for kali

for kali is a piece originally commissioned by Kali Ensemble for piano(s), zither, harmonium, clarinet, baroque flute, violin, and/or cello, existing in several versions for different instrumentations. the piece is inspired, from a distance, by the vast repertoire of Arab-Andalusī nūbat, in particular their modes and slower, semi-improvised sections. for kali do not attempt to recreate this genre, and rather display a kind of 'hollowness' — emptying the substance of these music traditions and eventually finding something that has everything but mostly nothing to do with them. 

part of the compositional process consists of analyzing and rearranging the individual modes of traditional nūbat thanks to customized algorithms on SuperCollider, retuning and recontextualizing them in the framework of rational tuning systems. more specifically, the accidentals of the nūbat travel between 3 poles of rational tunings, i.e. three mixed septimal colors: 7-5, 7-11, and 7-19. (= a subjective and unorthodox take on Arab-Andalusian intonation)

following Clarence Barlow's harmonicity formula, a second stage of the composition consists in computing the harmonicity of the intervals made between each degree of the scale of a nūba in relation to its first degree. these harmonicity values are then used as probability weights to generate melodic sequences thanks to stochastic processes. 

the purpose of unmeasured notation is to re-introduce in my pieces the heterophonic texture and flexible unison found in these preludes opening a traditional nūba. it also balances a collective playfulness and an individual agency for each performer.     

a first (unexpected) version of the piece for 2 keyboards/pianos is currently being rehearsed by 2 members of Kali, Joel Gester Suárez and Nirantar Yakthumba. a second version for the entirety of the ensemble already exists and will see the day of light in 2025.

this research and cycle of pieces is made possible with the generous support from Studio Loos, Institut Français NL, and the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies.

in passing, if some of you are interested in sharing or getting some resources about this specific repertoire, always feel free to get in touch