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Note
"A Palimpsest For Palle" is a serial tone poem based on Palle Mikkelborg's
Aura Suite (CBS Records Inc., 1989).
Palle's homage to Miles Davis is composed in expressionist serial/ atonal fashion, based on a ten-note tone row theme, one note for each of the ten letters of his name. I have taken those ten letters and invented acrostic tone rows based on words selected from a list of some 350-odd possible meaningful permutations of those letters. The list includes all dictionary entries (words, acronyms, contractions, foreign words) commonly used in English. As with recurrent notes, certain key words are repeated. Each section of the poem consists of a matrix of ten words, ten lines and is a response to the colour word used by Mikkelborg to denote one of ten moods/ sections of his suite. The original composition was written for Miles and he solos with former sideman John McLaughlin and plays with his current band and a thirty-piece Danish orchestra. To recreate the layered effect in words, I have borrowed freely from John Cage's mesostic techniques and Jackson MacLow's aleotory/chance techniques. Words capitalized form a ten-word palimpsest over-riding and expressing a dominant theme of the section. A third two-word layer consisting of boldfaced capital letters provides a verbal and visual pun mesostic tag for each section. The resulting matrix is not a response to the music per se but a conceptual piece based on the same serial composition techniques and employs fiction, autobiography, and deconstructive analysis recapitulating the primary themes of the life and music of Miles Davis.
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Introduction (Miles Davis)
As a dais is
Made
Ideas meld a seme slides
Devils divas eviL leads dam ideals mislaid. I'm aimless id.
I deal LSD lids mislead advise evil aims vile MAIDS
LIVE evil lives AMID lies valid aims am sad lame
Valid smiles valise I've slid slide slimed Ives sedile smile
I've liveDAmid slaVes AIDS DISMAL ass ailed e-mail laid
Dali avis DIALS dime diem dales elms dim delis limed
am led less SAIL SEAS am isis ismail essai's lad
dis Elvis aisles aimless alive dial leda eva selma mia
Dali dame edam e-mail devils divas midas visa selim sivad
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White (Isles Avis)
MILES Davis Lived amid iviEd iSms' elms as Avid avis
sailed IDEAS mad miles amid lies isles idle id's is
liVed lives sisal sImiles amid veiled veda maids saved seams
sailed Siam seas alive SAVEd sad missives aime as valise
mislaid maids SIVA valse divas dime evil diem leda less
slid SMILES slim as silva ides live elms Midas vide
slams lame MALE slaves lids leads ladies slim as vases
advises vies aids aims amie amid Islam IDEALS aimless smiles
a Mali MIDAS Salem Silas vasa vas Vadim el Savid
Dali DAIS alive ism amide same ass avis Miles Davis
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Yellow (Diva's Edam)
Alive amiD
Ideas' Vase lAdieS laid vile LIES aims' aisles
a less ideal ism is AIMLESS
iD
AMi as aide
AS Elvis dies demi-devils dial deals e-mail evil slime
SLAVES smile sidle slam slim valises as aides advise misdeals
Mad MAIDS misadvise avid males amid dismal dives midi seas
Dali divas LEAD lame levi-ivied midas ad lads ideas.
Miles Davis' MISLAID misses save aimless dim aides idle asses.
IDEAS ism led Leda miles amid devils divas evil isles.
