Heather Coltman - piano
The composition of the piece is based on the ideas of variation within unity and the sameness underlying diversity. The fundamental unity of the composition is a repeating series of all twelve pitches that are placed a sixteenth note apart from each other at a tempo of quarter note equals 108. The music is written to correspond to traditional measures of 3/4 time. Each pitch class can occur only at a specific time interval and each only once within the measure; all measures are exactly the same in this regard. Pitch classes are restricted to when they can occur; thus, D flat can only occur on the first beat of each measure, A flat on the third sixteenth of the second beat, B flat on the second sixteenth of the third beat, etc. Pitches are transposable to any octave at any time, durations of notes may vary and notes need not sound at any particular time (when it is their turn, so to speak).
This is not a serial piece since time and pitch consistently correlate, the "row" never changes, and pitches need not follow in any particular order (notes can be left out). The measure lines are used as a convenience only, and "real" meter is in constant flux. An essential idea of the composition is the relationship between pitch and time; they are dependent on each other, as each is a function of the other. Tempo for this composition is based on "real" time and musical time. Ideally, the tempo (quarter note=108) should remain stable in relation to the written music; thus, a D flat can occur only every 1.67 seconds. Musical tempo varies depending on the perceived levels of organization; the sense of beat can be quite flexible and varied within the otherwise rigid temporal framework.
This work is quasi-programmatic in depicting various states of chaos and order that are created in various ways through the manipulation of the array of available pitches and rhythms inherent in the system. The repeating pattern of activity serves as a field of possibilities. The title Levels is inspired by the theory of energy levels occupied by electrons within atoms. In the atom various energy states make for differing physical properties in a similar way that octave changes create differing perceptual groupings throughout the piece.