Atamanu Z.

Hagins

Composition

Paul Geissinger

April 26, 2017

Octet

In this piece, I was inspired by Minimalism. There is an ostinato throughout the piece, around

which I composed the various sections in order to change the way the ostinato relates to the music that

surrounds it.

The begins with the ostinato in solo viola. The violins and celli join in a rhythmic introduction

until bar 16, when the viola plays solo again. At bar 18, the ostinato is played by first violin and piano,

while trumpet, viola, cello, and bass play a rhythmically complex melodic line, continuing to bar 55. The

key changes at bar 44; where the piece was previously tonicized around D, the piece is now in a B-flat

acoustic scale. At bar 55, the ostinato is played by first cello while bass plays a a B-flat drone, joined by

viola two measures later. At bar 59, the two violins play a floating melodic line and are later

accompanied by flourishes in the viola, cello, and piano. At bar 75, the viola starts playing a faster

counter-melody, which travels between the instruments as they gradually devolve into a flurry of

pianissimo sixteenth notes. At bar 83, the bass and piano have the melody while the rest of the

instruments continue their murmurs. This continues until bar 129, where the trumpet begins a C major

melody over drones in the strings. The melody is developed through a lyrical section before returning in

round with first violin and first cello. At bar 177, a coda begins with the reintroduction of opening

material, and the octet ends following trills in the piano.