FOR TWO TRUMPETS

What makes these Four Possible Čočeks “possible” is their use of generative probability schemes. While not based exclusively on algorithmic derivations of pitches and rhythms, each successive piece in this set represents a progressively more controlled and formal use of generative operations. Previously, I used second order Markov chains to derive material for my recent pieces Travertine Hybrid #3 (violin and electronics) and Giffen Good (trombone and electronics). Using simple choice methods, I have periodically returned to the čočeks as I gained the flexibility to build deeper formal structures with these tools.

The čoček is a genre of Serbian military brass music and a popular style of Balkan dance music. Aspects of the čoček pervade the folk music of Serbia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Romania, to name a few. Its omnipresence in the folk music of Europe has served as a constant reminder to return to writing these pieces.

I imagine this set as the beginning of a larger collection, or perhaps there will be future compositions in which čoček music operates heavily in the background. I have already been using these groupings in my recent music of the past two years, but until recently I was not interested in formalizing the generation of these rhythms, or linking the processes of rhythmic and pitch generation.