'The duos for two violins which I have written to celebrate the birthday of David Takeno are the first part of what I hope will ultimately become a book of duos. These little pieces (there are eight in this first set) are each designed as illustrations of compositional procedures which I discuss in a work-in-progress: a handbook for composers. First there is a melody to be performed more or less in unison and then a more elaborate version of it: 'coloured' as it were. All the pieces that follow deal with varied doublings of this melody, ornamentations, rhythmic variations and even polyrhythmic versions of it. Finally there is a little lament written on hearing with sadness of the death of my old friend Manny Horowitz.'
Alexander Goehr