PLEIADES by IANNIS XENAKIS Commissioned by the Opéra du Rh for ‘The Six Percusoniss of Strtbourg Pldades; « plralities»,« several» since there ae sx percussionists and four sequences. The primordial element i rhythm, in other worde the ordering in time of events, the combination of durations intensities, timbres. It ix constructed in teveral parallel felde but with transvene caculstons, Le figures are simultaneously deformed or not, as the case may be, Some of the fede are made manifest by accents which superpove rhythms onto the ‘normal beat. The timbres of the membranes are also functional, being sabject to specific hythmie eld ‘The sole source of ths polyshythm isthe ides of periodicity, repetition, duplication, recurrence, copy fuithfulnes, peed ithfulnest, un faithfulness. For example best incesanty repeated with the same pattern represents a faithful copy ofa rhythmic atom (of course a metre in ancient musi is already a repeating chythmie molecule). In this way smal variations inthe pattern produce internal hythmic activity without damaging the fond ‘mental period. Greater and more complex variations of the inital petod create a ds iguration which may lead to immediate non-recognition. Mote diverse ‘arlations, of stil greater complexity or (which often comes to the sme thing) resting from the chance dstrbution of particular slochare procedure, Jeads to total arhythm, to a knowledge through mass of evens, to nations of clouds, nebule, dust galaxies of hythmicaly organized beats Moreover, the speeds of these transformations create new dafgurationssuperpoted upon the preceding ranging from litle continuous accelerations to rapid, not to my ‘exponent transformations (stil continuous) which sweep the listener along kes whcining, dragging him as though to inevitable catastrophe ort 1 con- torted universe. Again infinitely ret speeds, comesponding to brut! breakingeup of the transformation, move intantaneoutl from one kind of evolution to another of an esentally different type. ‘An axlomatisation together with a formalstion, as represented by the theory of pitch-series envelopes a certain numberof rch probleme of transformation inal domains, spaces or ordered ensembles. 1m Plélades tis basic ide of the duplication (recurrence) in time ofan event oF of «sae of being in which our physical bat alae human xi vermis ubmerged is alto taken up in another muslal « dimension >, that of pitch, In this dimension European (western) music has remained immobile tince Greek antiquity. The ayatem of the distonic sale still holds sway, even indeed expecially in those kinds of music (achat serial muse) in which total ‘chromatician Is the basi forthe choice of notes, Moreover its extension toa scale in which the unit would be the comma would not change the «climate», the force-field ofthe melodic lines or the piterelouds. 1 is why 1 have undertaken this double endesvour. The fst at wat aleady the cae in Jonchtes for orchestra, being to construct & frankly non-western scle of sufficient fleminest and character, Dut capable of being payed on Sintonic heybour instruments suchas the marimba, xy10- ‘hone, sfbraphone. The second ety wat to havea new metalic Instrument bu, called the SIX ~XEN, comprising nineteen ieegalry diaribvted pitches Pini atepe of quarterfones of third of toner or thet multiplm. In addition the ax copes of the insirurents taken at's whole should never produce nigonn As far asthe fat question is concerned, after long tall Constructed series acle) whic, surpris ws tm tothe sales of enent Gress. tthe Near Eat or of Indonesia. However my scale, unlke thes traditional nae, not bused on the octave it poteses internal symroetris and managet 1b cover the total chromatic space in three consecutive cos (polos), thos enabling it to create by Hawt, without xy warspodtions, spplemeatary har ‘monle fields when polyphonic wy srpositons are maded ~54 MM PLEIADES — Claviers Xenakis (1978) vip bg a vE®: He(® ft 4 th S Bt te & fu fe—— 6 sf Sh. ih fo ft ad cine”bere a =a pg ee Jaren Whenerrs Fa Na a yh eit ese, ae ra et Ehelncy - prs} ir el Cg WIE ig i ete SVem Phe Ye a eat 5 2 =erailed SEE ‘ae aa em es T at rm =a ee =, =¢S52MM60MM) PLEIADES Peaux > roms wa ae on - ee ee pe ge Pag oha 78.Fe : FF fe ast ere=54MM++>60MM = PLEIADES Métauxa a fetr)ep Rae ea aHe erKoo uo Gea sbeye Pitya. kesM=Mét = Clavi d=52MM P= Peaux esos ants MélangesUalstes itnenInteger vibneney [senses vila ? hiner tote (aD, rieLWesce> simi =Be aa