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If you've already read the program notes immediately below, or want to skip them for now, you can click here to go immediately to:

• the computer-played MP3 and MIDI files, or
• the live-performance MP3 files

Complete Table of Contents (TOC) of these Program Notes

• The Basics
  • Introduction
  • Instrumentation
  • Duration
  • Composition date
  • Brief comment
  • First performance
  • Computer performer (when human one is absent)
  
  
• Structure notes
  
• Computer-played MP3 and MIDI files
  
• Live-performance MP3 files
  
• Score package
  

The Basics

Introduction

This short piano suite is in 4 movements:

	I   Prelude
	II  Waltz
	III Rag
	IV  Closing

This piece was a study for me in using Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique -- at least, the early form of it as he presented in his 1925 piece Suite for Piano, Op.25. Yes, I know -- dodecaphonic and serial techniques have evolved much since that year -- but my piece is based on this early starting point.

Instrumentation

Piano

Duration

7 minutes

Composition date

December 2003

First performance

The premiere performance was given here at a house concert here at SwallowHill (Cobourg, ON) with Cecilia Ignatieff on piano.

Computer performer (when human one is absent)

Like all the MIDI files here, it is in General MIDI form. The General MIDI patch (on the 0-127 numbering system) is:

	Part	General MIDI patch
		name	#
	Piano	Acoustic Grand Piano	0

How it sounds will depend on your own playback software.

On my own synth I used the following patch:

	Part	Sound Module	Patch
			name	#
	Piano	Roland RD500	Gr Piano A1	0

This is what you hear on the mp3 files.

Structure notes

The basic tone row

"Prime forms" of the tone row

"Prime form tetrachords"

Compositional approach

The piece is composed solely of these 12 prime-form tetrachords -- according to the following rules:

1. No notes should occur except these tetrachords
   • there are no non-tetrachord notes in the piece (but note rule 3)
2. The notes within a tetrachord should occur in the proper order or, alternatively, simultaneously.
   • in measure 1 of the Prelude the O1 notes occur in order -but in measure 12 they occur as the first note followed by a chord of the remaining three
   • at the end of measure 14 the tetrachord IR3 (as consecutive single notes) is followed by IR1-IR2 as one big chord cluster
3. Repetitions or octave doublings are permitted and don't affect the analysis.
   • for example, repeated single notes occur in measures 40 and 41 of the Rag
   • octaves occur in the Waltz (measure 20) and many other places
   • Schoenberg himself initially shied away from octave doublings (as giving undue prominence to a tone) but later relaxed that rule -- but repeated notes were in from the beginning (particularly in his Opus 25)
4. The tetrachords themselves need not occur in order but tetrachords of the same form should usually be reasonably contiguous.
   • at the start of the Prelude, for example, the whole original tone row appears: O1 - O2 - O3 in order
   • but then, in measures 3 & 4, I1 and I2 occur in the bass while I3 occurs in the treble

These rules seem to me what can be inferred from Schoenberg's 1925 Piano Suite, Op.25. Actually, he went further and used not only the 4 prime forms of the original tone row but the same set also transposed by a tritone (theoretically one could use up to 12 different transpositions making 144 potential tetrachords). To start off simply, I have used only the 12 tetrachords above without transposition. The application of the foregoing rules is exhibited in the "marked" scores provided in addition to the performance scores. The "marked" scores (provided in addition to the performance scores) have the "prime form tetrachords" all marked throughout. This aids analytical understanding but would be visual clutter for the performance scores.

Of course, following the twelve-tone rules does not in itself ensure any worthwhile music as outcome any more than merely getting the rhyming scheme right in a Petrarchan Sonnet ensures any worthwhile poem as outcome. The issue is to attempt to work artistically within that system of constraints (i.e., that tonal universe). This was my attempt.

Further structure notes

In general, each movement begins and ends with the O1-O2-O3 tetrachords.

In the Prelude, the initial theme is the whole tone row (O1O2O3) and is repeated contrapuntally throughout the movement. The final measure has O1 and O2 in the bass followed by O3 in the treble (with a repeated note following in the bass).

In the Waltz, the initial theme is the tone row with one internal repetition (O1O1O2O3) and the movement ends with O3 and O1 in the treble and O2 and O3 in the bass.

In the Rag, the initial theme is the whole tone row (O1O2O3) and the movement ends with O1 in the treble and O3 and O2 in the bass.

