Petals

D – Dynamics

• Very wide dynamic range from ppp to ff.

• In stave 26 dynamics move from ffff to pppp.

• Hairpins also apply to reverb intensity rather than loudness.

R – Rhythm, Tempo, Metre

• Notated tempo changes include 80, 54, 66.

• Markings such as dolce, intenso, furioso allow interpretative freedom.

• Lento sections vary significantly; the final stave may last up to a minute.

• Staves 10–13: no fixed pulse, but rhythmic drive created by sextuplets, semiquavers, triplets, septuplets.

• Overall sense of pulse is ambiguous but rhythmic energy persists.

• Staves 17–27: high F♯ notes on fermatas (stave 22), creating suspended time.

• The low C drone frequently marks phrase openings.

T – Texture

• Texture resists standard categories; sometimes monophonic, sometimes layered.

• Richly layered sonorities; implications of homophony appear.

• Double stopping is common.

• Pedal/drone textures appear, especially the left-hand C.

• Two-part textures appear in A sections (e.g., staves 8–9 and 13–16).

• Texture often built through timbral layers rather than polyphony.

S – Sonority (Instrumentation/Techniques)

• Extensive extended techniques:
  • EF (estremamente flautando) to imitate flute timbre.
  • Tremolando, vibrato, senza vibrato, molto vibrato, naturale, normale.
  • Trills and mordents, sometimes on harmonics or during glissandi.
  • Artificial harmonics.
  • Glissandi throughout.
  • Bow noise.
  • Left-hand pizzicato.

• Microtonality: quarter-tones, quarter-sharps, quarter-flats (24 pitches per octave).

• Electronics:
  • R = Reverb, H = Harmoniser.
  • Signal processing shapes timbre; “dirty” vs “clean” instead of consonant/dissonant.
  • Reverb: normally 2.5 s, at stave 21 = 15 s, final = ~30 s decay.
  • Hairpins affect reverb intensity.
  • In Section B, there is no harmoniser, only reverb.

• Synesthesia influences colour treatment.

• Sonority is central; timbre and spectral colour dominate.

M – Melody

• B sections supply clearer melodic material.

• Staves 4–7: rapid demisemiquavers, chromatic quarter-tone motion; material drawn directly from Nymphéa.

• Stave 10: melodic characteristics with varied intervals and ascending ideas; descending motif at end of 10 returns at end of 11 with an added note.

• Microtonality dominates A sections; B sections use more conventional pitch materials.

• Staves 17–27: repeated B → A♯ figure; low pizzicato C drone under B → A♯ pattern.

• Near stave 27: high F♯ becomes prominent; glissando leads to highest possible pitch.

I – Instrumentation (Acoustic/Electronic Interaction)

• Solo cello expanded through harmoniser and reverb.

• Mono vs stereo options:
  • Stereo = quarter-tone up and quarter-tone down.
  • Mono = quarter-tone up.

• Electronics extend timbral palette; harmoniser absent in B sections.

• Traditional instrumental limitations overridden by processing and extended techniques.

T – Tonality

• Not conventionally tonal; not strictly atonal either.

• Pitch centres emerge through repetition (e.g., C from stave 15 onwards).

• Stave 70+: ascending/descending gestures end on F♯.

• Dyads appear at points of resolution, but these are not cadences.

• Tonal function replaced by spectral/colouristic function.

H – Harmony

• No conventional harmony or functional progression.

• Harmony arises unintentionally via overtones and harmonics (e.g., artificial harmonic on C♯ notated as F♯ but sounding an octave above = C).

• Quarter-tone harmoniser creates vertical spectra rather than chords.

• Composer’s distinction: timbre = vertical, harmony = horizontal.

• Harmonic “states” rather than harmonic movement.

Structure

• Continuous unfolding with clear A/B alternation; seven major sections.

• A = fragile, colouristic; B = energetic, rhythmically and melodically clear.

• A (1–3): single notes, glissandi, trills, tremolandi, bow noise.

• B (4–7): rapid demisemiquavers, chromatic quarter-tone motion.

• A (8–9): lento/free; slow two-part texture over D pedal.

• B (10–13): continuation of earlier melodic ideas.

• A (13–16): high artificial harmonics; two-part textures; double-stopped harmonics.

• B (17–27): climactic variation section; persistent C drone, B → A♯ idea, ascent to extreme F♯.

• A (28–30): lento/free; bow noise, glissandi, double-stopped harmonics.

In stave 26 dynamics move from ffff to pppp.