Aberrant Bourrée

Aberrant Bourrée is a reimagining of the bourrée that departs from the traditional dance. While it incorporates the familiar quarter-bar anacrusis and dactylic rhythm (long-short-short), its unexpected changes of meter and metrically displaced accents lend it a deviant character. The A section begins with a jagged melody in the xylophone, which is deconstructed and developed in various ways. The B section begins with more fragmented music, gradually increasing in density and intensity until it leads into a return of the opening material. Those familiar with violin and cello repertoire may notice occasional quotations of Bach’s bourrées woven into the texture.