Program Notes:
all in the tone; all in the form derives its structure from the six primary tones of the Vietnamese language: ngang, huyền, sắc, hỏi, ngã, and nặng. Applied to various syllables, the slight nuances of these tones can drastically change the meaning of the sound. In this piece, the syllable "ma"—one of the few syllables that can use all six tones—is used to establish the character for each of the six movements: ma (ghost), mà (but), má (mother), mả (tomb), mã (cipher), mạ (rice seeds). These six miniatures are all connected by a short melody that is twisted and manipulated in various systems for each word, just as we learn to pronounce and construct words. The title of this work uses lines from writer and poet Nam Le's 36 Ways of Writing a Vietnamese Poem, specifically the poems "[15. Dire critical]" and "[22. Logographic]."