a veil
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$21.00
$21.00
per item
Composer: Robert McClure
Duration: ca. 6:15
Scoring: piano
Materials: score (8.5 x 11)
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Are you interested in a digital version of this title?
Duration: ca. 6:15
Scoring: piano
Materials: score (8.5 x 11)
————--
Are you interested in a digital version of this title?
Program Note
a veil was commissioned by Lucas Wong as part of the Tombeau de Debussy project, a collection of pieces by a group of composers inspired by Debussy. I identified several aspects of Debussy’s music with which I wanted to engage: whole tone scales, pentatonic scales, the gamelan influence, and harmonic planing. However, each element is obscured; sometimes only thinly and sometimes completely.
As with many of the pieces I’ve completed recently, I began creating a pitch field by transposing and inverting a pentatonic scale: the gamelan pelog scale. While there are very few moments when the “flavor” of the gamelan scale may be heard, it serves as the structural basis for the pitch field. Within this field, I used scale degree patterns to form chords. Though it cannot be aurally identified as harmonic planing, many harmonic moments are produced from simply moving a scale degree pattern through the pitch field as Debussy did with his harmonic planing in a completely diatonic or chromatic pitch field. One quirk of the pitch field I created was that in several registers, whole tone collections are readily available. This is possibly the most overt aural connection with Debussy’s piano music. Several of Debussy’s Preludes (Voiles, Claire de Lune, La cathédrale engloutie) as well as his Cello Sonata served as inspiration throughout the compositional process.
Until this project, I had not considered how much Debussy informed many of the compositional ideas I employ in every piece; a truly eye/ear-opening experience.
— Robert McClure
As with many of the pieces I’ve completed recently, I began creating a pitch field by transposing and inverting a pentatonic scale: the gamelan pelog scale. While there are very few moments when the “flavor” of the gamelan scale may be heard, it serves as the structural basis for the pitch field. Within this field, I used scale degree patterns to form chords. Though it cannot be aurally identified as harmonic planing, many harmonic moments are produced from simply moving a scale degree pattern through the pitch field as Debussy did with his harmonic planing in a completely diatonic or chromatic pitch field. One quirk of the pitch field I created was that in several registers, whole tone collections are readily available. This is possibly the most overt aural connection with Debussy’s piano music. Several of Debussy’s Preludes (Voiles, Claire de Lune, La cathédrale engloutie) as well as his Cello Sonata served as inspiration throughout the compositional process.
Until this project, I had not considered how much Debussy informed many of the compositional ideas I employ in every piece; a truly eye/ear-opening experience.
— Robert McClure
Reproduction Notice:
This program note may be freely reproduced in concert programs, provided that proper credit is given to the composer.
This program note may be freely reproduced in concert programs, provided that proper credit is given to the composer.