Duet 1993: "Remembrance"

Click on the violin to hear the duet (electronic rendition) in RealAudio format

The original version of Duet 1993: "Remembrance" was written many years ago (1960s) as a very short piece scored for tenor recorder and cello. Seeing that the balance between the instruments is not ideal, and that the many accidentals make the piece difficult for the recorder player, in 1993 I scored the piece for violin and cello, expanding it at the same time to the present length of about 4 1/4 minutes. The subtitle "Remembrance" refers not only to the memory of the time the original version was created but to the emotional and spiritual mood recalled from that time. In 1977 I utilized the main thematic material from this piece for my orchestral work with chorus, "Images of Dune." Both of the introductory themes from the duet pervade "Images" in many permutations.

From a harmonic point of view this work is not set in a traditional key; instead the harmony develops almost exclusively from the independent motion of the two parts. Structurally the composition depends on negating key expectations by changing certain tones from a flat to a natural, or to a sharp, while maintaining the same melodic pattern. For example, a certain phrase might be followed immediately by the same phrase but with crucial notes either flat or sharp from the initial phrase. This produces a "key-ambiguity." Cadences then depend on the sense of finality created by the interplay of the melodies rather than a tonal harmonic progression. However, in the final movement although the ambiguity persists, the piece comes to rest on a C Major chord. The passing major chords in the final movement create a sense of pathos or of "remembrance."

In this electronic representation there are no breaks between the three movements. In actual performance there should be a pause between the movements.