C Minor - Research on Harmony - Variations 15

The series closes with its densest and most complex étude — nine notes, Animé, normal articulation, valley shape: the furthest from the series' dominant quiet. C1, C2, C3, Eb4, G4, Eb5, A5, Eb6, Eb7. Three C's at the bass, then four Eb's climbing from Eb4 to Eb7, with G4 and A5 interspersed.

Normal articulation means each note sounded distinctly, without legato flow — unusual in this series where all others blend. Combined with Animé and a six-octave span (C1 to Eb7), the étude is the most forward-moving, the most articulated, the most exposed. The valley dips to C1 (black) before the four Eb's build a staircase to silver-white Eb7.

Four Eb's in sequence (Eb4, Eb5, Eb6, Eb7) — the minor third repeated across four registers, each translation progressively lighter: from violet toward light violet, orange, silver. The series ends on this escalating brightness: the minor third stated four times, climbing toward the threshold of silence at Eb7.