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Hugues Bedouelle - Music

This page lists my musical compositions and research articles on music with short descriptions and links to their audio files or full text.

Articles

Bedouelle, H. (2024). Parsimonious sequences of pitch-class sets: bipartition through inversion and its applications to music composition. Journal of Mathematics and Music, DOI: 10.1080/17459737.2024.2432901
Full text [PDF]

Bedouelle, H. (2023). Parsimonious Sequences of Finite Sets and their Applications to Chord Progressions and Music Composition. Journal of Mathematics and Music, Aug 2023, 18 (2): 217–227. DOI: 10.1080/17459737.2023.2244480
Full text [PDF]; Audio [MP3]

Bedouelle, H. (2023). Exhaustive chord progressions and their use in music composition. Journal of Mathematics and Music, Jan 2023, 18(1): 42–60. DOI: 10.1080/17459737.2023.2166136
Full text [PDF]; Audio [MP3]

Bedouelle, H. (2020). György Ligeti - Etude pour piano No. 11 ‘En Suspens’: Multidimensional Analysis and Insight into the Composition Process.
Full text [PDF]

Bedouelle, H. (2018). Pianist Yuja Wang's high-heel shoes and the piano pedal techniques
Full text [PDF]; Full text [HTML]

Musical Compositions

The main goal of my music is to encourage the listener to taste and possibly appreciate unusual chords and harmonies. Audio recordings are available at URL: http://soundcloud.com/hugues-bedouelle. They are available in a compressed format (mp3) for listening online but can be downloaded in a lossless CD format (wav) for listening offline and a better sound quality.

HB1: Prelude for Shamila - 1:58
The piece was composed in 1968 and revised in 2018. It is dedicated to my spouse Shamila Nair-Bedouelle.

HB2: Impromptu - 1:12
The piece was composed in 1968 and revised in 2018.

HB3: In Pentatonic Mode - 1:21
The piece is entirely written in the pentatonic scale (1,3,6,8,10) that corresponds to the black keys of the piano. A short theme is presented at the beginning of the piece then developed by permutation and canonic imitation. The palindromic nature of the scale is used in the middle part.

HB4: Variations on a Whole-Tone Tune - 1:08
The piece is written in the hexatonic whole-tone scale (0,2,4,6,8,10). It presents the same tune nine times but with variations of rhythm or register.

HB5: In Hexatonic Mode - 2:27 (see HB12)
The piece is entirely written in the hexatonic whole-tone scale (0,2,4,6,8,10), which corresponds to Olivier Messiaen's first mode of limited transpostion. In a first part, each tetrad of a harmonic progression is presented in four different configurations. In a second part, the tetrads are organized similarly but the bass voice of the first part has been moved to the treble voice. In a third part, each of the six possible pentads is presented in five different configurations. The piece ends with the single possible hexad.

HB6: In Octatonic Mode - 3:13
The piece is entirely written in the octatonic scale (0,2,3,5,6,8,9,11), which corresponds to O. Messiaen's second mode of limited transposition.

HB7: In Pandiatonic Heptatonic Mode - 2:58
The piece is entirely written in the palindromic heptatonic scale (0,2,4,5,7,9,11) that corresponds to the white keys of the piano. It is written in a pandiatonic mode, i.e. giving the same role to every note of the scale.

HB7: In-Between Modes - 3:01
The piece is neither in major mode nor in minor mode, hence the title. The music is identical to that of the piano piece "In Pandiatonic Heptatonic Mode" but played with the "Vintage Tines MKII" electric piano from Pianoteq, which gives it a jazzy flavour.

HB8: Passacaglia - 2:42
The piece is entirely written in the scale (0,2,4,6,7,9,10), which corresponds to the ascending melodic minor scale of G. The roles of the two parts alternate between leading voice and accompaniement. The melody of the leading voice progressively expands. The melody of the accompaniement uses the palindromic nature of the scale and changes in the middle section.

HB9: Harmonic Permutations - 2:51
The piece is entirely written in the palindromic octatonic scale (1,2,3,5,7,8,9,11), which corresponds to O. Messiaen's sixth mode of limited transposition.

HB10: In Nonatonic Mode - 2:03
The piece is entirely written in the palindromic nonatonic scale (0,1,2,4,5,6,8,9,10), which corresponds to O. Messiaen's third mode of limited transposition.

HB11: Pentatonic Tune for Solo Flute - 1:26
Adaptation for solo instrument of the piano piece HB3: "In Pentatonic Mode".

HB12: Hexatonic Tune for Oboe and Piano - 2:17
Adaptation for oboe and piano of the solo piano piece HB5: "In Hexatonic Mode".

HB13: In 4x4 on the Grand Staff - 1:49
The piece comprises four parts and is entirely written in the octatonic scale (0,1,3,4,5,7,8,10). This scale is the complement of the minor seventh chord.

HB14: In 4x4 (for Flute and Piano) - 1:48
Adaptation for flute and piano of the solo piano piece HB13: "In 4x4 on the Grand Staff".

