Light Music (Mvt. i.

– Strobe) – Matthew Hindson Max

CF

Sound Sources:
·​ ​Written for wind quintet – Flute, Oboe, Clarinet in Bb, Horn in F, Bassoon
·​ ​Strobe light represented through two-note oscillations (G and B)
·​ ​Only one note-name is sounded at any one time
· ​Described as “bright, harsh, irrepressible, and possibly even migraine-inducing”, “may evoke
sensations as found in a contemporary dance club”
·​ ​2 main motifs
·​ ​No discernible key, though a tonal centre of G is implied through repetition

Compositional Device – Repetition/Development of a Short Motif

Two Main Motifs:
Motif 1:
o ​Small oscillating major 3rds motif, originally G & B, though it later migrates through different
pitch pairs until all pitches are explored
o​ ​The oscillation symbolises the strobe light, hence the title
o​ ​Usually very loud
o ​G (the first note of the 2-note motif) is played more than B, and is therefore emphasised to be
the tonal centre
o​ ​Motif is interrupted by silence, breaking the phrase
o​ ​Uneven phrasing connotes unpredictability, perhaps emulating a flickering light
o​ ​Sempre staccato as well as a very fast tempo indicate the nature of a strobe light
o​ ​Time signature changes unpredictably
o​ ​Large range in register is used between instruments, and within lines
o​ ​Motif fully returns at section L, with sudden dynamic contrasts
Motif 2:
o​ ​First appears as a new section in bar 54
o​ ​5/8 time signature and pentatonic scale means one scale per bar is played
o​ ​Full unison between instruments (rhythm and pitch)
o​ ​Motif is scalic and clearly ascending
o​ ​More pitches are introduced in this new motif (e.g E, F)
o​ ​First 5 bars of the new section are exact repetitions of the second motif
o ​Section E displays imitation of the motif, while slowly implementing subtractive rhythm (i.e 5
quavers per occurrence -> 4q -> 3q -> 2q)
o ​Motif 2 returns at section N, although now with different pitches and in a different inversion
(intervals are displaced)
Hindson develops motifs in this piece through repetition, and slow implementation of other
pitches for variation. Each motif is unique – the first being a unrelenting wave of harsh major
3rds, while the second is a more scalic idea using the pentatonic scale and new pitches. The
overall use of repetition as a method of ingraining a motif into the audience’s head is successful.
By listening to this piece once, its effect is already apparent, as both distinct motifs are almost
committed to memory from a constant barrage of a deceitfully simple idea.
Duration: Repeats in rhythm are constant, while the work features much of the same melodic
material; it also displays repetition in rhythm. Up until bar 45, the piece is simply fast –moving
quavers, which are seemingly displaced randomly through unpredictable rests. Long notes are
finally introduced in bar 41, very briefly, and in a limited number of instruments. Bar 70
explores a subtractive rhythm