Gratta un russo e ci troverai un tartaro

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Gubaidulina was born in Chistopol, in the Tatar Republic.
She studied the folk music of her land and echoes of tatar culture are still present in her music.
In the early 1980s, she began to use the Fibonacci sequence as a way of structuring the form of the work. The sequence was especially appealing because it provides a basis for composition while still allowing the form to “breathe”. It plays a prominent role in such pieces as Perception, Im Anfang war der Rhythmus, the symphony and in this Quasi hoketus.
Written in 1984 for an unusual formation (bassoon, viola and piano), the ryhtmic structure of the piece is based on the Fibonacci sequence and the medieval technique of the hoketus, a stylistic device of the Ars Nova (14th century, Machaut and others): the melodic tones are divided between two or more descants.

Sofia Gubaidulina – Quasi Hoquetus (1984) for bassoon, viola and piano.

1 thought on “Gratta un russo e ci troverai un tartaro”

  1. Grazie caro Mauro per avermi fatto scoprire questa meravigliosa compositrice! Mi riprometto di approfondire l’ascolto della sua musica.
    Cristina

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