Harmonic Inspirations I

As a result of the publication of L’Estro Armonico in 1711, Antonio Vivaldi rose like a glittering star to the firmament of orchestral music. This collection contained twelve concertos for orchestra and from one to four violins in changing configurations. As the title indicates, these works aimed for ‘harmonic delight’. Vivaldi threw his unique range of seductive techniques into the struggle: compelling ritornelli, sparkling melodies, virtuoso dialogues between the soloist(s) and the orchestra, and a matchless rhythmic verve. Three centuries later, this motoric rhythm still reverberates in the Triple Quartet by the minimalist Steve Reich. Like Vivaldi’s concerti, Reich’s composition for three string quartets is immediately accessible to the listener, but is a difficult feat for the musicians. Ligeti‘s Ramifications was also written for twelve string instruments, half of which are tuned a quarter tone lower. The result is a completely different sort of harmonic enthralment: a world of sound that is seemingly amorphous and out of tune but has a fascinating appeal.