The main inspiration for Perpetual Ascent is meant to evoke motion; of

constantly rising up and moving forward in an unrelenting way. This can be seen

throughout the piece by the constant upbeat tempo, almost consistent driving 8th notes,

chromatic rising motifs, and the layering and rapid firing triplet melody that becomes

interwoven among a thick orchestrational texture.

The beginning of the piece establishes a 3/4  3/4  2/4 changing meter rhythm that is

used as a basis for the majority of the piece. Its characteristic allows the listener to feel like the music is always driving forward in a steadfast yet sometimes frantic way. This, in

contrast with my elongated triplet melody (eventually put into canon) are the two

hallmarks of the piece and create a dynamic that forces players to learn how their parts

fit into the full texture.