HB15: The Twins (Two-Part Invention) - 2:58
The piece is built around a call by one of the two voices and an answer by the other one, and thus around a dialog between them. However, each voice is also interesting in itself. The call is uttered by the top voice in the first half of the piece and by the bottom voice in the second half. The piece is entirely written in the octatonic scale [C, Db, Eb, E, F, G, Ab, Bb], which is invariant by inversion around E. It was divided into two non-equivalent all-interval tetrachords, either [C, Db, Eb, G] and [E, F, Ab, Bb], or [Ab, G, F, Db] and [E, Eb, C, Bb] after inversion, hence the title. The call and response are kept within one of the four tetrachords, which differ according to the section. When one voice speaks in a tetrachord, the other voice speaks in the complementary tetrachord. The form of the piece, in eight sections, derives from the above symmetries.

HB16: Back and Forth (for Piano) - 3:01
The piece is entirely written in the octatonic scale (0,2,3,5,6,8,9,11), which corresponds to Olivier Messiaen's second mode of limited transposition. It is divided into six short parts, each with a different rhythm and harmonic progression. The time signature of the first three parts is mainly 4/4 and that of the last three parts 12/8, with a smooth transition between Parts 3 and 4. The title is related to the harmonic structure of the piece.

HB17: In Odd Mode (Trio for Clarinet, Oboe and Piano) - 3:08
The piece is entirely written in an unusual nonatonic scale (or musical mode): (1,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,11; with C = 0). This scale is the union of two remarkable disjoint subsets: C#-D#-F#-G#-A# (1,3,6,8,10) which is a maximally even pentatonic scale, and E-F-G-E (4,5,7,11) which is an all interval tetrachord. The music is a dialog between clarinet and oboe, with an accompaniment by the piano. It comprises four voices and four sections. In Section 1, the top voice remains within the all-interval tetrachord whereas the bottom voice remains within the pentatonic scale. In Section 3, symmetrically, the top voice remains within the pentatonic scale and the bottom voice within the tetrachord. Section 2 and 4 are written more freely and are more lyrical. The form (structure) of the piece was deduced from the inner properties of the starting scale.

HB18: Variations on the Son Clave (for Clarinet and Piano) - 4:19
Each variation is presented by the piano alone then developed by the clarinet. The starting element for the piece was a minor version C-D-Eb-F-G-A of Guido of Arrezo's hexachord. Together with its inverted form F-G-A-B-C-D around C#, they form the ascending melodic minor scale of C. The 15 different tetrachords that can be generated from the minor hexachord, were organized into a circular harmonic progression. This progression is presented in its direct, retrograde, inverted and retrograde-inverted forms, over two different rhythms, the 3,2-son clave and its retrograde form. The transition between the two rhythms is made through either the Bossa Nova timeline or the Shiko timeline. The progressive introduction of notes with shorter values gives a feeling of acceleration.

HB19: Variations on the Rumba Clave (for Clarinet and Piano) - 4:19
Each variations is presented by the piano alone then developed by the clarinet. The starting element for the piece was the whole tone scale C-D-E-F#-G#-A#. This scale was made slightly uneven by raising or lowering pitch D by a half tone. The two resulting hexatonic scale C-Db-E-Gb-Ab-Bb and C-D#-E-F#-G#-A# are linked by inversion around D and together form an unusual heptatonic scale. The 15 different tetrachords that can be generated from the first of the two irregular scales, were organized into a circular harmonic progression. This progression is presented in its direct, retrograde, inverted and retrograde-inverted forms, over two different rhythms, the rumba clave and its retrograde form.

HB20: Nocturne for Violin and Piano - 3:42
The piece is entirely composed in the unusual heptatonic scale C-C#-D-E-F#-G#-A#, which is obtained by adding pitch C# to the whole tone scale. The 35 tetrachords that can be generated from this scale, are presented by the piano in the chord progression of the introduction. This progression is then used in different forms, in particular its inverted and retrograde forms. The time signature is 5/4 and the rhythm, counting in quavers, is [2,3,2,3] or its retrograde form.

HB21: Solitary Days in Samoa (for Clarinet and Piano) - 3:35
The piece is entirely composed in the octatonic scale C-C#-D#-E-F-F#-G#-A (0,1,3,4,5,6,8,9), which is invariant by inversion (palindromic) around an axis located between E and F and very uneven. The 70 tetrachords that can be generated from this scale, were organized into two mild progressions of 38 tetrachords each, that are complementary and related by inversion (6 tetrachords are invariant). These two progressions are presented in their direct and retrograde forms in the rhythm [3,2,2,3] then in the rhythm [2,3,2,3], counted in quavers. Finally, they are presented again in the [3,2,2,3] rhythm with counterpoints between the clarinet and the top voice of the piano.

HB22: Etude of Rhythm and Harmony (for Solo Piano) - 3:08
The piece is entirely composed in the octatonic scale (C, Db, D, E, F, Gb, Ab, Bb) or (0, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) in digital writing, which is invariant by inversion (palindromic) around Eb. The 70 tetrachords that can be formed from this scale were partitioned into two progressions of 38 tetrachords each that are complementary, are related by the inversion and have only the three invariant tetrachords in common. These progressions are presented in their direct, retrograde, inverted and retrograde inverted forms. The music uses four almost maximally even rhythms of three onsets in eight pulses: [3,2,3] used in the Beijing Opera; [3,3,2] or Tresillo, from sub-Saharian Africa; [2,3,3] or Bossa Nova and [2,4,2] or Caterete both used in Brazil. The transitions between the different rhythms are marked by dynamic (nuance) variations.