In the Closing, the initial presentation is O1, O2, and O3 presented as 4-note chords (remembering measures 18-20 of the Prelude) and the movement ends with the O1-O2-O3 4-note chords again. In between, are brief glimpses of the earlier three movements,

Computer-played MP3 and MIDI files
(Click on icons below to play MIDI and/or download MP3 files)

Year	Title ... Instrumentation -- Movements ...... Excerpts	Min: Sec	Complete MP3 files (better sound)** file size	MP3 file extracts (better sound)** file size	Complete MIDI file (not as good sound but quick)**
	The complete piece (computer-played):
2003	Little Piano Suite ... piano solo	7:12
	How the MIDI files below sound depends, of course, on your playback mechanism. On my computer, MIDI files are played by the QuickTime PlugIn and the piano sound is a little tinny. In comparison, the mp3 file (recorded from my sound-module patch) sounds much more mellow. Of course, if you have a synthesizer, you can download the MIDI file and set the instrument to your own preferred patch -- but that's more work than downloading the 4 complete mp3 files (for the 4 movements).
-- 1. Prelude	2:09	2.4 MB
	The Prelude beings with a clear annunciation of the initial tetrachords O1, O2, O3 -- quickly followed by I1,I2,I3; R1,R2,R3; IR1,IR2,IR3 with O1,O2,O3 in the bass. After a repetition of the first secion, we have three slow chords (built off O1,O2,O3). Then a series of extended triplets leads to the final conclusion (O1,O2 in the bass followed by O3 in the treble).
-- 2. Waltz	2:11	2.5 MB
	The waltz begins with the familiar O1 melody in the treble (and later O2 & O3) while the waltz-time chords in the bass are built off O1 and later O2. Some sextuplets appear based on IR3. Later a descending R1,R2,R3 ends an initial section. After a repetition, the waltz moves into some rapid sextuplets ending with O1,O2,O3 mixed together.
-- 3. Rag	1:14	1.4 MB
	The rag begins with a 4/4 bass based on R1 and R2 while the treble plays a syncopted figure (initially O1,O2,O3). A middle section is based on R1,R2,R3. Then the O1,O2,O3 melody returns (with various tetrachords in the bass).
-- 4. Closing	1:38	1.8 MB
	The closing begins with the three quiet, declining chords (based on O1,O2,O3) we first heard half way through the Prelude. Then we have brief recollections (perhaps senile remembrances?) of the Prelude, the Waltz, and the Rag -- each separated by the three quiet chords. We finally end with the three quiet chords themselves (O1, O2, & O3) each followed by high echoes -- which fade away to nothing at the end.
	Short excerpts (computer-played):
	...... start from 1. Prelude	0:23		0.2 MB
	The mp3 excerpt of the opening begins with the O1-O2-O3 theme in the treble followed by the same thing in the bass (with other things happening above and below).
	...... ending from 1. Prelude	0:30		0.3 MB
	The mp3 excerpt of the ending leads up to the series of extended triplets and the final final conclusion (O1,O2 in the bass followed by O3 in the treble).
	...... start from 2. Waltz	0:21		0.2 MB
	This mp3 excerpt of the beginning of the waltz starts with the familiar O1 melody in the treble (and later O2 & O3) while the waltz-time chords in the bass are built off O1 and later O2. Then the melody switches to IR1,IR2,IR3.
	...... ending from 2. Waltz	0:17		0.2 MB
	This mp3 excerpt of the ending of the waltz moves into the rapid sextuplets ending with O1,O2,O3 mixed together.
	...... start from 3. Rag	0:25		0.2 MB
	This mp3 excerpt of the beginning of the rag starts with an O1,O2,O3 melody (over an R1,R2,R3 bass) and then moves into an I1,I2,I3 melody -- the whole phrase being repeated again.
	...... ending from 3. Rag	0:22		0.2 MB
	This mp3 excerpt of the ending of the rag starts with the syncopated O1-O2-O3 melody (over an R1-R2-R3 bass) ending with an I1-I2 figure and I3 chords -- the whole phrase repeated.
	...... start from 4. Closing	0:23		0.2 MB
	This mp3 excerpt of the opening of the Closing (the beginning of the end?) is built around the three quiet, declining chords of O1,O2,O3 first introduced in the middle of the Prelude.
	...... ending from 4. Closing	0:25		0.2 MB
	This mp3 excerpt of the ending of the Closing movement is again built off the three O1,O2,O3 chords each followed by high echoes -- which fade away finally to nothing (intimations of mortality?).

** If you have a high-speed connection, forget about the MIDI files and just use the MP3 files (better). If you have a dial-up connection, consider the faster (but not as good) MIDI file only if the MP3 files seem to be taking too long to play or download.

