Location (grandparent | parent | this page): RodMer Arts Home Page | Rod's Music | Refracted Rays Program Notes

If you've already read the program notes immediately below, or want to skip them for now, you can click --> to be taken immediately to the MP3 and MIDI files.

Table of Contents (TOC) of these Program Notes

• The Basics
  • Introduction
  • Instrumentation
  • Duration
  • Composition date
  • Brief comment
  • First performance
  • Computer performers (when human ones are absent)
  
  
• Structure notes
  
  
• MP3 and MIDI files
  
• Score package
  

The Basics

Introduction

This is a piece, written in October 2002, adapted from some earlier work where I was experimenting with serial techniques. It is not, however, rigorous in following serial techniques.

Basically, there is a twelve-note tone row initially introduced as Theme 1 and then later played upside-down as Theme 2. The sound clusters are basically atonal except that the work does end tonally (as a true serial work would not) on a B minor chord. Structure notes may be seen below.

Instrumentation

Piano
Cello

Duration

Composition date

October 2002.

First performance

February 1, 2003 here at SwallowHill (in Cobourg, ON, Canada). Cecilia Ignatieff played the piano and Tyne Bonebakker the cello.

Computer performers (when human ones are absent)

Like all the MIDI files here, it is in General MIDI form. The General MIDI patches are:

	Part	General MIDI patch
		name	#
	Piano	GM Grand Piano	0
	Cello	Cello	42
	Cello	Pizzicato Str	45

How they sound will depend on your own playback software.

On my own synth I used the following patches:

	Part	Sound Module	Patch
			name	#
	Piano	Roland RD500	Gr Piano A1	0
	Cello	Roland JV880	Stereo Cello from Orchestral Expansion Board (OEB)	62
	Pizzicato	Roland JV880	Pizzicato 2 from OEB	76

These are what you hear on the mp3 files.

Structure notes

Note on Theme Terminology

Each theme is a 12-tone tone-row
Theme 2 is simply Theme 1 inverted (i.e., upside down).

"Theme 1 (Eb)" means Theme 1 beginning on Eb -- it does not, of course, mean that it is in the key of Eb (since the work is largely atonal). "Theme 1 (B)" means the same theme transposed to begin on B.

In the duet, Theme 1 occurs starting on Eb, B, and G while Theme 2 occurs starting on C, B, Ab, and E.

Overall Structure

Overall the piece is structured:

• Section A (introducing Theme 1 in various transpositions)
• Section A repeated
• Section B (introducing Theme 2 - being Theme 1 inverted - in various transpositions)

Detailed Structure

Section A:

• Intro (m.1-5)
• Theme 1 (Eb) introduced by cello (m. 6-8)
• Theme 1 (Eb) repeated by piano (m. 9-11)
• Theme 1 (Eb) repeated by cello (m. 12-14)
• Contrapuntal section with Theme 1 (Eb, B, and G) in the cello and Theme 1 (Eb, B, and G) in the piano (m. 15-19) - at the peak (in m. 16) 4 thematic voices are sounding (one in the cello and three in the piano).

Section A is then repeated (m. 20-37)

Section B:

• A brief cello cadenza serves as a transition (m. 38-42)
• The start of Theme 2 (C) is presented by both cello and piano (m. 43-50)
• The cello gives the start of Theme 2 (B) twice (m. 51-52)
• Theme 2 (B) in the cello and Theme 1 (Eb) in the piano are played simultaneously (m. 53-55)
• Fragments of Theme 2 (C, E, and Ab) are presented by both instruments (m. 56-58)
• Contrapuntal section with Theme 2 (Ab and E) and Theme 1 (Eb) in the cello and Theme 2 (C, E, and Ab) in the piano (m. 59-62) - at the peak (in m. 60) 4 thematic voices are sounding (one in the cello and three in the piano).
• A brief transition containing repeated openings of Theme 2 (C) (m. 62-69)
• Theme 2 (C) in both cello and piano (m. 70-73)
• A code repeating the final measure of Theme 2 (C) twice (m. 74-75) resolving finally on a B minor chord.

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

Year	Title ... Instrumentation ...... Excerpts	Min: Sec	Complete MP3 files (better sound)** file size	MP3 file excerpts (better sound)** file size	Complete MIDI files (not as good sound but quick)**
	The complete piece:
2002	Refracted Rays ... piano and cello duet	3:23	2.3 MB
	How the MIDI file sounds depends, of course, on your playback mechanism. On my computer, MIDI files are played by the QuickTime PlugIn and the piano is OK but the cello sound isn't much like a cello. In contrast, the mp3 file has a mellower piano, a much richer cello sound, and better balance throughout. Of course, if you have a synthesizer, you can download the MIDI file and set the piano and cello to your own preferred patches adn then rebalance the volumes -- but that's a lot more work than downloading the complete mp3 file.
	Short excerpts:
	...... Intro and Theme 1 start	0:31		0.3 MB
	In this mp3 excerpt of the beginning (intro and Theme 1 start) the cello is much more convincing sound (and the piano mellower) than in the usual software playback of the embedded MIDI file.
	...... excerpt from Section B	0:43		0.4 MB
	Again, this mp3 excerpt from Section B has better balance and richness..
	...... ending	0:16		0.2 MB
	And again, in this mp3 excerpt of the ending, the piano and cello are both more convincing.

** 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.

Back to Top

---

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

Year	Title ... Instrumentation	Description	No. of score pages	Score (pdf file) file size	No. of text pages	Text (rtf file) file size
2002	Refracted Rays ... piano and cello duet	Complete score *	10	0.2 MB	3	0.1 MB
	* email me if you would like any part extractions

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

---

http://www.rodmer.com/RodMusic/ProgramNotes/RefRaysNotes.html -- Revised Jul 28, 2005
Copyright © 2002-2005 Rod Anderson
rod@rodmer.com
[ About | What's New | Rod's Music | RodMer Home | Links | Help ]