The Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti taught that “truth is a pathless land,” a saying intended to caution the listener against following gods and gurus. While composing this piece, I entered my own kind of pathless land. As in many of my recent works, I derived the piece’s materials from the names of the performers for… Continue reading Mercy in a Pathless Land
Tag: just intonation
7X7 (1 to 85,766,121)
7X7 (1 to 85,766,121) is an 8-channel fixed media composition created in Max/MSP. The versions presented here are stereo mixes for the purpose of accessibility. However, the premiere performance in the Voxman Concert Hall at University of Iowa used an 8.1 surround sound setup. It was this 8 channel setup for which I composed the… Continue reading 7X7 (1 to 85,766,121)
Fanfare • Phantom • Architect
I originally intended for this piece to be a trio for Horn, Cello, and Piano (essentially a horn trio with cello instead of violin). In studying some of the standard horn trios I became enamored with a brief passage in the third movement of Brahm’s Horn Trio in E-Flat Major. Having studied the Bach library… Continue reading Fanfare • Phantom • Architect
Presence
An article in the Appeal Democrat about the public premiere of presence on June 11, 2022. Presence is a flexible, generative, and immersive sound installation environment. The piece is powered by a computer algorithm that analyzes data in real time about the date, time, and weather of the location in which the piece is performed.… Continue reading Presence
Fractured Memories no. 1
The following address was given at the premiere showing of the work: “Hello, my name is Kevin Swenson, and I am the composer of Fractured Memories no. 1, the audio/visual piece that you are about to experience. The work unfolds in three distinct sections: the first is comprised of a driving scene from Marysville. over… Continue reading Fractured Memories no. 1
Tetraktys in Neon
Tetraktys in Neon, for just-intonation MIDI Piano, Voice and Computer is an audio/visual work set in a 3-limit just-intonation environment. The piece was inspired by the Pythagorean symbol of the Tetraktys – a triangular figure constructed with four rows of dots, as seen at the beginning and end of the work. In short, the Tetraktys… Continue reading Tetraktys in Neon
Ritual no. 1: Ascension of the Primes
Ritual no. 1: Ascension of the Primes is a 5 movement audio/visual composition for computer and a human soloist. The piece begins in 3-limit just intonation and gradually adds prime numbers with each movement, finally ending in 13-limit just intonation. Originally conceived as a purely musical work, Ritual no. 1 was composed from October of… Continue reading Ritual no. 1: Ascension of the Primes
Probably Blue
Probably Blue is a fixed media work realized in Max/MSP. It is written in 7-limit just intonation and is comprised of 3 overlapping timbral layers: an FM synthesis ostinato, filtered cello drones, and delayed trumpet samples with ring modulation. Multiple parameters of the FM and trumpet sounds are governed using probabilities including spatial placement, inharmonicity… Continue reading Probably Blue
String Quartet no. 2 – “The Void”
This piece was inspired by the 36th koan listed in Nyogen Senzaki’s collection of 100 Zen Koans, The Iron Flute. 1It reads: 36. Where to Meet After Death Tao-wu paid a visit to his sick brother monk, Yun-yen. “Where can I see you again, if you die and leave only your corpse here?” asked the… Continue reading String Quartet no. 2 – “The Void”
Generative Meditation
This piece is a sound installation in Max/MSP that features a drone in an imperceptible state of flux. The drone is made up of the first sixteen harmonics of the overtone series. The fundamental frequency of the overtone series is calculated using the following algorithm: The algorithm which calculates the fundamental takes the year/100, the… Continue reading Generative Meditation