MICROSUITE

Microsuite consists of five “micro-movements” of just one minute each: preludino, fughettina, tamborino, sarabandina, and toccatina. The preludino is the aural translation of a mathematical curve. The fughettina is the minimum expression of a fugue: the subject contains only two notes, the countersubject, one. Formally, it follows the canon of the Baroque fugue and contains all the usual transformations of the subject (augmentation, diminution, inversion, retrogradation, stretto, etc.). The tamborino is an algorithmic transformation of Rameau’s famous Tambourin. The sarabandina is built on a numerical sequence from which both harmony (in arpegiated chords) and melody are extracted. Finally, the toccatina, like the preludino, is the aural representation of a mathematical curve. As an extended technique, small portions of Blu Tack are applied between the pieces on specific strings to vary the timbre. It is dedicated to pianist Mariana Gurkova.