Dritte Stimme zu Bachs zweistimmigen Rätselkanons (2024)
(with open instrumentation (1 to 3 instruments))

The added third voice to J.S. Bach's Rätselkanon from the Musical Offering seem to behave in a way that conforms to the rules of Bach's counterpoint. However, the presence of disruptive cross-relationships and transient successive dissonances destabilizes the harmonic hierarchy of Bach's canons, which support the symmetry of the riddle canon structure. As a result, the added third voice acts like a virus, mimicking the contrapuntal actions around it while infecting its capacity for harmonic stability. Such an infection of Bach's canons allows for a more materialistic listening that is not manipulated by harmonic progressions, but rather focuses on its contrapuntal relationships.