•  

  Ten performers including a voice (tenor or soprano):

  - conductor doubling on a pair of finger cymbals

   - singing and speaking tenor voice doubling on a pair of finger cymbals

  - Bb clarinet doubling on sither (diatonic with additional c# and bb) and suling

  - venu doubling on bansuri, Hindustani khartal or Carnatic kanjira

  - alto suona doubling on alto guan, 板 and a pair of finger cymbals

  - Bb euphonium doubling on a claves and a pair of finger cymbals

  - chromatic accordion doubling on a A singing bowl

  - 1 percussionist on snare drum, bass drum, suspended cymbal, triangle, marimba and vibraphone

  - pi pa doubling on a C singing bowl

  - violin doubling on a Bb handbell

  - violoncello doubling on a Db handbell 
  

   

• Duration: 22'
• 1
• Composed in 2024
• Commissioned by Nanyang Collective
• First performance: 05.09.24 Nanyang Collective conducted by Wong De Li Dedric Esplanade Recital Hall, Singapore
• ISMN 979-0-9025001-2-8
• Parts: To rent the parts, please email <rc@robertcasteels.com>
• Downloadable scores for inspection:
  TENTET_Robert_Casteels_full_score_-_Full_Score.pdf

Tentet was commissioned by the Nanyang Collective. The brief for the composition was that it should spotlight gender groups’ relationships with love and compassion. Tentet is a piece for nine musicians and one voice. The composition comprises five Parts. Suona, euphonium and voice introduce each part. Two compositional techniques are employed: chromaticism and whole-tone mode. The tension from dissonance in chromaticism in part one seeks to illustrate the dynamics between contemporary gender groups. Gentle whole-tone scale is used for the rest of the parts. A peaceful waltz in part 2 references special needs. The narration by the voice in part 3 is an extract of a short story, The Architects, from This Side of Heaven (2020) by Singaporean poet Cyril Wong. The narration is the section of the short story about human relationships. In part 4 a tender melody expresses compassion and empathy. The final part 5 comprises pre-recorded AI spoken words accompanied by the melody. The words come from religious texts. The piece ends with an invitation to embrace love and compassion.