Sequitur XI

About

Sequitur is a series of compositions for various solo instruments and live-electronics which I started in 2008. Somehow it can be seen as a reference to Berio’s famous “Sequenze” cycle of solo pieces which focus on specific playing techniques of the respective instrument. Up to now I have finished more than a dozen pieces including orchestral instruments like flute and violin, but also for voice and more exotic ones such as electric guitar, toy piano and kalimba.

All Sequitur composition use a software written in MaxMSP which creates an electronic accompaniment from the instrument’s live input; the player is confronted with his own playing, and this creates a situation like moving in a house of mirrors where the identities becomes blurred. Each piece can be performed by the player alone who just has to press a key on the computer keyboard whenever this is indicated in the score. The software generates a complex canon on the fly, the temporal structure and density of which being controlled by random operations. This yields different results every time the piece is performed. Although following a precisely notated score, there is always a good portion of surprise for the musician which emphasizes his awareness and attentiveness.

Als einer der ersten Komponisten nutzte Karlheinz Essl die multimedialen Möglichkeiten des Internets. Denn Essl hat ein vitales Interesse an den Medien und Mitteln, die die Elektronik heute bietet. Im Jahre 2008 begonnenen Zyklus Sequitur bilden sie die entscheidende Komponente der Komposition.

Mit Sequitur knüpft Essl an Luciano Berios Zyklus Sequenze an. Berio hatte in 14 Solostücken die Spiel- und Klangmöglichkeiten verschiedener Instrumente erforscht. Karlheinz Essl erweitert diesen Ansatz um Live-Elektronisches. Der Interpret realisiert einen präzise komponierten Solopart. Dessen Klänge gelangen über ein Mikrofon in den Computer, der mit einer speziellen Software in Echtzeit eine elektronische Klangschicht generiert. Dadurch entstehen zahlreiche Brechungen, die - wie der Komponist sagt - ein Spiegelkabinett des musikalischen Materials bilden.

Sequitur XI wurde für den Schlagzeuger Stephan Froleyks geschrieben und am 12. Februar 2010 im Rahmen des Festivals KlangZeit in Münster uraufgeführt. (Hanno Ehrler)

Score

The score of Sequitur XI can be downloaded for free. Please note that the music is protected by copyright.

Videos

Recordings

This recordings of Sequitur XI can be downloaded for free. Please consider that the files are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License and must not be modified.

Photos

Stephan Froleyks performs Sequitur XI
Städtische Bühnen, Münster, 12 Feb 2010

Stephan Froleyks & Karlheinz Essl performing Sequitur XI
Kunsthaus Kloster Gravenhorst, 17 Apr 2010

Updated: 7 Sep 2011