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Rory Brown, Chris Williams - Polyhymnia (Chris Williams) [Live]

from Kammerklang: Beta by Kammerklang

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    The full score of Cameron Lam's fast and fun quartet, Interweave, originally arranged for saxophone quartet for the Nexas Saxophone Quartet in 2017. Also includes all instrument parts. [Digital download score]

    Interweave deals with the symbolic concept of shared destiny through the idea of an interwoven tapestry or pattern, requiring many different threads (in this case musical motives) interacting to produce the final result, a completed pattern/tapestry highlighting how everyone’s destinies are linked.

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about

Polyhymnia is as interesting as a word as she is as a muse. The word’s meaning remains close to the surface for us while her meaning as one of the muses - daughters of Zeus - provides further depth. She is mentioned in association with sacred poetry (sacred song), as well as geometry, which are of course heavily linked to our own ideas of ancient musical ontologies. She is also often noted for her meditative qualities and as ‘the one of many hymns’. As such the title Polyhymnia satisfyingly enshrines and inscribes for me the sound and one meaning of the piece with its technical construction.

The three main sonic ideas in Polyhymnia relate to the division of one into many. The tuning of the piece is altered gradually throughout and is an audible structural feature. Beginning with a standard western ‘equal temperament’ (12 notes to the octave), a number of different equal temperament tuning systems are used, with increasingly fine divisions of the octave. The sounds themselves are also being filtered in order to emphasise different individual partials. As in any number of the beautiful overtone singing traditions we are thus able to hear two sounds as one. The ‘note itself’ is the lowest sound and then melodic figures emerge by emphasising different overtones. These two sounds are inextricably connected, yet discrete.

Finally, the performer and the computer are equal partners in a ‘semi-improvisational dialogue’. They both have access to the same material, to which they both contribute and respond, so while at moments they coalesce, there is always the exquisite tension of division between the two complimentary, yet contradictory sonic perspectives.

Composer Bio: Chris Williams (b. 1986)
Website: chriswilliamscomposer.com

Australian composer Chris Williams has recently completed a masters in composition at University of Oxford, studying with Professor Robert Saxton. During his studies he was commissioned by Carnegie Hall, where his work ‘San-Shih-Fan’ was premiered in 2012.

His work ‘a golden string’ won the Blake Society’s Prize for composition in 2012. This work was premiered at St James Piccadilly by Aidan Oliver (of Westminster Abbey) and the Philharmonia Voices.
Chris has also worked with the BBC singers, been performed by the Manchester Chamber choir, and previously studied with Master of the Queen’s Music, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. Other important mentors have included Kaija Saariaho and Nigel Butterley.

credits

from Kammerklang: Beta, released August 12, 2015
Composer: Chris Williams
Solo Double Bass: Rory Brown
Sound Engineer: Jayson McBride

Performed and recorded live at Kammerklang Ablaze (2014).

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Kammerklang Sydney, Australia

Kammerklang (German for “Chamber sound”) is an Australian arts company specialising in the collaboration of music and other artforms, focusing on the fusion of sound and the “chamber” or space it’s performed in. The aim of Kammerklang is to present and promote new artistic creation that is inquisitive, detailed and accessible while still fostering exploration and communication between the arts. ... more

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