violin, string orchestra, and percussion (1992).Versions for solo instrument and accompaniment: three recorders, percussion, and cello or viola da gamba (2009).Performances by early music specialists has also been endorsed. The generated chords create harmonic ambiguity, since both C# and C are present, yielding an A major or A minor feel.Īlthough often performed by violin and piano, versions for larger ensembles, such as a string quartet or chamber orchestra, are also common.
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). 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 chords are created by the movement of the three voices: the low voice starts at C# the high voice starts at E. The entire piece is accompanied by drones in A and E, which are primarily heard in the refuge between each sequence. The low and high voice 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 chord sequences themselves follow a pattern, and while the progressing chords explore a rich harmonic space, they have been generated by means of a simple formula. Structurally, Fratres consists of a set of nine chord sequences, separated by a recurring percussion motif (the so-called "refuge"). The main theme is strongly inspired by the movement Le Coucou au fond des bois from The Carnival of the Animals (1886) by Camille Saint-Saëns.