Mr. Murail’s L’esprit des dunes (1993-94), for amplified ensemble and electronics (sampled sounds triggered by a MIDI keyboard), starts with a characteristic ascending figure that is passed back and forth between the oboe and the sampled sounds, mediated by the flute.<\/p>\n
Over the course of the piece the origin of this motif is progressively revealed by the gradual accumulation of partial-strata that occasionally fill in the whole spectrum at sonorous anchor points. In the composer’s words:<\/p>\n
There is melody within a single pitch; the melody is created through the pitch’s harmonics. It’s both a sound and a melody. And while the opening notes of the oboe constitute a phrase, it is also a sound.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The origin of the motif is in fact a snippet from an overtone “melody” found in Mongolian chant, a tradition that can be described as the art of creating (overtone-) melodies out of a single (sung) pitch. The vocal paradigm is felt in various forms throughout the piece: strands of kinetic energy that produce a pattern of tension and release; the alternation of compact and diffuse ensemble writing with the occasional appearance of re-synthesized Tibetan chant; the overall dynamic curve of the form make the piece breathe in a curiously organic way.<\/p>\n