Fratres
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| Fratres | |
|---|---|
| Instrumental music by Arvo Pärt | |
| Form | Variations |
| Composed | 1977 |
| Scoring | Variable |
Fratres (meaning "brothers" in Latin) is a musical work by the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt exemplifying his tintinnabuli style of composition.[1] It was composed in 1977. It is written for three parts without fixed instrumentation and has been described as a "mesmerizing set of variations on a six-bar theme combining frantic activity and sublime stillness."[2]
Structurally, Fratres consists of a set of nine chord sequences separated by a recurring percussion motif. The chord sequences themselves follow a pattern and were generated by means of a simple formula.[3]
Fratres is driven by three main voices. The low and high voices are each restricted to playing notes from the D harmonic minor scale (D, E, F, G, A, Bb, C#); the middle voice is restricted to the notes of the A minor triad (A, C, E). The entire piece is accompanied by drones in A and E, which are primarily heard in the percussion "refuge" motif between each sequence.
The chords are created by the movement of the three voices: the low voice starts at C#; the high voice starts at E. Both the low and high voices are moved up or down the D harmonic minor scale at the same time, with the direction of the movement depending on the position within the sequence. The middle voice starts at A and plays a different pattern (A, E, E, C, C, C, C, A, A, E, E, C, C, A). The generated chords create harmonic ambiguity, since both C# and C are present for an A major or A minor chord.
Versions
Although often performed by violin and piano, versions for larger ensembles, such as a string quartet or chamber orchestra, are also common. Performances by early music specialists have also been endorsed.[4]
Versions for ensembles include:
- chamber orchestra (1977)
- cello ensemble (1982)
- string quartet (1989)
- winds and percussion octet (1990)
- string and percussion orchestra (1991)
- band of metal instruments (2004)
- three recorders, percussion, and cello or viola da gamba (2009)
- saxophone quartet (2010)
Versions for solo instrument and accompaniment:
- violin and piano (1980)
- cello and piano (1989)
- violin, string orchestra, and percussion (1992)
- trombone, string orchestra, and percussion (1993)
- cello, string orchestra, and percussion (1995)
- guitar, string orchestra, and percussion (2000)
- viola and piano (2003)
- four percussionists (2006)
- viola, string orchestra, and percussion (2008)
- piano (2025)
