Anima Mechanicae: Soul of the Machine - Programme Notes

To buy your tickets for our Machine Music concert 

on Sunday 6th July at the Exeter Phoenix click 

here

Anima Mechanicae: Soul of the Machine

“Dedicated to the Computers and Robots of the Future, Who Long to Dream as the Humans
Do.”

Written for string quartet and completed in 2007, this work intentionally utilizes a re-imagining
of minimalistic gestures, capitalizing on Wallin Huff's obsession with Glass-ian style
minimalism. Yet, being more prone to programmatic style over "absolute music," the
overarching flow and connecting material between elements are largely encompassed within
the tale of a science-fiction character of Wallin Huff's imagination: specifically, that of an
advanced computer program who has been given a chance to experience emotions like the
humans do.

Therefore, the work opens with moments of mechanical coldness, gradually giving way to
moments of tender and emotional beauty. Wallin Huff intentionally derived and fashioned her
various rhythmic and tonal patterns throughout the work from strict mathematical relationships
-- to showcase that a mechanically constructed framework can give way to striking beauty on
its surface, much in the way a computer program of the future might evolve into its abstract
dream-state.

The sections of this single-movement work include: Mechanically, Quixotically, Pensively, With
impish behaviour, Tenderly, and Surreal.

Rehearsal Pictures 2/7/14

Some pictures from today's rehearsal at Exeter Phoenix

Music Machines 4 & 26 by Simon Belshaw

To buy your ticket for Machine Music at the Exeter Phoenix click here.

Music Machines 4 & 26

by

Simon Belshaw

I've been using a computer for a while now to create music machines, small programmes that run by themselves and generate music within certain parameters. You can read about them (and download some) here.

More recently I have started to combine the computer generated aspect of creating music with live performance. The first machine that I adapted in this way was Music Machine 1 which you can read about here and even try it out with a group of friends.

I have also recorded some machines for live performance in specific locations or for particular events, this year Music Machine 29 has been played at the Sonorities festival and Music Machine 31 formed part of VoxNovus 60x60. To create these I have been using a Raspberry Pi computer running a version of linux and I have written the code in python.

I have always been interested in process and systems and particularly in the idea of systems that breakdown. In Michael Nyman's book Experimental Music: Cage and Beyond he writes of John White's music '... being English they are ambling, friendly, self-effacing systems, which may break down.' (Coincidentally John White's Humming and Aah-ing Machine forms part of Sunday's concert).

Music Machine 4 consists of 14 cells of music ranging from 4 to 16 cells. For this performance each member of the string quartet has an ipad which displays the cell to play and how it should be played. The performance options are style (pizz, arco etc), dynamics and transposition (an octave up or down). The piece begins slowly with comparatively long pauses between cells, those pauses grow shorter and towards the end the computer joins in playing pre recorded clips of the cells.

Music Machine 26 consists of a slow, sustained chord progression played by the quartet. The progression is played three times. During the first play the computer records a number of clips of varying length. In the following two repeats of the progression the computer plays back those clips over the live quartet at random times.

These machines are designed to be different every time they are played although they will always sound the same (you wouldn't mistake Music Machine 4 for Music Machine 26)

About Sarah Wallin Huff

To buy your tickets for our Machine Music concert 

on Sunday 6th July at the Exeter Phoenix click 

here

Here's a little bit about Sarah Wallin Huff whose piece Anima Mechanicae: Soul of the Machine we'll be performing on Sunday night

Violinist/Violist and Composer Sarah Wallin Huff has been playing the violin since 1989. She has also performed on Baroque violin and viola with the ensemble “Collegium Musicum,” and has been a regular performer on six-string electric violin since 2003. She toured from 1999 to 2002 as a singer, dancer, and violinist/fiddler across the continental U.S. and eleven European countries, as well as holding the position of Assistant Director during her final tour. She has performed as a regular member of the Orange County Symphony, performed as Concertmaster of the Southern California Philharmonic, and performed with other numerous orchestras and diverse ensembles. She regularly performs as a soloist for a variety of events and concerts, as well as participating on electric and acoustic violin and viola on various recording projects. Some past performance highlights include: Performing on camera as the featured violinist for a 2013 art film with James Franco on the set of the Bates Motel, Universal Studios, Hollywood; accompanying Michael Card and Twila Paris each in concert; collaborating with classical/hip-hop/rock artist Jake “ONO” Bhattacharya on his latest album; and laying down violin tracks for Thomas Graff’s debut album.

Sarah has had her compositions performed in numerous concerts throughout Southern California, including the Zipper Hall in Los Angeles. PARMA Recordings in New Hampshire chose her work “Anima Mechanicae: Soul of the Machine” to be recorded by the New England String Quartet in Boston and featured on the modern chamber works album, “ALLUSIONS.” PARMA is currently embarking on the next recording project with Sarah, a selected works album featuring her original compositions exclusively. Her compositions range from solo works to chamber ensembles, to orchestral concert pieces and film and theater works. Her general style draws from such diverse sound-worlds as early and modern Classical, new age and electronica, world, and folk.

Having received her MA in Music Composition at Claremont Graduate University in 2008, as of 2012 Sarah is currently the Professor of Composition and conductor of the Chamber Ensemble at The Master's College in Santa Clarita.