Heliolunacy
This is my most Xenakis-like composition, not in its use of granular synthesis so much as its basis upon mathematical forms. Specifically, I used the Fibonacci sequence to determine section lengths within the 11 minute length stipulated by Aston. Fortuitously, this worked out to an even 20, 20, 40, 60, 100, 160, 260 seconds each. Furthermore, various parameters were controlled by the coordinates of a Fibonacci Spiral constructed from Fibonacci rectangle 260 units long; the x-axis being time in seconds, the y-axis being some scalar applied to a some musical parameter.
For example, the pitch of a sine tone over a two-octave range was controlled in this manner. I interpreted the overlapping bits of the spiral as polyphony; which, in a proper spiral, would lead to a moment of infinite polyphony (it would be interesting to explore timbres constructed from such ratios). For practical purposes, then, I limited its quantitative construction to 5 quarter-sections and qualitatively played upon the idea of "infinite polyphony" and certain Renaissance theories of beauty by placing the "climax" of the piece in this region. This climax consists of a poem written by Aston, read by myself and capriciously harmonized (by vocoder) in a manner that strikes me as very-late-Romantic (in the manner of Mahler or Schoenberg).
The whole time, however, a granular synthesizer is employed to scan through the length of a recording of wind-chimes that I have always found particularly beautiful. In this case, the y-axis scalar is applied to a sample index. This means that whenever the spiral negative in curvature, for example, the sample will be played backwards, and at a continuously changing speed (but not pitch). As the question of polyphony is again raised, I decided to let my intuition decide when and how to "split the spiral" between sine tones and samples. For example, the 5th and 6th quarter turns of the spiral are used to play back the unharmonized reading of the poem (forwards and then backwards), while the fourth quarter-section controls the (descending) pitch of a sine tone.
There are other compositional points of interest, but I leave these to be illustrated by the score.
Clearly, there many non-quantitative aspects about this piece and I think that this fact indicates my tendency to use modernist techniques to support, extend, explore, or deconstruct sonic materials. However, I do this in Cage's spirit of creating fresh, cognitive possibilities--an anarchically pedagogical approach--rather than in the pursuit of a rational, "objective" aesthetic.
For example, the pitch of a sine tone over a two-octave range was controlled in this manner. I interpreted the overlapping bits of the spiral as polyphony; which, in a proper spiral, would lead to a moment of infinite polyphony (it would be interesting to explore timbres constructed from such ratios). For practical purposes, then, I limited its quantitative construction to 5 quarter-sections and qualitatively played upon the idea of "infinite polyphony" and certain Renaissance theories of beauty by placing the "climax" of the piece in this region. This climax consists of a poem written by Aston, read by myself and capriciously harmonized (by vocoder) in a manner that strikes me as very-late-Romantic (in the manner of Mahler or Schoenberg).
The whole time, however, a granular synthesizer is employed to scan through the length of a recording of wind-chimes that I have always found particularly beautiful. In this case, the y-axis scalar is applied to a sample index. This means that whenever the spiral negative in curvature, for example, the sample will be played backwards, and at a continuously changing speed (but not pitch). As the question of polyphony is again raised, I decided to let my intuition decide when and how to "split the spiral" between sine tones and samples. For example, the 5th and 6th quarter turns of the spiral are used to play back the unharmonized reading of the poem (forwards and then backwards), while the fourth quarter-section controls the (descending) pitch of a sine tone.
There are other compositional points of interest, but I leave these to be illustrated by the score.
Clearly, there many non-quantitative aspects about this piece and I think that this fact indicates my tendency to use modernist techniques to support, extend, explore, or deconstruct sonic materials. However, I do this in Cage's spirit of creating fresh, cognitive possibilities--an anarchically pedagogical approach--rather than in the pursuit of a rational, "objective" aesthetic.