Roundelay (2007)
for
flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin and cello

by
Robert Morris

Program Notes

Roundelay, as the title implies, has a returning feature--a polyrhythmic rocking starts and ends the piece as well as punctuates the flow; another form of return involves the interplay of lighter, transparent passages for one or two instruments, versus thicker, more complex moments for all six instruments. The piece has affinities with an earlier piece (1994) of mine for the same instrumental combination called Broken Concert in three parts. In that piece, three pairs of instruments share the same material; In Roundelay, each instrument has its own material, consisting of characteristic gestures, rhythms, and harmonies.