@sarahjritch You’re invited to join our #glassexplorers program. Woohoo! Make sure to follow us – we’ll DM in the coming weeks.

— Project Glass (@projectglass) March 27, 2013

CUBE Contemporary Ensemble Presents:

Hanging From The Edge

Featuring works of Carter, Elmquist, Morehead, Ritch, Sandroff, and Stockhausen

February 3rd, 2013

3:00pm

Free and Open to the Public

Fulton Hall, University of Chicago

5845 S Ellis Ave, Chicago

There is nothing better than the feeling of satisfaction after bringing something from abstract idea to the physical world.

Thank you Anaphora for being super awesome!

And specifically, thank you Christopher Jones, Rebecca Laurito, and Cory Tiffin!!

-S

ABACBA

ABADAB

ABCADBA

ABACDAB

AB

AC

BC

CD

Etc.Etc.Etc.

Every axiom I used combined with every “clever” set of rules, produced the most monotonous dribble I have ever heard. I was ready to admit defeat and go back to writing cute little melodies when I realized I had forgotten the most important factor!!!  When I was first conceiving of this project, one of the first thoughts I had was this:

How many unique pitch classes at a minimum will allow a piece of music to be interesting?

My answer? It depends.

One pitch is all that is necessary if the piece is minimalist and the goal is to explore the timbral and sonorous  shades to a single pitch.

Two pitches are all that is necessary if your goal is to exploit the relationship between the two.

However, if your goal is to write a melodic, tonal piece of music inheriting the functions of the classical western tradition….

No less than Five pitches are necessary.

I had assumed this intuitively, but had not performed any experiments to prove it for myself. Well, I can assure you that the last 3 days proved to me without a doubt that no less than 5 pitches are absolutely necessary to create a piece of music that is melodic, tonal, and following in the traditions of western classical music.  With my new assumption, I set out creating a new set of 5 pitch axioms and a set of rules which both imitated formal structures from classical music.  Remember, my goal is to combine classical mathematics and classical music theory in their pure forms to reach my hypothesis that it can be done without threatening either.

So, I chose to use a musical form that is self-referential for the axioms: Rondo

ABACAE

and

ABADAE

For the rules, I used the idea of building harmonic structures:

ruleA = “AE”;
ruleB = “ACE”;
ruleC = “BD”;
ruleD = “CBDAE”;
ruleE = “EA”;
What resulted was a two-voice counterpoint that has a clear tonal center, with clear melodic themes that repeat and interact without ever becoming monotonous.

I’ll let you hear a short excerpt for yourself:

Now, to “wash” it with my human hand, adding intuitive musicality such as dynamics, phrasing, rhythmic variation, and articulation.

-S

The Mandelbrot set is defined by a family of complex quadratic polynomials

given by

where is a complex parameter. For each , one considers the behavior of the sequence

obtained by iterating starting at critical point , which either escapes to infinity or stays within a disk of some finite radius. The Mandelbrot set is defined as the set of all points such that the above sequence does not escape to infinity.

A mathematician’s depiction of the Mandelbrot set M. A point c is coloured black if it belongs to the set, and white if not. Re[c] and Im[c] denote the real and imaginary parts of c, respectively.

More formally, if denotes the nth iterate of (i.e. composed with itself n times), the Mandelbrot set is the subset of the complex plane given by

You see, the Mandelbrot Set and fractals in general are considered “pop” math.  My complexity (and primes) loving Professor brought to light an important topic: Does pop have any place in high art, and if so what is it?

It seems like an old hat that has been worn many times, by Andy Warhol, by Roy Lichtenstein, by Michael Daugherty, and many other prominent artists and composers.  I think, for me the better question is: Where does COMPLEXITY fit into my practice?

If my goal with this whole thing is to try to find a way to express mathematics in sound, does it matter what function/algorithm I chose?  Now, I understand the desire for an elegant solution to this problem. I appreciate the beauty in abstract mathematics but I try to follow a simple programmers crede: Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS).

