The musical compositions of Richard Burdick
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Opus 134

Flowering love fallings
for 2 horns & tape (bells or carillon) (time)

2001-2004

I don't expect to ever release this work

in five movements:
     Flowering love fallings 10 - 4 minutes - 13 pages
       Modal Family Group 10     - 3 min. - 7 pages
     Flowering love fallings 11 - 3 min. 20 sec. - 12 pages
       Modal Family Group 12      - 1 min. 20 sec.- 4 pages
     Flowering love fallings 12    - 3 min. 15 sec. - 9 pages
                      totals:   - 15 min. + 45 score pages

This work began with a study into the 12 "family Groups" of the I ching (this is covered on my I Ching Music book) The use of the family groups supplied me with the scales and tonal center. Plus there was some uses of modes within the scales as affected by the keys of the other scales in the group.

I then used the triads from each scale as I have them organized in relationship to the tonic of the scale. Organized from lowest in the overtone series to highest. For example the major triad on the tonic would be a 1 - 5 - 3 triad therefor it would be classified as a 9 triad. A diminished triad on the major seventh of a major scale would be a 15-9-21 therefore it would be classified as a 45 triad etc.

These triads were then give to each horn in the speed of the vibration of the key. This the was organized and written out in a somewhat logical way. With the contrasting tempos organized into a common denominator.

The bells were then figured from the relationship of the tones of the two horn parts based on the resultant overtones.

Then when a consonant occurred it is repeated. Each consonant is repeated one more time than the preceding one.

This to me depicts a conversation where two people find things in common and "click" this clicking is part of falling in love.

Richard Burdick
11-17-2004

Flowering Love Fallings and Modal Family Groups is a composition for two horns and tuned wind chimes or campinili. The idea behind the work is the of falling in love. Two separate horn parts playing arpeggios in different keys or modes and at different rates occasionally line up, and when they do the connecting event get repeated. It is like the first glance, you notice the other person, then you look again. It is a “Flowering love falling”.

The other type of movement in this set is a modal family group which is the movement without the connections repeated. A modal family group is a set of I Ching hexagrams that have the same pattern of lines, but are just rotated starting on a different line, like a mode in musical scales. There are twelve modal family groups in the I Ching, 10 sets of six and two sets of two.

Richard Burdick
February 2008

Recording from Early 2008
Recorded multi-track with Richard's Single four valve Bb horn made by Johann Egerter in 1938

M.1

M.2

M.3

M.4

M.5

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opus 134 original manuscript page

Flowering love Fallings #10 . . . . . 1 4 minutes

Modal Family Group #10 . . . . . . . 14 3 minutes

Flowering love Fallings #11 . . . . . 21 3 min. 20 sec.

Modal Family Group #12 . . . . . . . 34 1 min. 20 sec.

Flowering love Fallings #12 . . . . . 38 3 min. 15 sec.

This work began with a study into the 12 "family Groups" of the I ching. The use of the family groups supplied me with the scales and tonal center. Plus there was some uses of modes within the scales as affected by the keys of the other scales in the group.

I then used the triads from each scale as I have them organized in relationship to the tonic of the scale. Organized from lowest in the overtone series to highest. For example the major triad on the tonic would be a 1 - 5 - 3 triad therefore it would be classified as a 9 triad. A diminished triad on the major seventh of a major scale would be a 15-9-21 therefore it would be classified as a 45 triad etc.

The bells were then figured from the relationship of the tones of the two horn parts based on the resultant overtones. Then when a consonant occurred it is repeated. Each consonant is repeated one more time than the preceding one.

This to me depicts a conversation where two people find things in common and "click" this clicking is part of falling in love.

Richard Burdick
11-17-2004

Modal Family Groups

Like the Greek modes in music, I have charted out the modes in the I ching.

In music the modes all have the same set of 7 tones A through G without sharps or flats. Each mode then simply starts on a different tone.

There are twelve modal family groups and two independent hexagrams:

Independent: 1 & 2

Group 1: 3, 35, 39, 40, 36, & 4

Group 2: 5, 38, 37, 6, 49 & 50

Group 3: 7, 24, 23, 8, 16 & 15

Group 4: 9, 10, 13, 44, 43 & 14

Group 5: 11, 41, 42, 12, 31 & 32