listen to unornamented material.
listen
to ornamented material (shown above)
Ornaments is a study examining how movement can be maintained in a very slow tempo. A melody has been constructed algorithmically to contain nine phrases of nine pitches, each using only notes from the whole note scale (Slonimsky 90) starting on D. This original material is contained in the appendix of the score and may be performed as an introduction to the study.Each phrase of the melody is then ornamented in turn by pitches unique to each of the other eight Slonimsky patterns. The rhythmic basis of the ornamentation comes from the composer’s analysis of the Turkish Maqâm, a form of improvised solo for the oud that has been described as ‘a melodic world in itself, based on scales of hierarchized notes and evoking all sorts of feelings, passions and ideas’.
Listen to a Maqâm.