Emile ails as AIDS slim ides slide midlives avis dies
Elms' ivied deism is lived amid MASS silva similes SALES
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Orange (Devil's Evil)
I'D aid milaDies sad slidEs vie deal Veda veils die
I'd
Slam idealS valise save dimes leda less Levi ids
I'd dis demi devils EVIL aims deal dem sivad SIVAS
I'd e-mail Dave Emile Eva Ali Dali Mae Mavis VEDA
Al Levi Silas Sid Eli Lisa Midas males MAIDS less
mess mid mad dames less I'd dis dim devils ess
save Midas medals DIS devils isms lies meds mess misdeads
I'd sail SIMILE seas dive dim ism dams lime dives
I'd lie less lead Selma SLAVES save missed mad ideals
I'm Miles Davis vim Selim Sivad evil demi devil id
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Red (Siva's Slave)
I'm male Sail seas save seals dIal deals meld meals
I dis ElVis lime dives Advise MIDAS miss ladies lie
dam aisles Scam seas am aLive vim dim dis devils
DAli
LeVi Islam ISIS Midas
MEdals am evil avid lame
deal dime dial ideas evil deism amid ideals lies meds
I la la ladies maids dames dial divas Elvis Isis
I'd mess mid Midas vases visa sidle slide aisles dials
I LIVE EVIL am mild Emile devil ami ivied ass
I AM IDS ISLE mad miles IDEALS ISM elms el
avid Live Aid avis demi devil selim sivad miles davis
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Green (Eva's Smile)
EVA
diva evil aviS
ami mia leda lass miles' ass
aims ideas smiles smile mid ess missive SLIDES valid visas
dials deals sails sales slims SLIM amid maids evil lies
Ald AS DEISM'S deal mal meal sedile seal Selma's smile
Miles slides slim Siva's slide
SMILE
vie as Vidal's vase
Valid Vadim vas valise visa vial vise vasa VD visa
Selim Selma's SAME seme semi slams Slam Slade slime lies
lies livid amid elm AVIS dais aisle AS isle vale
Eva ess el em dias dale limed alive as avis
El elm elms Elvis ladies LISA lived as id Eva
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Blue (Veda's Veil)
I'D idle less LIE less smile less id I'd liVe
I'd Dali lEss advise less leaD less LIME sidle less
slAm diS mess less misdeal less mislead less slide less
SLIDE me a dime ami saVe me Miss Siva mia
MESS mId me ami dia eviL diva save me ass
I'm a mad mislaid missile, MISS ideas' avis, Miles Davis
Alive aimless lame amid avid ladies a live evil aide
EVA'S ideal devil deal EVIL mild Dali DELI edam meal
I made maids live ideal lives laid aimless ladies lives
I am sad ami a mile's SLAVE dismal diem's dive
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Electric Red ( Sade's Vise)
MILES dive is Elvis's evil id Amid Dali's devil dials
IS Ali's Islam slam a slavE's mad masS Isis' ass
a smiles valid visa Ive's ideal isle a diva's dale
a Vale's veil elm's el em ess evil diem dais
ideas' ID IV a devil'S EVIL VD VIAL as SES
Sade's sad sail a missed missive MIDAS mass medal meld
a slim Mali maid's Davis avis lead a ladies SMILE
Vidal vim VEDA VASE AIDS aimless dismal dis evil's ess
DAVs devil ides sisal siva sides vile male medal mess
a LADIES VEDA VEIL sad Lisa smile selim sivad mass
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Indigo (Avid Maids)
SAil sad seas aimless lead mass miles amid Midas lies
miss limes idle iVied elms MIDS' AVIS smIles laDies isles
sail SEAS same sad slave miles mad mal ailed lame
Miss deli meals
Amie
Ideals midi
e-mail valiD
VISA dealS
Lead dim dismal midlives amid demi devils same lame ideas
Slam Elvis sales lid DIS demi divas same sad id
Dis mass sales aimless ISMS media's sidle slide slime ideals
dive Miles dive miles MELD IDEAS lead live ideas live
amid ivied elms mass med evil ideas deal smiles aisles
advise aid aim sail asid seas alive vide LIVE EVIL
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Violet (Ladies Saved)
SELIM Sivad MiLes DAvis avis ISMAIL mail male aiD as
DIS ism livE amid ideaS ideal idea die Dais Diem
Dam dem IVIED diS devil ISMS dismAl dies dis I
Aim miles SLIDE dials slim simile
Vie via
vim amiE
I.D. ideals dive IDEAS IV vial mess mid dem as
a dam ass am ide alive lead ladies laid Leda
less edam EVA alive dissave divas misdialed I's el em
ELMS ivies ESS meld medal mesa med mead meal aid
save seals ess ails dis I slam lids lies is
die alive missile missed a live evil seme isle lea
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