Up to the Sky
William Susman
About this work:
"Up to the Sky", written in 1988, was his 2nd String Quartet. He has written four, each one a summation of his sound and musical philosophy at a given point in his life.
The other three quartets are "Streams" (1984), "Patterns of Change" (1997), and "Zydeco Madness" (2006).
In this quartet, much of the rhythmic structure and melodic material are taken from fibonacci numbers as in Susman's earlier works such as "Twisted Figures". His obsession with upward pitch motion is further exemplified in this work and is a continuation of his studies of "Shepherd tones" (the acoustic illusion of pitch rising forever).
Up to the Sky along with Floating Falling (1987), Twisted Figures (1988), Uprising (1988) and Exposé (1989), begin to explore repetitive rhythms. These works look forward to his montuno / Afro-Cuban influenced music of the 90s and away from an older Eurocentric aesthetic.
Year composed: 1987
Duration: 00:12:00
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice:String Quartet
Instrumentation: 2 Violin, 1 Viola, 1 Cello