Babbitt: Soli e Duettini

One prepossessing characteristic of Milton Babbitt's music is that its lines jump around a lot. However intrinsically appealing, this gains something from the fact that they also do not. The jumps sample streams of slower activity, communicate between them. This addition slows the frantic motion - better, changes our impression of it without slowing it: what is highly agitated is also carefully grounded, even gently regulated. Polyphony of movement defines Babbitt's sound: fast and slow, disjointed and regular, manic and glacial-dichotomies peculiarly unavailable even while suggested by singular multiplicity of motion.