19-tone Clusters takes the same assumptions that went into my composition Clusters and applies it to the domain of 19-tone equal temperament. All the overtones are all clusters of 5-note chords duplicated through three to four octaves above the note, but they are all in 19-tone equal temperament. Again, harmony becomes spectrum. The amplitudes of these components are varied so that they have a kind of “shimmer” moving up and down the spectrum. There are five different kinds of “instruments” used in the piece: the basic cluster, a “sparkling” cluster, a “whoosh” sound that attacks each of the components separately, a “gong” sound, and a cluster glissando. Consistent with my theories of 19-tone music, each short passage is based on different but related chords, and passages state both the entire 19-tone pitch classes and all nine interval classes The piece has the same overall structure as Clusters, beginning in the middle range and proceeding through several short passages to a big climax with all instruments playing, and finally concluding quietly, much as it began. The piece was synthesized using csound.
