In Medieval and early Renaissance music, the term "triplum" described a three-voiced composition and Schuller has constructed this work utilizing the strings, brass, and woodwinds of the orchestra as these three voices. In addition to the three voices, the work is in three parts, all played continuously. Beyond recognizing the sounds of the specific instruments, however, confusion ensues as the orchestral voices are further subdivided all the way down to the individual players, such that there are twelve woodwind parts, eleven brass parts, and an unrevealed number of string parts. Given this, the composer himself helpfully suggests "... that the listener—particularly on a first hearing—try to hear these structures as a totality and not try to follow individual instrument lines." Also - the three sections of the work are grouped and subdivided so as to render their discernment impossible and the composer offers no helpful suggestions for coping with this but instead describes them in architectural and mathematical terms. In spite of all this preposterous confusion, the work seems to have identity and makes progress through what may only generally be referred to as areas of consistency. While the piece is atonal, it contains anchoring tones and riffs and at points seems to contain Schoenberg-like melodic and harmonic writing. As scored, the three principal voices are supported by assorted percussion instruments, some of which are exotic, and an organ if one is available. If studied in detail, the work becomes mathematically logical and an excellent example of a carefully crafted work in the twelve-tone idiom which utilizes only precisely indicated scoring and ordinary instruments played upon by regular human musicians.

© Michael Morrison, All Music Guide