511 possible mosaics (1999)

In 511 possible mosaics sounds are placed next to each other, like tiles in a mosaic which are individually crafted and have their own character, yet are used in combination to represent a higher level structure. Originally a solo violin piece, 511 possible mosaics developed into a flexible ensemble piece for 175 East. Whilst working on the material I found that the parts were all self-sufficient as distinct pieces. As a result, I considered the possibility of any combination of the nine instrumental parts being performable, but with an exact synchronisation. With nine parts, there are 511 combinations using every possible arrangement of between one and nine parts.

The piece is one of the series of very short pieces I wrote between 1996-2000. It lasts c.18 seconds in performance.