Document Type
Creative Work
ANZSRC / FoR Code
1904 PERFORMING ARTS AND CREATIVE WRITING
COinS
Creative Work
1904 PERFORMING ARTS AND CREATIVE WRITING
Publication Details
Burt, W. A. (2005). The Animation of Lists And the Archytan Transpositions [CD] : duration 129:13. [CD] :New York, USA XI Records.
Digital file not available. For access to the CD (audio file) of this item, please contact Michael Organ, Manager Repository Services: morgan@uow.edu.au.
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RESEARCH IMPACT STATEMENT
Research Background
Commissioned for publication on the XI CD and DVD label, the work was specifically requested for the tuning forks, a microtonal performance instrument I built in 1985. It was composed using algorithmic software programs by John Dunn (ArtWonk) and John Cage and Andrew Culver (IC). A multitrack performance scheme was evolved, which allowed two people to play all the parts in a polyphonic two hour long composition. The first part of the piece uses the 19 note just-intonation scale. The second part uses computer speed transposition to transpose two of the three layers of the piece by tiny microtonal intervals.
Research Contribution
Exploration of:
• Extended just-intonation as a compositional resource.
• Contemporary computer recording, processing and mixing techniques as a means of creating and extending musical material.
• Algorithmic composition to create extended musical forms.
• Perception of very long (two one-hour sections) musical compositions which evolve harmonically in new manners.
• Different microtonal harmonies as sources of different emotional effect.
• The context of the work created solely to be heard as a recording.
Research Significance
Since the commercial publication of the recording of this work it has received about 50 reviews, all of them favourable. Excerpts from the work have also been broadcast on over 30 radio stations internationally. This has been the widest exposure and critical response of any work of mine, showing that the experimental techniques employed can be used in works of emotional impact created on a large time scale.