Solar Wind - Particle Music for Strings And Timpani

Solar Wind is a visual music piece which imaginatively builds on NASA's spectacular footage of  the great solar flare of June 7, 2011. The piece employs particle systems in both the visual design and as a compositional technique in the accompanying music.

The music is scored for string orchestra, three harps and timpani. A unique application of the  particle system concept to traditional motivic/thematic composition was employed in its creation.  In essence, each individual string instrument becomes a motivic "particle" which has a unique lifetime and musical trajectory.  The composition is the result of the  aggregate effect of these dozens of particles.

The visuals are synthesized from the classic particle system in Apple's Quartz Composer software. The principal determinants of visual intensity, namely particle density, brightness, and lifetime, were created from the same data which created the musical particles heard simultaneously. The output of these various particle systems are further processed through symmetrical reflection.  NASA's spectacular high-definition footage of the solar eruption of June 7, 2011 also appears at several times.

The version offered for presentation at TES 2012 was synthesized using state-of-the-art samples and physical modelling techniques, and has been specially recorded in 16-channel octaphonic sound for presentation in NAISA's unique audio-visual environment. The image was rendered from Quartz Composer in full High Definition using the author's custom software.

A low-res work-in-progress version can be seen here:

https://vimeo.com/40087945

Recent Compositions

Thought I should keep a list of pieces I've made since beginning the DMA program at U of T.

• Three Transformations for Strings - appr. 24' in three movements -  for string orchestra, 2010
• Harmonia - 1hr version (visual music piece)
• Harmonia - 5 minute version (visual music piece)
• Enfolding Nows (live performance film score) 12'  - mixed 18 piece ensemble
• Anthropos-In Memoriam Gustav Ciamaga - 10' - for full orchestra - (visual music piece)
• Fractal Shiva - 8:00 - (visual music piece) 
• Indica for Brass Quintet - 7:00 - 
• The Magic Cauldron - 3:00 - animated film score for full orchestra
• Best Idea Ever - 2:00 - animated film score for full orchestra
• True Family Story - 4:00 - animated film score for full orchestra
• My Pal Geo - 2:00 - animated film score
• Haydn Davies, Sculptor - 2:00 documentary film, score (partial)

in progress

• The Wind Embryo - 8:00 - visual music, flute, brass ensemble, 
• Particle Music for 24 Strings & Timpani
• Particle Flow

THE WIND EMBRYO - Rough Cut of EMBLEM 1 from Maier's Chemical Emblems of the Secrets of Nature

THE WIND EMBRYO

This piece is a set musical variations on the first fugue in Michael Maier's series of published in Atalanta Fugiens, Chemical Emblems of the Secrets of Nature, 1618. The text of the fugue speaks about the child who is born in the belly of the God of the North wind, BOREAS.  The fugue itself is revealed in its original form only at the end of the piece.

Because the Emblem is about the action of the wind, I've chosen to use the sounds of wind throughout, as well as featuring the alto flute, a rather "windy"-sounding instrument. The piece also features a 7-piece brass ensemble, low woodwinds including bass and alto clarinets, harps and electric guitar.

Visually, the piece consist of alternating sections employing abstract graphics derived from  Maier's wonderful engraving, and live action scenes of the action of the north wind, shot in a (rather mild) Canadian winter. The graphics were manipulated with Apple Motion and Final Cut Pro X; some additional work was done in Processing. The live action film components were shot with a Panasonic GH2 digital camera.

You can watch the video here: https://vimeo.com/39428199

Particle System Music Tests

Here's some music (work-in-progress)  composed with my particle system software for the Transformation Engine.

The music uses a lot of the Japanese pentatonic harmonic mode known as kumoi. It also uses an ancient Greek rhythmic mode in septuple meter.

http://soundcloud.com/bruno-degazio/particlemusic-1-take2


The second piece is Particle Music for Strings & Percussion. The strings are divided into 20 groups of players, each one representing a particle. In addition there are parts for three marimbas and timpani - all in all 24 particles. This piece is structured harmonically in a rough sonata-form plan. It uses a Turkish rhythmic mode known as Akcak, which breaks a 9-beat meter into 4+2+3.

http://soundcloud.com/bruno-degazio/particlesforstrings-rough-0002