tunings (2006) for cello and computer

Unlike many of my compositions which explore slow transformations of sonic textures, in tunings I was interested in discontinuity, fragmentation and an exploration of the musically charged space between gestures. Of particular interest was a musical model based on the idea of a radio tuning into different stations, sometimes pausing, often moving on. During a performance, the cellist reads a score from a computer monitor - sometimes they are asked to perform from traditional notations and  sometimes to interpret various graphical gestures. Unlike a traditional score, this “score” dynamically changes in real time ensuring a spontaneity from performance to performance and extending the open-form score tradition explored by composers such as Stockhausen, Brown and Haubenstock-Ramati. The sounds produced by the cellist are modified by a separate computer running Cycling ‘74’s MaxMSP which wirelessly controls the score-generation computer and is also used to generate sonic textures which complement the cellist and extend the tuning metaphor further. tunings was written for cellist Franklin Cox in the Spring of 2006. Many thanks to Frank for sharing his enthusiasm and passion for all things unorthodox in the world of the cello.

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