Reed Quintet no. 1 was a piece composed in the Fall of 2019. It was composed in contradiction to what had been my usual process – a process in which pitched materials were generated through highly determinate ordered pitch-class sets. Each movement began as one of these “process pieces.” However, after composing each movement systematically, I performed “composition surgery” on them to craft the product presented here. The piece therefore represents an acceptance of the limits of systematic composition, and the synthesis of the initial process with subsequent intuition.
Fibonacci numbers were used in the generation of the pitched and rhythmic material. For example, Fibonacci numbers are evident throughout the piece in the division of beats into multiples of 2, 3 and 5. In pitch space, Fibonacci numbers were often interpreted as melodic or harmonic intervals, measured in semitones. The most radical application of Fibonacci numbers is seen in the second movement. Ironically, the second movement is also the movement that underwent the highest degree of “composition surgery.” Interestingly, Fibonacci numbers also govern the approximate length of each movement in minutes in the ratio 1:3:2.
The piece is composed in three movements, each with contrasting a character:
I. With Light Intensity
II. With Individual Precision
III. With Flowing Movement
The recording provided was recorded in a reading session with the Akropolis Reed Quintet:
Tim Glocklin – Oboe
Kari Landry – Clarinet
Matt Landry – Alto Saxophone
Ryan Reynolds – Bassoon
Andrew Koeppe – Bass Clarinet
Kevin Muldoon – Sound Engineer
Recorded in the Setnor Auditorium at Syracuse University – 2/25/20