This doesn’t mean to limit yourself to remedial tasks but to only use the level of complexity that is necessary for the task.  I chose this algorithm and topic in mathematics as an entry point to the greater problem of expression of mathematic properties in music.  Fractals are familiar and even easy to understand by the average person. My goal is not to alienate but to share this abstract theory that math and music can co-exist in their pure forms without the degradation of either.  Perhaps I’ll gain enough trust to take my audience on the long road to primes…but not today.

“Look at these two axioms and how they interrelate when they are used recursively!”

“Oh, yeah…cool. That’s really interesting.”

“I hypothesize that the resulting melody will actually be tonal and aesthetically pleasing because we, as human beings tend to like things built recursively. Just look at the Golden Mean, and fractals, and flower petals…”

…and I’ve lost him.

Now, if I were to by-pass all the jargon and formula and just play the resulting music for him, he would just GET it.  He would understand exactly what is happening and even point out weaknesses and how I might make it stronger.  He is magic and I am a mere mortal who has to explore and research and use trial and error to figure out how to make these ideas a musical reality. So, I decided to try sparing him the process so he can savor the result.  What better sounding board to use freely with little to no guilt than a blog?  Over the course of the next few weeks, I plan to use this blog to help me through my latest obsession: Fractals.

And so it begins…

Fractal: A definition

A fractal is a mathematical set that has a fractal dimension that usually exceeds its topological dimension and may fall between the integers. Fractals are typically self-similar patterns, where self-similar means they are “the same from near as from far”. Fractals may be exactly the same at every scale,  or they may be nearly the same at different scales. The definition of fractal goes beyond self-similarity per se to exclude trivial self-similarity and include the idea of a detailed pattern repeating itself. (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractal)

Inspired by the study of weather patterns and Strange Attractors, I decided to use 2 axioms which at first glance are similar, but have very slight differences. Once repeated recursively, given a set of rules, these differences will explode into 2 very unique sets.
As an example:

Axiom 1

{A, B, A, B, C, A, B}

 

Axiom 2

{A, B, A, B, D, A, B}

Rules:

A = AB

B = ABC

C = BC

D = AC

Step 1

Axiom 1 {A, B, A, B, C, A, B} =

{A, B, A, B, C, A, B, A, B, C, B, C, A, B, A, B, C}

Axiom 2 {A, B, A, B, D, A, B} =

{A, B, A, B, C, A, B, A, B, C, A, C, A, B, A, B, C}

At this point, the differences have been abstracted further by the use of recursion. It is difficult to see, and even more difficult to hear the differences between the two.

Step 2

Axiom 1 {A, B, A, B, C, A, B, A, B, C, B, C, A, B, A, B, C} =

{A, B, A, B, C, A, B, A, B, C, B, C, A, B, A, B, C, A, B, A, B, C, B, C, A, B, C, B, C, A, B, A, B, C, A, B, A, B, C, B, C}


Axiom 2 {A, B, A, B, C, A, B, A, B, C, A, C, A, B, A, B, C} =

{A, B, A, B, C, A, B, A, B, C, B, C, A, B, A, B, C, A, B, A, B, C, B, C, A, B, B, C, A, B, A, B, C, A, B, A, B, C, B, C}

Now, just at the 2nd iteration, we can see the similarity grow farther apart:

{A, B, A, B, C, A, B, A, B, C, B, C, A, B, A, B, C, A, B, A, B, C, B, C, A, B, C, B, C, A, B, A, B, C, A, B, A, B, C, B, C}

{A, B, A, B, C, A, B, A, B, C, B, C, A, B, A, B, C, A, B, A, B, C, B, C, A, B, B, C, A, B, A, B, C, A, B, A, B, C, B, C}

This is a very simple example, using only 4 rules on 3 variables, but it gives the general idea behind this new piece I’m working on. I’m thinking the working title “Strange Attractors” is appropriate.

-S

When did you first become interested in music?

