violin and guitar
15’00”
composed 2006
commissioned and premiered by Duo46 (Fresno, California)
Composer’s Note
Triskaidekaphilia is derived from the more commonly known word “Triskaidekaphobia,” a documented psychological disorder that manifests itself in the form of a pathological fear of the number thirteen. Removing the suffix “-phobia” and replacing it with “-philia” changes the meaning of the word, replacing the fear of thirteen with a hypothetical “love of thirteen.” Utilizing this opens up all sorts of musical possibilities, as since music has been translated into numbers using a wide variety of abstract analyses, so too can the number thirteen be explored and puzzled out into a wide variety of musical ideas.
As such, the composition Triskaidekaphilia is a series of thirteen short movements, with each individual movement exploring a different aspect of the number thirteen. Several movements - the Samba and the Gigue for example - take advantage of grooving, syncopated rhythms made possible the asymmetrical meter of 13/8. Other movements, such as the Fantasy, use a series of thirteenth chords - extended harmonies that reach beyond the standard triadic and seventh chord structures of common practice harmony. The movement titled Blues stretches the standard twelve-bar blues by one bar, creating in essence a “thirteen-bar blues.” Tying all of the movements together is the concept of the baroque suite, where each movement can be perceived as a short dance form, while the whole work is framed by a Prelude and a Postlude that are mirror images of each other.
Commissioned by Duo46.