The Music of Martin Butler

In Carillon (1997, clarinet, vibraphone, piano) Butler imitates the rhythmic inconsistencies of pealing bells. The influence of the composer’s electroacoustic studies is perhaps at work here as well, with the downward scales imitated in the overall form of the piece – a gradual descent into the lower registers of each of the instruments and, with it, a measured rhythmic augmentation. [eg. first line and last line of the piece: see below]

Carillon, like the orchestral piece Fixed Doubles (1989), sets out not to suppress, but celebrate these ‘rhythmic kinks’, exaggerating them so that they become the focus of the piece itself. This kind of exploration is common to Butler’s music. Next

Martin Butler: Carillion © Oxford University Press
(click image to enlarge)

View the full score here
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View a score of 'Fixed Doubles' here

Listen to 'Fixed doubles' mp3 / RealAudio