Sequitur

The Nacheinander. (...)
That is the ineluctable modality of the audible.

James Joyce: Ulysses - chapter III

About

Sequitur is a series of 14 compositions for various solo instruments and live-electronics written for outstanding soloists. Somehow it can be seen as a reference to Luciano Berio's famous Sequenze cycle of solo pieces which focus on specific playing techniques of the respective instrument. Essl's Sequitur cycle includes pieces for orchestral instruments like flute and violin, but also for voice, electric guitar, toy piano or 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 become blurred. Each piece can be either performed by the player alone using a pedal for controlling the live-electronics. Alternatively, a second musician can perform the electronic part with a MIDI controller.

The Sequitur 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.

Zwischen 2008–2010 schuf Karlheinz Essl den 14-teiligen Zyklus Sequitur für unterschiedlichste Soloinstrumente und Live-Elektronik, der an die berühmten Sequenze von Luciano Berio anknüpft. Hatte dieser einst prototypische Solostücke geschaffen, in denen die jeweiligen Instrumente mit all ihren klanglichen Finessen virtuos in Szene gesetzt werden, so geht es Essl um die Erweiterung dieses Ansatzes unter Einbeziehung der Live-Elektronik: Ein penibel auskomponierter und live gespielter Solopart wird in ein eigens dafür geschaffenes Computerprogramm eingespeist, das daraus in Echtzeit einen elektronischen Kontrapunkt generiert. Diese “Begleitung” wird ausschließlich vom Input des Soloinstruments (bzw. der Stimme) bestimmt, das mit sich selbst in vielfache Beziehung tritt. Wie in einem Spiegelkabinett lösen sich die ursprünglichen Identitäten auf und erzeugen ein komplexes Beziehungsgefüge, das einen tranceartigen Sog ausübt.

El ciclo Sequitur consta de 14 composiciones diferentes para diversos instrumentos y electrónica en vivo. Puede ser visto como una referencia al famoso ciclo Sequenze de Luciano Berio, que se centran en técnicas de interpretación específicas de cada instrumento.

Sequitur utiliza un software escrito en MaxMSP que crea un acompañamiento electrónico desde la entrada en directo del instrumento; el intérprete se enfrenta a su propia interpretación, y esto crea una situación como la que se da en una casa de espejos, donde las identidades se vuelven borrosas.

El software genera un complejo canon sobre la marcha, la estructura temporal y la densidad están controladas por operaciones aleatorias. Esto produce resultados diferentes cada vez que la pieza se lleva a cabo. Aunque se siguiera al pie de la letra la partitura, siempre hay parte de sorpresa para el músico que tiene que hacer hincapié en su conciencia y atención.

Compositions

The Sequitur cycle consists of 14 individual compositions for various solo instruments. By clicking on the red titles below, you'll find more information about a specific piece which also includes scores, recordings and videos which are free for download.

Listen

Lectures on Sequitur

Videos of selected performances

Articles

• Karlheinz Essl, The Sequitur Project (Alte Schmiede, Vienna 20 Jun 2008)

• Nissim Schaul, Nouvelles technologies, anciens instruments: le clavecin et la mixité.
  Master thesis, Université Paris VIII, Département de Musique (Paris 2013), p. 29-32.

• Maria Kallionpää: Beyond the Piano: The Super Instrument. Widening the Instrumental Capacities in the Context of the Piano Music of the 21st Century, Chapter "3.8 Karlheinz Essl: Sequitur XIII". Dissertation (University of Oxford, 2014)

• Karlheinz Essl & Julia Mihály, Stimme und Live-Elektronik: Zur Enstehung von Sequitur IX (Skype-Interview, 27 Jul 2017)

• Antonietta Loffredo: The Toy Piano. From the Playroom to the Concert Platform
  (Bologna: Ut Orpheus, 2018). - ISBN: 978-88-8109-511-7

• 黄曾荣: 卡尔海因茨·埃斯尔《序列 IX》中人声处理 技术研究
  [Huang Zeng Rong: A study on vocal processing techniques in Karlheinz Essl's Sequitur IX
  Master thesis (Wuhan Conservatory of Music, 2022)

• Elisabeth Haselberger: Audiokünstler und ihre (digitalen) Werkzeuge. Im Focus - der Komponist Karlheinz Essl (Trossingen 2023)
  Kapitel 5.1.8. Sequitur, S. 23

Updated: 10 Jun 2023