DESCRIPTION:
Composed by Steve Kornicki
Performed by the West End String Quartet - http://www.westendstringquartet.com

The rhythmic structure consists of slow, sustained tones rising and falling in dynamics with the resulting sound being a sustained texture of self-similar chords producing an ever-expanding melodic line.

One musical line consisting of long sustained tones was composed horizontally all the way through. The remaining three lines are strict canons throughout except for intervallic displacements transposed to three tonally compatible keys each with successive starting points. Through this compositional method, a fugue-like effect is created.

The piece is based on the mathematical concept of self similarity (the property of having a substructure analagous or identical to an overall structure) and fractal geometry. Objects in the real world that can be defined as fractals (coastlines, sea shells, snow flakes, crystals, leaves and plants, etc.) all display aspects of self similarity. The musical processes utilized in this music can be seen as analogous to this principle because the work's resulting textural structures consist of many instances of the same or similar material, ultimately defining the overall form. The self-similarity effect of the music may also create a "suspended time frame" experience for the listener.

Music, video, text, score Copyright 2006 Steve Kornicki