Melencolia I for String Quartet, Live Electronics and Quadraphonic/Octaphonic Sound Diffusion
Melencolia I is a semi-indeterminate score where the performers prepare a version based on a set of rules stemming from the navigable routes of an 8×8 grid of musical fragments. A prepared version of the work constitutes a collaborative interaction between the performers preparing a version and the composer. Many features of the work are determined during the performers preparation of a version such as the duration of the piece, structurally significant confluence points, juxtaposition or uniting of material types. Other features are built in to the score ensuring certain temporal and pitch structures are preserved regardless of routes chosen in each unique version. of three layers of pre-compositional structures these are an 8×8 pan magic square, controlling temporal organization, four 4×4 magic squares controlling the pitch/interval structure and a graeco-latin square, controlling 8 distinct types of material and (such as indeterminate noise, scalic material, multi-interval sequences) and 8 different modes of playing that material (pizz., arco, arco harm. etc.) The ensemble is fed through four digital delay systems of 2′50 each and then projected through a quadraphonic or octaphonic sound system. The timing of these delay creates an octet between the live quartet and delayed quartet with strictly organized confluence points between the two.
Commissioned by the Contemporary Music Center of Ireland http://www.cmc.ie/
for the ConTempo String Quartet
Premiere Date: December 2nd 2007
Melencolia I for String Quartet, Electronics, and Quadraphonic Sound Projection from rob canning on Vimeo.
score:
http://rob.goto10.org/melencolia/violin-19.pdf
http://rob.goto10.org/melencolia/viola-19.pdf
http://rob.goto10.org/melencolia/cello-19.pdf
videos:
http://rob.goto10.org/melencolia/interview.ogv
http://rob.goto10.org/melencolia/performance-dublin.ogv
instructions:
http://rob.goto10.org/melencolia/instructions.pdf
soundfiles:
http://rob.goto10.org/melencolia/rehearsal-noelectronics.mp3
custom stopwatch:
Download .html page containing customised javascript stopwatch to be used in performance
features include: large display stopwatch, 10 second countin before stopwatch start – buttons to jump to various rehearsal points in the score with 3 second countin.