Demo version. Official recording forthcoming.
This piece is an extension of work I’ve done with the spectral analysis of handmade glass bells and a practice of bell ringing that dates back to the 17th century. This historical practice is considered to be one of the earliest physical implementations of an algorithm.
The basic melodic structure of the piece follows the Plain Hunt change ringing pattern, for a scale of six hypothetical “bells”. An example pattern for four bells is pictured here:
The harmonic content and chord structures are determined by the timbral analysis of the glass bells the piece was originally written for. For each bell in the series I analyzed and extracted 3-4 harmonics and translated them to their nearest equally tempered note. As the piece progresses, different ‘resonances’ are amplified and transformed. This piece had its world premier at a concert curated by Michael Vincent Waller at composer Daniel Goode’s Soho Loft in NYC on January 25th 2023, performed by Sophia Subbayya Vastek and alongside pieces by Sophia Subbayya Vastek, Michael Vincent Waller, and Michael Pisaro.