Carter, E :: Esprit Rude/Esprit Doux II [Rough Breathing/Smooth Breathing II]

Esprit rude/Esprit doux II for flute, clarinet, and marimba, was composed for the celebration of Pierre Boulez s 70th birthday on March 30, 1995 in Chicago. The title, translated as rough breathing/smooth breathing, refers to the pronunciation of classical Greek words beginning with a vowel or an R. With esprit rude (rough breathing) the initial vowel is to be preceded by a sounded H, and is indicated by a reversed comma above the letter. With esprit doux (smooth breathing) the initial vowel is not to be preceded by H and is indicated by a comma above the vowel. In the Greek for seventieth-year the initial epsilon of the first word has a rough breathing sign while the epsilon of the second has a smooth one.

This publication contains parts and the score.