Climax beyond the boundary:

Musical Discourse and Error Integrated in Humano Es piece

Iván Salazar González

Composer

This presentation displays the concept and techniques of my composition Humano Es (2018) for
Marimba and Percussion Set. The title of the work is a half quotation of the phrase “errare
humanum est” (“to err is human”), which has different versions along the history of philosophy.
The concept of the piece, then, is how “human” relates with “error”, how “error” is part of being
“human”.

Starting very slowly, two performers play synchronically the same rhythmic pattern, which is
designed in a way that gradual acceleration allows the perception of different accentuations: first
as simple beats, then as groups of five notes, and later –when As Fast As Possible is reached– as six
groups of five notes each. When that tempo is increased, the human limit is exceeded: climax is
unleashed in the form of random out-of-phasing, and the compression of the pattern increases the
sensation of speed and unpredictability. The piece ends after a long molto ritenuto in which the
performers gradually synchronize beats with each other in any possible way.

The pitch structure consists of a chromatic interpolation between two positions of the same pitch
class content. Starting with the notes of the first five strings of the guitar (E5, B4, G4, D4, and A3), a
gradual process expands the register in both directions throughout the piece.

A recording of this five minute composition will be played during the presentation.