Sudoku
for violin, tabla and electronics
Sudoku, which means single number, is a recently popularized number game in which the objective is to fill a 9×9 grid with digits so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3×3 sub-grids that compose the grid contains all of the digits from 1 to 9. I have an ongoing fascination with the relationships between numerology, the natural world, and music. All three of these are frequently described as being “beautiful”. The Sudoku concept adapts to musical composition quite naturally. In this piece, specific musical parameters are assigned values corresponding to the numerical values 1 through 9. These parameters include registers, drum patterns, notes, rhythms, and formal proportions. The result of using these techniques makes for an interesting compositional pallet which is explored in a rather free and intuitive manner. I have had the pleasure of improvising with Parmela as a member of the Human Remains ensemble (2004 – 2009), based in Toronto. Having a first hand knowledge of her musicality, I chose to include several sections that feature improvisation within particular suduko-determined parameters. This piece was written for Parmala Attariwalla’s Attar Project, and was funded by the Toronto Arts Council.