One of my exercises when studying with the composer Ernst Krenek was to write a four-part fugue using twelve-tone technique - an incredibly difficult assignment. The basic idea of twelve-tone music was to force new approaches to melody and harmony by obeying certain rules; all twelve notes of the chromatic scale must occur in a series that the composer creates. No note can be repeated in the series until the other 11 notes of the chromatic scale have occurred (exceptions include direct repetition of a note, trills, and tremolos). Years later in playing around with my Mac and my midi hardware I transcribed and recorded the exercise for an eclectic ensemble of electronic instruments - Flute, Horn, Viola, and Cello - which you can hear below.

More recently I transcribed it for string quartet and called it “For Earnst” (because it was for my teacher, Earnst Krenek). The wonderful Ligeti Quartet read through it on 22nd September 2020 as a part of their Workout! Performance Series. For more info and a video of the session visit https://ligetiquartet.com/workshops/to-ernst-julie-mandel .