This is a short duo inspired by the techniques of medieval motet composition. In this case the viola part serves as ‘tenor.’ It is constructed from a five bar ‘talea’ which after the first 2 statements, goes into retrograde for three more passes. The full set of five statements is then repeated. The ‘color’ is continuous, overlapping the talea to yield phrases of irregular length. There are some shifting modal implications. The violin part starts out in a free-flowing, somewhat improvisatory, and florid Baroque style, but shifts a bit midway, starting to feel more classical, until finally the two instruments join in a brief romantic pas de deux-like passage, leading to a three bar cadence to close the piece.

Premiered by Lucie Zalesakova, violin, and Jason Fromme, viola, at the Wilbur D. May Arboretum, Reno, Nevada, for the first ‘Musical Sculpture Garden’ event sponsored by reNew Ensemble, June 2021.