My initial inspiration was from listening to the Korimako (bellbirds) here in Aotearoa, New Zealand. They do this thing where one sings a melody and then another mimics the same melody in another tree at a random moment, so I got the idea to have the two flutes on stage at a distance to suggest this.

I found that I could differentiate the two parts by making one always suggest major and the other minor. Due to constant harmonic movement they never actually clash, but rather blur together in an ever-changing 'not-quite-harmony' that has surprising similarities to the bell-like timbre of the birdsong I was inspired by.

The idea is of a quarrel where each of these two unique modes is trying to claim superiority, not realizing that they together create this harmony of 'Two'.