Hmm, you’re asking for a bit of family history here. I can’t remember becoming interested in music. It has just always been there, probably because of my family. My Mom was an amateur cellist until her early 20′s, my Dad is a brass player and conductor (notably of the U.S. Army band in San Francisco during the final days of the Presidio), my Grandma sang opera, one brother plays violin, another played sax and flute, plus various other relatives who played various other instruments (including auto-harp!). Music is just part of life, like air and sunshine and thunderstorms. Please don’t judge me for the cheesiness of that line, but it’s true! I’ve always loved moving to music and making sounds.

Man, that’s a lot of music in your family, it seems like it was pretty much inevitable that you would start playing. Although, you could’ve also rebelled by completely rejecting it too I suppose. With all those musicians on hand, did your family ever play music together?

My brothers and I joked around about starting a grungy Hanson type band, but no. The closest we ever came to playing music together was solfegging the violin and cello parts to various symphonies on many long drives between Vegas and Reno (nerd alert).

What was it that drew you in to music?

Growing up, my Mom always encouraged me to pursue all my interests (probably because of my attention span issues). I’m what you would call a “high stress functioner,” or someone who needs a multitude of things going on at once in order to stay focused. If you give me one thing to focus on, I can’t. So, (through generous community support because we were dirt poor) my Mom had me in ballet, gymnastics, piano lessons, girl scouts, and various after-school academic clubs. I’m really lucky that so many people were able to make this happen for me. When I say we were dirt poor, I mean dirt. Section 8 housing, homeless shelters, WIC, food bank, seven people in a two bedroom apartment, moving every six months kind of poor. Our Christmases were provided by the churches and public donations and I remember a few occasions where I was told to go get a clean rock from the yard for stone soup. . . .

Continued at:

sarah j ritch, pyr interview!

Esplorazioni

I have always told my students that music is maths realized as art.  I think this always comes up because I have a tendency to explain music theory fundamentals as if I were teaching arithmetic.  Most of my students, being in the 4th Grade through Jr. High academic range always pick this up and say “Wait, is this music or math?!”  I love seeing the sparkle in their eyes when I explain my view of maths and music…it’s like I just made something boring (presumably maths) into something mystical.

So, naturally, I am drawn to the increasingly expanding field of computer music.  I’m talking low dirty dark magic computer science and skilled music composition.  There aren’t many people working in this new genre who are a genuine mix of coder/composer, but those who are give me hope for the future.  Ensemble Dal Niente is presenting a concert this Saturday which features a new work by one of these special sorts of person, Aaron Einbond.  Aaron is a composer for both electronics and acoustic instruments as well as is a researcher in computer science!  His new work Without Words combines soprano, nine players, and live electronics.

Made with CataRT

Aaron explains the above here :

“In the plot, each dot represents a short sample as performed by Amanda DeBoer, and the axes correspond to the timbral qualities of the sounds.  I explored this plot to assemble the samples into micro-montages, which I use in the electronic component of the work, or ask Amanda to recreate live.  I also map them to other audio recordings, so that the performers are asked to recreate a recording of frogs, the sun, or of Wallace Stevens reading.  Because samples of Amanda and the other players were my starting point, their unique sonic identities are woven into the fabric of the work as well.”

And how does one notate this idea? Aaron was kind enough to give us a little peek into the score:

You can check out the realization of this piece live this Saturday. Details given below.

-S

Saturday, June 9, 2012 7:30pm

Nichols Concert Hall
1490 Chicago Avenue
Evanston, IL
Tickets: $20 general/$10 students, available at the door

The Spektral Quartet

My hubby is awesome, and talented, and handsome.  I normally wouldn’t use my blog/site to gush over him, but I am so impressed and proud of his upcoming project, Theatre of War, that I felt so inclined.  The topic is one of great importance, that of passive acknowledgement of war in our modern society.  Theatre of War is not aiming to take a side, preach, or act as any kind of political protest but rather to serve as a tool to bring the wars to our active attention.  I, for one, did not pay much attention to any of our wars until my own brother was stationed in one of the most active zones in Afghanistan.  This was a direct daily assault on me and made me realize how important it is for each of us to educate ourselves on global policies and actions.  I hope you’ll be as impressed as I was with their preview trailer and make it out to the Spektral Quartet’s Theatre of War.

