Heisinger, emeritus professor of music at San José State University, where he taught from 1962 to1996, was inspired to write an entire musical composition based on a series of five notes he overheard.

The result of this inspiration is EKTA, a work that showcases Heisinger's love of world music. The composition will be performed by the San José Chamber Orchestra on Oct. 23 at Le Petit Trianon.

"I heard a student play a combination of notes that I was not familiar with," Heisinger says. "I learned what they were and then experimented with these basic five notes. I tried different arrangements and pieced together what sounded good."

It turned out that this mixture of notes was of East Indian origin and called a raga. More than just a scale, a raga prescribes a set of rules for how to build a melody. This framework can be used to compose or improvise melodies allowing for endless variation within a set of notes.

"I wouldn't have arrived at the sounds I did without the raga," Heisinger says. "It freed me completely to do different harmonies."

Though inspired by his interest in the qualities of classical Indian music, Heisinger is quick to point out that EKTA is an American work that does not aspire to imitate Indian musical traditions. Heisinger says he borrowed from Indian scales and their rhythmic cycles. His real attraction and challenge, however, was to see if he could integrate the Indian elements into a classical European format and incorporate his favorite form of improvisational music, jazz.

This blending of diverse music led Heisinger to name the piece EKTA, the East Indian word for oneness. Heisinger says that the piece is a blend of four improvised and classically notated conjoined sections. What he hopes to demonstrate through the piece is that if oneness in diverse music styles can prevail,then perhaps our planet can realize the same oneness for its people.

David Ward-Steinman, a former colleague of Heisinger's and to whom he dedicated the work, is intrigued by the piece because of the blending of many different musical styles.

"I am very interested in it because it combines Indian raga, American jazz and Western contemporary music," Ward-Steinman says. "It is truly a trans-ethnic fusion piece."

It is clear that music is Heisinger's life. In his long career, Heisinger has created numerous compositions, written countless articles, participated in an array of recordings and received many honors and awards.

While at San José State University, he conducted choral ensembles, taught trombone, piano and composition, among other classes. He jokes that the problem with composing today is that all the good notes have been used, implying that Western cultures all use similar notes and scales.

"In order to create something unique, students must get an exposure to music of the world," he says, "They need to pull their own ideas from other cultures, not imitate them, but use new tools."

Notes and scales create the palate for a composer just as paint creates the palate for a painter, he says, pointing out that all music begins as improvisation.

"Classical music is music that is notated. But people like Beethoven and Mozart improvised with arrangements until they were happy with them, then they wrote them down," Heisinger says. "Because EKTA incorporates elements of improvisation, it is different every time it is performed. This is the excitement and the risk."

The San José Chamber Orchestra, a 20-member professional string orchestra founded by conductor and Willow Glen resident Barbara Day Turner, is a supporter of new music.

The orchestra has premiered more than 40 works since it was formed in 1991. Turner and her orchestra will be joined by Ward-Steinman on piano, drummer Joe Hodge, jazz bassist John Shifflet and Ashwin Batish, who plays a percussion instrument from North India called a tabla.

The San José Chamber Orchestra will perform 'EKTA' on Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. at Le Petit Trianon, 72 N. 5th St. Tickets can be purchased on line at www.sjco.org or by calling 408.295.4416.