Expanded Modal Rhythm

Abstract

This article is written by a composer on his own music. It describes a set of rhythmic organization principles used in my compositional research since 1989. These principles greately expand what is traditionally known as "modal rhythm" , which appears for the first time in the music of the 12th century polyphonists of the Notre Dame School: Leoninus and Perotinus. For this reason, I call this group of rhythmic principles "expanded modal rhythm" . They are a part of a larger context of temporal organization principles designed to generating ametric textures, complex polyrhythm and cross rhythms, and certain desired types or rhythmic flow. I use examples taken from four of my compositions.