JAVS Spring 2024

Lhaw Qolo , which explores various approaches to the concept of time. For example, in some sections, the bar lines are not always shared by all instruments (see: Figure 2). The music moves from metered to unmetered music in an organic manner so as not to be audible. The different time-layers integrate and interact with one another throughout the music, much like the different playing techniques. Other sections intentionally lack an

audible pulse, creating an atmosphere of timelessness or suspended time. In the first four bars, the conductor cues the entry of events (see: Figure 1) without adhering to any specific, regular time signature. This not only creates a sense of timelessness but also provides the conductor with considerable flexibility to shape the onset of these events to suit the performance, venue, the very moment.

Figure 1. Opening measures of Shubho Lhaw Qolo.

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Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 40, No. 1, Spring 2024