Jenks, Gabriel: Subtilior, Lamento

for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin and cello

Subtilior, Lamento is a piece that draws some inspiration from the music of the so-called ‘Ars Subtilior’ movement of the fourteenth century. This early music features rhythmic complexities, linear ornamentation, and harmonic intricacy. In my piece, I use canon to create textures that are at constant rhythmic unrest. Harmonies arise out of linear lines: lines I constructed to work in defining my harmonic world. The piece’s structural rigor and fluid surface are the two elements I wanted to keep in constant equilibrium. Hannah Lash