“Ex Eadem”

Ex Eadem = From the Same

Originally an exercise in contemporary techniques, “Ex Eadem” quickly became a piece with its own language, only distantly related to the piece which inspired it. Assigned as the final for the class “Techniques of the Contemporary Composer,” we were asked to spend 8 weeks studying a contemporary piece of our choice and then write a piece that utilized the same techniques, but was not simply a copy of said piece. I ended up with a piece that wasn’t quite as close as a brother to Arvo Pärt’s “Fratres,” but rather a piece cut from the same cloth.

The main technique used in this piece is a variation of Pärt’s Tintinnabuli, where instead of always ringing both voices at the same time, the two voices are offset from each other and passed around the three separate violin lines. The line moves incredibly slowly, almost imperceptibly methodical. However, the structure follows the same building method as found in “Fratres"—phrases start small, expand, and eventually start over again.

“Ex Eadem,” then becomes the extension of what would be one variation of “Fratres,” or just about 6 or so measures elongated over the course of just around six minutes. The piece is extremely meditative, requiring concentration from the performers to keep a strong internal tempo and connection to each other. Each performer has conflicting directions about where their bow should be (Sul pont.-sul tasto) and this constant bow movement creates an airy, wind-like sound that adds into the meditative effect. At important moments where the expanded phrase builds, the violins come together to sharply cut off, reflect, and begin the process anew.

Pictured above, L-R is the premier performers Eli Jordan, Agnes Huang, and Emily Coleman. Their performance, along with a sample page of the score can be found on the right.