La Musique – Brett Austin Eastman

Description

Audio

Instrumentation

For flute and alto flute (flute duo)

Text

Program Notes

LA MUSIQUE is a piece of music about music. It is a musical interpretation of the text, which is itself about music. The title is taken directly from the poem of the same name by Charles Baudelaire. One of the principle compositional techniques used in the making of this piece is a transcription of the poem into music, using a comprehensive cryptogram designed to transcribe French text into melodic phrases. Textures and timbres in the flute writing are informed by the music of the spoken language. The form of the poem influences the form of the piece.