Sequenza XI
Encyclopedia
Sequenza XI for solo guitar
Classical guitar
The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...

 (1987–1988) is one of a series of Sequenza
Sequenza
Sequenza is the name borne by fourteen compositions for solo instruments or voice by Luciano Berio. The word "sequenza" means "sequence" in Italian. The pieces, which often call for extended techniques, are:*Sequenza I Sequenza is the name borne by fourteen compositions for solo instruments or...

s by Luciano Berio
Luciano Berio
Luciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian composer. He is noted for his experimental work and also for his pioneering work in electronic music.-Biography:Berio was born at Oneglia Luciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (October 24, 1925 – May 27, 2003) was an Italian...

. Written for the American guitarist Eliot Fisk
Eliot Fisk
Eliot Fisk is an American classical guitarist.-Biography:Fisk was the last direct pupil of Andrés Segovia and is the holder of all reproduction rights to Segovia's music, given to him by Segovia's wife, Emilia...

, it is an innovative investigation into the dramatic and virtuosic possibilities of musical performance.

Form

The work carries a simple form, with a dramatic multitextural section leading into a calm resolution (if such a thing exists in Berio's music) at the end. The guitar Sequenza is also one of the longest Sequenzas, the longest being Sequenza XII
Sequenza XII
Sequenza XII is a composition for solo bassoon, written by Luciano Berio in 1995 , and part of a series of fourteen Sequenze composed between 1958 and 2002. The work was written for, and dedicated to, the French bassoonist Pascal Gallois, who gave the world première on 15 June 1995.Sequenza XII is...

, the bassoon
Bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...

 Sequenza. A variety of guitar techniques are explored in this piece including rasqueado (from the flamenco tradition), tremolo
Tremolo
Tremolo, or tremolando, is a musical term that describes various trembling effects, falling roughly into two types. The first is a rapid reiteration...

, glissando
Glissando
In music, a glissando is a glide from one pitch to another. It is an Italianized musical term derived from the French glisser, to glide. In some contexts it is distinguished from the continuous portamento...

, harmonics, tambour (percussive effects). In terms of harmony, the work is based on the guitar's characteristic harmony/tuning, i.e., the interval of a perfect fourth. Set class 6-7 also underlies most of the linear material.

The composition is in four large sections, and sets out from the six pitches of the open strings of the guitar. The composer asserted that two intervals are important elements in the work: the perfect fourth (which is the interval found between most neighbouring pairs of the guitar's strings) and the tritone, which is used to leads to a different harmony of Berio's devising (Porcaro 2007, 258–59)

Usage

Sequenza XI is a standard work for guitarists who have chosen avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....

 modern classical music as a part of their repertoire, e.g., Denis Sung-Hô (Sequenza
Sequenza
Sequenza is the name borne by fourteen compositions for solo instruments or voice by Luciano Berio. The word "sequenza" means "sequence" in Italian. The pieces, which often call for extended techniques, are:*Sequenza I Sequenza is the name borne by fourteen compositions for solo instruments or...

s performance with members of the Ensemble InterContemporain
Ensemble InterContemporain
The Ensemble InterContemporain is a French chamber orchestra, based in Paris at the Cité de la musique and IRCAM, which specialises in contemporary classical music....

), Stefan Östersjö, Todd Seelye, Mats Scheidegger
Mats Scheidegger
Mats Scheidegger is a classical guitarist. He specializes in contemporary music, e.g. he is the dedicatee of Sam Hayden's . He has given numerous premieres of contemporary works....

, Geoffrey Morris, Pablo Gómez
Pablo Gómez
Pablo Gómez is a classical guitarist from Mexico, specializing in contemporary music. He studied with Magnus Andersson in Stockholm, Sweden. He teaches at the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura. He has given the premieres of various contemporary works.-Recordings: -External links:*...

, Pablo Márquez
Pablo Márquez
Pablo Márquez is an Argentine classical guitarist born in San Pedro de Jujuy in 1967. He also performs with the Trio de Cologne.-External links:*...

, Alan Thomas, Jürgen Ruck, Nico Couck, etc.: it has been recorded numerous times (see below).

Chemins V by Berio is a work by Berio based on Sequenza XI, for guitar and ensemble.

External links


Sequenza XI performances (mp3, etc.)


Sequenza XI recordings

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