Two-Part Inventions

While it is always good if the muses visit and bring inspiration, I never wait for them to arrive, believing that it is essential to maintain the discipline of writing regularly no matter what. Finding myself in such a situation, I decided to spend an afternoon writing a two-part invention for violin/viola duo – but once started, I kept going, writing nine in all. Needless to say, Bach’s masterful inventions were in the back of my mind while writing, but I chose not to follow his organizational structure. Starting with no key signature, I progressed up the sharps until I got to four, then did the same for flats.