What happens when you mash up the mathematical precision of medieval composer Guillaume de Machaut with the raw energy of a modern ensemble and a distorted electric guitar? The result is gRound for large ensemble, a piece that cheerfully bridges seven centuries of music history, giving ancient techniques a jolt of new, rhythmic vitality.
for performers and concert programmers
‘Vibrantly energetic, Renske Vrolijk’s ‘gRound’ is a fine homage to Machaut. Particularly successful in this playfully titled piece is the seamless integration of a deliciously distorted, biting electric guitar within the overall ensemble sound.’
– Erik Voermans, Het PAROOL
About the composition
The title gRound is a direct nod to the work’s structure. It’s a portmanteau of ‘rondeau,’ a poetic and musical form from Machaut’s era, and a ‘ground’ (or passacaglia), a form built on a repeating bass line.
However, this composition cheekily turns that principle on its head. The repeating melodic line (the ground) isn’t in the bass, but rather ‘floats’ in the higher registers, carried by the violin and marimba. This creates a light, transparent texture for the other instruments to weave around.
An ode to Machaut with a modern twist
The core of the ode to Guillaume de Machaut (c. 1300-1377) lies in the use of isorhythm.¹ This is a compositional technique where a fixed rhythmic pattern (talea) and a fixed melodic sequence (color) of unequal lengths are combined. As the patterns repeat, the pitches constantly shift against the rhythm, resulting in a musical pattern that is at once familiar and endlessly surprising.
Despite this historical and structural backbone, the piece has a distinctly contemporary and vital character. The addition of an electric guitar with a subtly distorted tone provides a unique timbre that integrates seamlessly with the ensemble’s acoustic instruments.
Commission and premiere of gRound for large ensemble
gRound was commissioned by the ensemble Combustion Chamber. They performed the premiere under the direction of conductor Rutger van Leyden.
For performers
Instruments:
asax, tsax, barsax;
hn, tpt, tbn;
perc, drum-kit,
mba;
egtr, bgtr;
pf; (e)vn
Duration:
8′
Year:
2003
Premiere:
24 dec 2003
Paradox
Tilburg
Combustion
Chamber
Category:
6-18 musicians
Language:
—
Lyricist:
—
Are you interested in performing this work? Please contact my publisher.
Renske’s sheet music
is published by Deuss Music.
Listen to gRound for large ensemble
¹ Footnote – isorhythm for beginners
Isorhythm explained simply: Imagine you want to decorate a long wall using a stencil and a few pots of paint.
First, picture a rhythm-stencil (the talea) with a pattern like: short-short-long. This simple pattern is repeated continuously along the wall’s entire length. Alongside this, you have a fixed sequence of colors (the color), for instance: red-blue-yellow-green. This color sequence is also applied on a continuous loop.
Isorhythm is what happens when you combine these two systems, but they aren’t the same length. You simply start painting your color sequence over your rhythm-stencil:
Isorhythm is what happens when you combine these two systems, but they aren’t the same length. You simply start painting your color sequence over your rhythm-stencil:
- The first “short-short-long” is painted in red-blue-yellow.
- For the next “short-short-long,” you continue with your colors: green-red-blue.
- The third “short-short-long” then becomes yellow-green-red.
So, you keep hearing the same rhythmic pattern (short-short-long), but the melody (the colors) changes each time. Because the color sequence is longer than the rhythm-stencil, it takes a while before the original combination of rhythm and color lines up perfectly again. In simple terms, isorhythm is a clever, almost mathematical trick used by composers in the 14th and 15th centuries to build a complex and surprising piece of music from a repeating rhythm and a repeating melody that shift against each other.