Artificial Polyphony

James Romig, Sonnet 2 (m. 21-4)

Another device composers use to create polyphony is based on an aural illusion. In James Romig's Sonnet 2, the following performance note appears in the score: "To create the illusion of sustained sound in the lower voice, the staccato note in the upper voice is to be played as quickly as possible before returning to the lower note." If the performer is successful in creating continuity in the two separate lines, the resultant effect is like a flute duet. The technique works best in reverberant acoustical spaces.