ent- is most immediately a reference to a german inseparable prefix that indicates beginning, movement away, separation, or reversion. but it’s also the beginning of the (etymologically distinct) word “entropy,” which denotes both the degree of disorder within a system and the gradual decline into this disorder. either sense works to evoke the process I envision for the piece. after beginning with slow, stable repetition, performers are encouraged to take inspiration from their surroundings as they diverge from the score and inject unpredictability into their playing.

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