Water studies 1 and 2 (determinate version)

for string quartet

Water study no. 1

This piece is the study of the rhythm, tempi, pitches and harmonies of drops of water that fall into a porcelain bowl. It was my first attempt to analyze musical parameters in field recordings. I had begun working on this piece in 2011 and adapted it for the Arditti String Quartet in 2012.

Water study no. 2

The origin of this piece is the field recording of a stream descending to the Tonatiahua pond, in the Lagunas de Zempoala national park, Mexico, in June 12, 2011, 1:27 pm. The process of writing this piece implied listening for the rhythmic and pitch patterns of the stream, which were transcribed from the recording and eventually used as the basis for the melodic and textural materials of the music. These materials are presented as monody, melody and accompaniment, and polyphony. The juxtaposition of these techniques is a metaphor of the ear shifting its attention among different sounds of the water. As in many other recent works of mine, the goal of this piece is to incorporate the parameters of nature into musical vocabulary.

Performers: Arditti String Quartet