Peripeteia

The word peripeteia, usually used as a description of a plot device in a literary work, is a sudden reversal of circumstances or situation. This work “Peripeteia” uses a 5 note theme that is continually built upon and developed throughout. The form of the work is a combination of the German novelist Gustav Freytag’s well known pyramid outlining dramatic structure (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and dénouement) and the common ternary (ABA) form so often found in wind instrument literature. The theme, beginning as an ominous interjection in a turbulent ostinato, is juxtaposed with the continuous motion of the harmony and increasing counterpoint. Near the golden section of the piece a harmonic, rhythmic, and textural peripeteia occurs serving as structural ballast for both the dramatic and musical structure of the work.