Sequitur XI

About

Sequitur is a series of 14 compositions for various solo instruments and live-electronics which I started in 2008. It was written for orchestra instruments like flute and violin, but also for voice and more exotic ones such as electric guitar, toy piano and kalimba. Somehow it refers to Berio’s famous “Sequenze” cycle of solo pieces which focus on specific playing techniques of the respective instrument.

All Sequitur compositions 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 (using a foot pedal) or together with a second musician who operates the live-electronics. 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.

Sequitur XI, page 2
© 2009-2015 by Karlheinz Essl

Videos

Literature

• Charles Augusto Braga, Perspectivas de preparação dos equipamentos eletrônicos na obra Sequitur XI, de karlheinz essl
  in: Modus, Belo Horizonte, v. 09, n. 15 (Nov. 2014), p. 103-111

Updated: 22 Nov 2021