Timothy Lee Miller

Chamber Orchestra 2(2+picc)2(2+EH)2(2+bcl)2 - 2221 - 3 perc, pno - strings

Composer's Note:

Patterns is based on a set of piano etudes that I wrote in early 2016. The entire piece is derived from various serialized systems to determine its pitches, as well as much of the rhythmic content. The first movement, Dyadic Diagnosis, explores the use of dyads -- two notes played simultaneously -- rather than triads, or chords in the development of musical elements. The intervals used are limited to an octave or less throughout the movement and is sequenced beginning with a half step progressing to the octave. Each intervallic unit is introduced one at a time in a rhythmic pattern that expands with each addition, and as the intervals expand, so do the metric values of the measures.

The second movement, Fibonacci Fibrosis, is based on the Fibonacci sequence to the thirteenth number (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 11, 19, 30, 49, 79, 128, 207), which is used not only to determine the pitch sequence, but also the rhythm durations of each note. Each number in the sequence is represented by the equivalent number of semi-tones, or half-steps. Likewise, each number in the sequence is represented by the rhythmic value of equivalent sixteenth notes. The pattern progresses from low to high until about midway through, then the pattern is mirrored starting at the highest pitch and progressing downward.

The third movement, Pieces of Pi, is divided into three distinct sections based completely on the number pi (the ?irst 224 numbers past the decimal point are used). The pitches are determined by assigning a number of halfsteps to the numbers of pi, for example 1 = 1 halfstep, 2 = 2 halfsteps, and so forth. Initially all odd numbers move the pitch up-ward, and all even numbers move the pitch downward; however, while the same note assignments are always used, as the work progresses the up and down rules are superceded in favor of creating more melodic lines and allowing for register differences of the instruments of the orchestra, from piccolo to tuba.

I know it sounds complicated, but really it isn't.