Eindickung (a German term meaning "thickening" or "condensation") is a 2018 composition for small orchestra that draws its lifeblood from the research into new relationships between pitches. The piece explores an unprecedented way of repositioning notes, redefining the spaces delimited by the theoretical grids of the traditional tempered system.
Between Dissolution and Fusion
In this score, conventional sonorities give way to a flow in which chords melt and re-thicken into new elements. This dynamism is made possible by the massive use of glissandi and microtonality (limited to quarter tones), which allow for the colonization of the space between one note and another. To ensure aesthetic balance, these new frequency explorations are alternated with notes belonging to the tempered system.
Algorithm and Thought
The genesis of the musical material is not left to chance but derives from a system of algorithms developed in the Max-MSP environment. Through frequency calculation and arbitrary subdivision of interval spaces, the software proposes a structure that the author subjects to deep musical and aesthetic rethinking. The result is a work where the mathematical rule serves the sensitivity of the ear, and not the other way around.
Development and Instrumentation
The work, lasting approximately 6 minutes and 20 seconds, sees various sonic objects chasing and combining in a crescendo of density as the piece nears its conclusion. The orchestral instrumentation, chosen to offer a rich palette of nuances, includes:
- Woodwinds: 2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets in B♭, 2 Bassoons.
- Brass: 2 Horns in F (muted), 2 Trumpets in C (cup and harmon mutes).
- Percussion: Timpani.
- Strings: A full string section (minimum 6-6-4-4-2).
Listening to Eindickung is like observing melting glass: the solid structure (the tempered chord), under the heat of the algorithm and microtonality, begins to deform and flow into fluid and unpredictable shapes, only to thicken again into a new transparent and complex sculpture.
Acknowledgements
Eindickung received an Honorable Mention at the III International Composition Prize SEM 2018 International Music Composition Competition in Sacile.