Long Gradus is a long-form composition in four movements that was developed as an iteration of an ongoing preoccupation with chordal suspension and cadential structure. In this context, horizontal shifts in pitch material and texture occur on a very gradual scale, allowing the listener’s perceptions to settle on the spatial experience of harmony. A system of septimal just intonation as well as a baroque scordatura that emphasizes the sympathetic resonance of strings tuned in both pure fifths and unisons help to further the production of a consonant acoustic environment. Long Gradus uses a formalized articulation of time-bracket notation alongside unfixed indications of pitch, texture, and voicing that allow the players some discretion in determining the shape of the piece. A sense of pacing that is markedly different from that of mensural notation emerges accordingly, while the open structure of the composition results in each performance having a unique configuration. This particular version was written specifically for string quartet, however the piece may be arranged for any instrumentation that can alter its intonation or produce a natural seventh harmonic. A “gradus” is a sort of handbook that is meant to aid in learning a difficult practice; in this case, Long Gradus is designed to considerably slow the cognitive movements of both listener and player, and to focus their attention on the relationships between moments.

[iv-23]

Premiere

• March 16, 2023, Premiere of the complete work: Long Gradus, Grand Luxe Hall — Western Front, Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada)