Ouroboros

Ouroboros, like the mythological serpent for which it is named, is constantly devouring itself. Materials from the exposition circulate and re-circulate in loops, and these loops slowly expand and contract, diverge and overlap. The simple rule of the loop ensures cohesion and economy while affording ample room for improvisation. Another simple rule, that the material is to be preserved in units that grow from the single note to the whole line as the piece progresses, naturally generates a loose sonata form. Ouroboros is part of a long-term project to define musical form in terms of procedures rather than results, towards the development an organic, evolutionary compositional process.