Variations and Approximations.

The author discusses three problems he encountered when he attempted a musical setting of the book "The Leper's Helix" by Robert Coover. He said he had doubts on whether three pages of text could be adapted in a piece of 20 minutes or so. The author said he had to search for a musical equivalent for the geometric structure at the core of the text. He adapted an old semi-improvisational piano piece for the leper's music to be placed between areas of sung text.