Xenakis, Rebonds B

Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001) was born to Greek parents in a Greek community in Romania. In 1932, he began attending a boarding school in Greece where he studied music while also excelling in mathematics. He entered the National Technical School in Athens in 1938, but his studies were interrupted by the outbreak of World War II. He would eventually graduate in 1947 with a degree in civil engineering.

Greece has a rather complicated history during WWII and its aftermath. It was occupied by Germany for much of the war. The Allies supported the local resistance. After the Allies liberated Greece in 1944, they supported a restoration of the monarchy, which members of the resistance opposed. A chaotic civil war ensued from 1946 to 1949. Xenakis participated in the resistance, but fled to Italy in 1947. In the wake of these activities, he was sentenced to death in abstentia. The sentence was finally expunged in 1974, at which time he was able to travel back to Greece.

Moving to France, Xenakis studied with Olivier Messaien and became a leading avant-garde composer in addition to having a notable career as an architect. He designed the Philips Pavillion (pictured here) for the 1938 World’s Fair in Brussels.

His interest in mathematics inspired his music, and he coined the term “stochastic music” to describe his method. The music was generated through mathematical probabilities, sometimes with the aid of computers, and found something of a middle-ground between the overly determinant music of the serialist and the indeterminant music of composer like John Cage.

Composed in 1988, Rebonds consists of two movements labeled A and B. Xenakis specifies that the movements can be played in either order. Rebonds A uses only membrane instruments. Rebonds B uses two bongos, one tumba, one tom-tom, one bass drum, and a set of 5 wood blocks.