Esprit Rude/Esprit Doux I

Esprit Rude/Esprit Doux"" for flute and clarinet was composed for the celebration of Pierre Boulez's 60th birthday on March 31, 1985 in Baden-Baden. The title, translated as ""rough breathing/smooth breathing"", refers to the pronunciation of classical Greek words beginning with a vowel or an “R”. With “Esprit Rude” (rough breathing) the initial vowel (or ""R"") is to be preceded by a sounded ""H"", and is indicated by a reversed comma above the letter. With ""Esprit Doux"" (smooth breathing) the initial vowel is not to be preceded by ""H"" and is indicated by a comma above the vowel. In the Greek for ""sixtieth year"" (transliterated as ""hexèkoston etos"") the initial epsilon of the first word has a rough breathing sign while the epsilon of the second has a smooth one.