Stanza | chromatic version

for positive organ and 8 instruments (1993)
9 minutes | no.12

Stanza is based on the riddle canon Ave Maris Stella (± 1549) by the Dutch composer Ghiselin Danckerts, which has the appearance of a chess board filled with notes. It is composed to the memory of the American composer John Cage, himself a keen chess player.

Stanza has three versions: a diatonic version for music box, a chromatic version for positive organ and 8 instruments and a microtonal version for bass flute solo and 8 string players.

photo: fragment of Ave Maris Stella (1549), a four-part puzzle canon by Ghiselin Danckerts (±1510–1567)

Scoring

positive organ (solo)-1(=bassflute).0.1(=bass cl).0-0.0.1.0-str(1.0.1.1.1)
(without conductor)

positive organ (solo)
bass flute, bass clarinet, trombone, vibraphone
violin, viola, cello, double bass

Commissioned by & Written for

Nieuw Ensemble (Netherlands)

Dedicated to

the memory of John Cage

Première

11 January 1994
Paradiso, Amsterdam (Netherlands)
John Snijders (positive organ)
Nieuw Ensemble

Audio Fragments

Performance

John Snijders - positive organ
Ives Ensemble

Recording

14 May 1996, Theater Romein, Leeuwarden (Netherlands)
by Eclat Music Productions

Score Excerpts