In The Flowering Desert, the four Mélodrame sections (which represent the point of view of a scientist during the first observations of the system) are structured following the discovery of the seven planets of TRAPPIST-1. Each planet is associated with a tonal centre, which defines the harmonic transposition of a section. When we advance in the order of discovery of planets, we change the tonal centre, producing a harmonic shift that defines the structure of these numbers in The Flowering Desert:

 

  • Mélodrame 1 - 2 sections: first record of planets C and G (September 2015).
  • Mélodrame 2 - 3 sections: first record of planets E, F and B (October 2015).
  • Mélodrame 3 – 3 sections: record of a triple transit of planets C, E and F (December 2015).
  • Mélodrame 4 - 2 sections: first record of the last two planets, D and H (June and October 2016).

 

Tonal centres

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Example #6 

Use of tonal centres as structure. The first section is in the tonal centre of G (marked in blue in the score), which corresponds to Planet E. From bar 33 to bar 38 there is a process of modulation in which both tonal centres (G and F#) overlap. In bar 39, the tonal centre of F# (marked in yellow in the score), which corresponds to Planet F, is established, and marks the start of the second section.

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