---

Live-performance MP3 files
(Click on icons below to play and/or download MP3 files)

Year	Title ... Instrumentation ...... Excerpts	Min: Sec	Complete MP3 files (better sound) file size	MP3 file extracts (better sound) file size
	The complete piece (live performance Apr 2/05):
2003	Little Piano Suite ... piano solo	7:12
	Here finally you have a human performer at the piano (Cecilia Ignatieff).
-- 1. Prelude	2:09	1.2 MB
	The Prelude beings with a clear annunciation of the initial tetrachords O1, O2, O3 -- quickly followed by I1,I2,I3; R1,R2,R3; IR1,IR2,IR3 with O1,O2,O3 in the bass. After a repetition of the first secion, we have three slow chords (built off O1,O2,O3). Then a series of extended triplets leads to the final conclusion (O1,O2 in the bass followed by O3 in the treble).
-- 2. Waltz	2:19	1.3 MB
	The waltz begins with the familiar O1 melody in the treble (and later O2 & O3) while the waltz-time chords in the bass are built off O1 and later O2. Some sextuplets appear based on IR3. Later a descending R1,R2,R3 ends an initial section. After a repetition, the waltz moves into some rapid sextuplets ending with O1,O2,O3 mixed together.
-- 3. Rag	1:11	0.7 MB
	The rag begins with a 4/4 bass based on R1 and R2 while the treble plays a syncopted figure (initially O1,O2,O3). A middle section is based on R1,R2,R3. Then the O1,O2,O3 melody returns (with various tetrachords in the bass).
-- 4. Closing	1:56	1.1 MB
	The closing begins with the three quiet, declining chords (based on O1,O2,O3) we first heard half way through the Prelude. Then we have brief recollections (perhaps senile remembrances?) of the Prelude, the Waltz, and the Rag -- each separated by the three quiet chords. We finally end with the three quiet chords themselves (O1, O2, & O3) each followed by high echoes -- which fade away to nothing at the end.
	Short excerpts (live performance Apr 2/05):
	...... start from 1. Prelude	0:22		0.2 MB
	The mp3 excerpt of the opening begins with the O1-O2-O3 theme in the treble followed by the same thing in the bass (with other things happening above and below).
	...... ending from 1. Prelude	0:31		0.3 MB
	The mp3 excerpt of the ending leads up to the series of extended triplets and the final final conclusion (O1,O2 in the bass followed by O3 in the treble).
	...... start from 2. Waltz	0:23		0.2 MB
	This mp3 excerpt of the beginning of the waltz starts with the familiar O1 melody in the treble (and later O2 & O3) while the waltz-time chords in the bass are built off O1 and later O2. Then the melody switches to IR1,IR2,IR3.
	...... ending from 2. Waltz	0:16		0.2 MB
	This mp3 excerpt of the ending of the waltz moves into the rapid sextuplets ending with O1,O2,O3 mixed together.
	...... start from 3. Rag	0:25		0.3 MB
	This mp3 excerpt of the beginning of the rag starts with an O1,O2,O3 melody (over an R1,R2,R3 bass) and then moves into an I1,I2,I3 melody -- the whole phrase being repeated again.
	...... ending from 3. Rag	0:22		0.2 MB
	This mp3 excerpt of the ending of the rag starts with the syncopated O1-O2-O3 melody (over an R1-R2-R3 bass) ending with an I1-I2 figure and I3 chords -- the whole phrase repeated.
	...... start from 4. Closing	0:26		0.3 MB
	This mp3 excerpt of the opening of the Closing (the beginning of the end?) is built around the three quiet, declining chords of O1,O2,O3 first introduced in the middle of the Prelude.
	...... ending from 4. Closing	0:34		0.3 MB
	This mp3 excerpt of the ending of the Closing movement is again built off the three O1,O2,O3 chords each followed by high echoes -- which fade away finally to nothing (intimations of mortality?).

Score Package
(Click on icons below to download pdf and rtf files)

Year	Title ... Instrumentation	Description	No. of score pages	Score (pdf file) file size	No. of text pages	Text (rtf file) file size
2003	Little Piano Suite ... piano suite in 4 movements	text			4	0.2 MB
		Piano score Mvt 1	3	0.1 MB
		Piano score Mvt 2	3	0.1 MB
		Piano score Mvt 3	3	0.1 MB
		Piano score Mvt 4	3	0.1 MB
		Piano score Mvt 1 marked	3	0.1 MB
		Piano score Mvt 2 marked	3	0.1 MB
		Piano score Mvt 3 marked	3	0.1 MB
		Piano score Mvt 4 marked	3	0.1 MB
	The "marked" scores additionally provided above have the "prime form tetrachords" all marked throughout. This aids analytical understanding but would be visual clutter for the performance scores.

(you will need the free Stuffit Expander for decompressing the rtf.sitx files)