Timepieces

violin & viola

andPlay: Hannah Levinson, viola (left) and Maya Bennardo, violin, (right)

The ten movements of Timepieces are inspired by different qualities, aspects, and notions of time. “Before…” and “…After” are peaceful yet slightly mysterious bookends for the piece. “Micro,” “Nano,” and “Pico” are shorter and more punctuated than their surrounding movements. “Phase I,” “Phase II,” and “Phase III” are fast, frenetic, and fiery. “Chronos” and “Kairos,” the emotional centerpieces of the work, are contemplative and lyrical.

The piece is unified by a strong sense of duality. Though each movement explores different musical ideas and techniques, the violin and viola frequently play in rhythmic unison, creating gestures that are simultaneously focused and unified, yet rich and multi-faceted—much like how our perception of time shifts from simple linearity to contemplative complexity.

I. Before…

The duo gently shift and fade from the interval of a major second to a unison. The simple, olden-style melodic material is meant to evoke an archaic origin.

II. Pico

A prefix meaning a trillionth of something, “Pico” is most familiar in the term picoseconds—a very brief measure of time indeed. The music features a playful plucked viola melody punctuated by delicate harmonic outbursts in the violin.

III. Phase I

Relentless repeated notes surge and swell. The slowly bending pitch mirrors the pushing and pulling of the rhythms and dynamics.

IV. Chronos

The ancient Greek concept of chronological or sequential time that can be measured and quantified. The movement begins and ends with a rhythmically fluctuating duet in both strings. The middle section features a melancholy viola solo.

V. Nano

Racing pizzicati ostinati are interrupted in the middle of the movement by a brief eruption of distortion. Like “Pico’s” trillionth, “Nano” refers to a billionth.

VI. Phase II

The quick outbursts of skittering notes shift between longer and shorter groupings throughout. The call and response between the instruments in the middle section stands in contrast to the rhythmic unison of the outer sections.

VII. Kairos

Distinct from the concept of “Chronos,” “Kairos” means qualitative or significant time. It is non-linear and concerned with moments of meaning. The violin is metrically offset from the viola which plays an unbroken series of plaintive sixths. Each instrument also plays in a different key, heightening the sense of duality.

VIII. Micro

Meaning a millionth, “Micro’s” asymmetrical meter, running scales, and hammered rhythms give way to a powerful closing outburst.

IX. Phase III

The instruments trade waves of delicate yet driving arpeggios of glistening, gossamer harmonics.

X. …After

The haunting, pulsating chords give way to echoes of figures from “Before…,” not so much bringing the piece to a close as much as contemplating what comes after.