-S

Intuition Vs. Algorithm

Essays

Victoria Morris

When I accepted the assignment to make a piece for this show, I was quite thrilled by the push and pull duality inherent in the phrase “Intuition/Algorithm”. After all, intuition is the deepest, rawest instinct of the human mind and we think of algorithms, when we think of them all, as the refined product of the right brained, never to be grasped easily except as part of an advanced degree. Except… we mention the latest algorithms so casually, designers wrapping them in friendly GUI to hide the bitterness of math, and make them sweet like music. They hide it when we ask our friends to “Google it” or in the marvel of a newborn learning to use his parent’s iPad, the trajectory of an angry bird. Design is increasingly the art of masking algorithm in intuition.

If the concept of the program was exciting, I was not so thrilled by Sarah’s request that I select a contemporary artist who exemplified this concept and write about them. Which is why I’m giving a speech: I dragged my heels so long that I didn’t get it printed in the program. Oops! Sorry. The difficulty wasn’t in selecting an artist. I very quickly decided that I wanted to speak about Jenny Holzer. For me, she exemplifies the theme of our show. Hers is work that can only exist in this digital era of signboard and computer typography and projection yet speaks with a loud clear voice about things we know to be true but are afraid to admit to ourselves, let alone one another. Intuition. Algorithm.

The trouble that I faced was in selecting a single piece by Holzer to discuss. Her entire body of work centers on these ideas, but I finally had to choose and I chose  “Installation for Neue Nationalgallerie” in Berlin. This marriage of art, technology and architecture was debuted in 2001 and consists of thirteen scrolling LED tickertape displays in amber installed upon exposed beams in the roof of the building. The text of the piece was written by Holzer herself, and describes a mother as she observes the changing body of her adolescent daughter.

“THOSE RIBS ARE TOO LIGHT TO KEEP YOU. THAT TORSO IS BUILT NARROWLY OF SHARK CARTILAGE OR SHOE PLASTIC. SLIGHTNESS MAY COME FROM YOUTH OR BY DESIGN.”

“I FORGET YOUR HANDS WHEN I MOVE AWAY. IT IS INDECENT TO RECOGNIZE MY FAMILY AND WHAT IT DID IN A PALM OR FINGERNAILS. I WANT YOU FRESHLY MADE.”

The words scroll on and on across the ceiling in a never ending loop from adulthood to the decision to keep a child, without end. The hard, unforgiving orange light industrializes a text that memorializes the sentiments of motherhood.

Spencer Hutchinson

The Photo-Programitism* of Laszlo Moholy-Nagy

I have selected, not one piece of art, but selections from the body of work of Laszlo Moholy-Nagy who’s experimentation with light as a medium used directly for the purpose image sets a visual precedent for the abstract machine inspired aesthetic and whose process is greatly aligned with the working methodology of musique-concrete and electronic sound manipulation.  While no concrete algorithms are used in the process of his work per-se, the dependence on the technology at his disposal does necessitate the mindset and approach to art-making that one is beholden to when confronted with the technological programs and limitations of electronic and mechanical media.  The photograms, collages, and photographs of Nagy when observed as a whole present the astute observer with a unique personalized aesthetic that goes beyond what was achievable by way of conventional plastic media used by other more notable artists who aligned themselves with cubism and constructivism.   By infusing, at the onset of creation, a purely intuitive placement of objects to be not represented, but rather RE-presented as mysterious entities whose embedded alien aesthetic is revealed through the impersonal photographic process, Nagy has created the first true synthesis of man/machine collaboration which has left on enduring legacy on the discipline of technological art.

*Photo-Programmitism: is a term that I invented for the purpose of talking about Nagy’s work in particular since his creative output was not limited to photography, but was rather beholden to an aesthetic that necessitated multiple approaches to image-making where the process of creation is depenedent on the use of light as a medium.

-Spencer Hutchinson, January 27, 2012