2) if viewed as a series of onsets, then any onset rhythm may be “covered” by collections of its subrhythms (i.e., these subrhythms, when taken together, are equal to the initial onset rhythm). Each section of Teloi consists of a “global” onset rhythm, realized by different coverings in a series of iterations. Therefore, in each section, the music evolves to a determinate end through a process of goal-oriented variation, while at the same time, the global rhythm remains unchanged. A new kind of temporality is therefore expressed in this work: one which is simultaneously dynamic and static.

10. IIB

9. IIE

8. ID

7. IIC

6. IC

5. IB

4. IIA

3. IE

2. IA

1. IID

Thirteen systems with their own attractors.

11. System 2

10. System 12

1. System 1

Drew Flieder (b. 1995) is an American composer of instrumental and electronic music.

Drew Flieder

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