Francois Bayle, "Toupie dans le ciel" (Excerpt)

-- Liner Notes from INA-GRM 9108ba --

Toupie dans le ciel
TOY TOP IN THE SKY 1979 22'30

A bundle of lines bent by the force of the very rapid rotations are derived from the sounds made by an antique toy top-its breezy siren's whisper. Various figures of this type emerge during this piece.

A wave oscillates over two descending minor thirds. This low-pitched oscillation, always unchanging but at the same time always varying, revolves amid a multitude of high-pitched designs in sheets of increasing density and mobility.

The monotonous unity of this movement is organized into a suite whose 27 parts connect imperceptibly in variations of speed, depth, acceleration and orchestration. Skies dotted with little comets punctuate the sound texture at intervals.

In the middle, a slow sliding motion picks up distant harmonics from the basic chord. Towards the end this sliding dissolves in flames.

Return to Black Eros. Chromatic scrolls.... noise...Sheaves, Silver ashes...

break-down of the 27 variations:

    0'00 top siren, theme a, theme b
    1'56 large top
1.  2'13 1st fairly rapid exposition
2.  3'19 sweeping, crescendo
3.  4'01 transposition and
    4'16 inversion
4.  4'45 sweeping, decrescendo
5.  5'34 agitated repetition against a
         sweeping, crescendo
6.  6'02 decrescendo in space
7.  6'55 counter-melody
8.  7'44 (top theme) insert 1
9.  7'50 crescendo repetition
    8'45 space
10. 9'09 ratata 10.01
11. 10'47 counter-melody
12. 11'22 rapid high, slow low
13. 12'16 (large nonharmonic top) 2
14. 13'15 very melodic and nimble
15. 13'45 released
16. 14'30 slow, two voices
17. 15'22 (top theme) 3
18. 15'40 slow repetition, for three voice:
19. 16'27 (top theme) 4
20. 16'38 repetition and anticipation
21. 17'50 transposition, see n03 -a
22. 18'09 very melodic and vibrational 3
23. 18'48 higher, sweeping base 
24. 19'37 transposition to the 3rd
25. 19'48 (large top) 5
26. 20'20 eros
27. 20'32 release 
          and octave ending c
    21'07 theme a, theme b see beginning

F.B.