Le Monde (2011)

An area of study that I am currently investigating is the relationship between gaming, ritual and the occult arts. The idea of this piece is to have four performers play a card game which determines the outcome of the composition by adding melodic material to loop pedals, making a novel performance every time. The game play is similar to the card game crazy eights but using an altered tarot card deck of 52 cards. The World XXII is the symbol that ends a cycle, often represented as the 'cosmic egg', thus it is used as the last card of the game to end the cycle of the performance. Notation takes on a form similar to 'black' notation style of the 14th century, which coincides with the first appearance of tarot cards in medieval Europe. Performers are encouraged to play the piece whether or not they have training in mensural notation, the interpretation is more important than accuracy.