Volution II (2015)

Program notes:

Volution II for piano solo is my second piece in a series of solo pieces that employ a single musical phrase, which is also one pitch set, to create an entire piece. The musical phrase in this piece does not develop, but rather revolves again and again in internally-logical evolution. Practically every pitch in the piece results from this internal logic, but I hope it is possible to enjoy this piece even without consciously following the logic.

The following explanation is provided for those who want to follow that internal logic. After the first simple appearance of the phrase, it repeats at the pitches of the basic pitch set of which it consists, while the rhythmic relationship between the hands become more complex. After the the phrase has been played in all the pitches of the set, the phrase is played in inversion as the rhythmic relationships become simpler again.

In the middle section of the piece, the phrase (or its accompaniment, but not both) begin to wander through the pitch set within each statement of the phrase, causing interesting harmonies. The phrase is sometimes straight and sometimes inverted.

The last section is something of a recapitulation in which the original phrase appears alternately straight and inverted but always in the original (non-inverted) pitch set. The piece ends with a slow arpeggio of the original pitch set, squared.