Cembalo Fractals is an arrangement of my earlier work Piano Fractals, re-imagined for harpsichord and recorded by Hagai Yodan for my album Gefunden. The piece unfolds in four independent miniatures, each exploring the principle of fractals—patterns that recur at progressively smaller scales—through the unique sound world of the harpsichord.
My approach was inspired by two interconnected ideas: the structural hierarchy of a book, from letters to chapters, and the fractal principle of recurring patterns. In this work, a basic unit of duration functions like a “letter,” gradually combining into larger phrases and sections, much like words, sentences, and chapters.
The composition relies on a meticulous organization of pitch and rhythm: numbers determine durations and groupings, while a tone matrix provides the framework for pitch material. These systems generate coherence and connectivity across the miniatures, while the harpsichord’s distinctive resonance and articulation bring new clarity and character to the fractal structures.