Forced March (2008)

I wrote a melody that I really liked. It seemed to go on forever, never repeating exactly, never locating in a particular place, never giving away too much about its shape, or where it came from, or where it was going. Then I started asking myself – what would happen to this irregular, free-flowing tune if it were superimposed over other more regular elements? How much regularity would have to be added before the piece changed its character entirely? How much of a march rhythm, for example, would have to be added before the perception of the piece changed from odd melody to ordinary march? I wrote this piece to find out. Forced March is dedicated to Donnacha Dennehy, after Samuel Beckett my closest friend in Ireland.

[David Lang]