 |
 |
 |
lou harrison: concerto in slendro (1961) The Concerto in Slendro was mostly composed in 1961 aboard the S.S.New York en route to Japan. It is filled with my eager anticipation of a first taste of the beauty and bustle of Asia. The title derives from the fine Indonesian theoretical term denoting any five-tone mode in which the "seconds" are roughly "major" ( or large) and the "thirds" "minor’ ( or small). A complimentary term " pelog" refers to the opposite kind of mode - "seconds" small and "thirds" wide. This Concerto uses two Slendro type modes only: the "Prime Pentatonic" ( if you will) and its associated "minor". These two modes are perhaps the most common and generally loved of all modes - the first is practically the "Human Song". I intended that the two modes are in correct "just intonation" on a general basis 25/24 below A440. Instrumentation of the Concerto in Slendro is for specially tuned celesta and two "Tack Pianos" similarly tuned, with two percussionists playing 6 triangles, 6 gongs, and 4 galvanized iron garbage cans (an American metal drum). In the slow movement, two keyboard players use claves and iron pipes, reverting to their keyboards in the final movement.
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
