Parallax

 

This composition explores the concept of parallax, the perceived difference in the position of multiple objects seen along different lines of sight. For example, when the viewer of two objects is in motion, the one that is farther away appears to move more slowly than the one that is closer. This piece draws musical equivalences in various ways. The opening section is played freely, as if improvised, and overlaps parts that move at different tempi. The music then transitions into a more metered section which features polymeter and hemiolas embedded within lines that form cross-rhythms with each other. After a rhapsodic interlude, the music settles into a repeated 9/16 figure that is paired with a constant stream of sixteenth notes, beginning with a two-note pattern and undergoing an additive process. The three highest notes of the 9/16 figure become isolated and rhythmically modulate, transforming into the repeated note idea heard in the opening of the piece.