New Music USA Online Library

is 11

Frank J. Oteri

For years I’ve been fascinated with so-called irregular meters, mostly odd-numbered groupings like fives and sevens, although in my 2003 Dylan Thomas song cycle as long as forever is there are movements which have 17 and 19 beats to the measure. Strangely, I never played around with groupings of eleven.

Since I had composed a pair of complimentary solo harpsichord pieces derived from the same thematic material, one in five (is 5), the other in seven (is 7), it only seemed natural that I should compose a third piece in eleven, the next possible prime. So in the final days of December 2007, I completed is 11 which contains 11 beats per measure and 11 pitches, a chromatic scale missing one note. There are a total of 12 such 11-note aggregates possible, but since I wanted to maintain the series’ E tonality I avoided the aggregate eschewing E. The piece travels through each of these 11 harmonic areas, one more than is 5 and is 7. So in a real This is Spinal Tap sense, this is composition that really "goes to eleven."

Pitch collections for is 11:
1. E F F# G G# A A# B C D D#
2. E F F# G# A A# B C C# D D#
3. E F F# G A A# B C C# D D#
4. E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D
5. E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D#
6. E F# G G# A A# B C C# D D#
7. E F F# G G# A A# C C# D D#
8. E F F# G G# A A# B C# D D#
9. E F G G# A A# B C C# D D#
10. E F F# G G# A B C C# D D#
11. E F F# G G# A# B C C# D D#

All three of these pieces can be performed separately, or together as a bizarre collection of variations called depending on what the meaning of is is. To obtain either a hard copy or a PDF of the score for depending on what the meaning of is is, , please visit www.blackteamusic.com.

—FJO

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