[Compositions 2021]
Nihil Humanum
Composition 2021.01 (Untitled) Composition 2021.02 (Untitled) Composition 2021.04 (Untitled)
Composition 2021.01 (Untitled) is based on an eight-note tone-cell of C - D - D# - E - F - F# - A# - B - and consists of fourteen repeating dyads and triads. The Open AI BPT-4 programme was used to determine the order of the different harmonic elements.
Composition 2021.02 (Untitled) consists of a repeating pedal note of C2 that alternates with different single tones - dyads - and triads.
Composition 2021.04 (Untitled) is based thematic material from Arnold Schoenberg’s 1909 composition ‘Three Piano Pieces’ Op.11. Tone Cell: C#2 - A2 - D#2 - G#2 - D2 - C2 - D#2 - C#2.
The phrase "nihil humanum" is Latin and - when used in full - is typically "nihil humanum a me alienum puto." Translated to English - it means "Nothing human is alien to me." This phrase is attributed to the Roman playwright Terence (Publius Terentius Afer).
The idea behind this expression is a universalist one - emphasising the shared nature of the human experience. By stating that nothing human is alien or strange to him - Terence communicates a sense of empathy and understanding for all facets of the human condition. Whether people experience joy - suffering - love - loss - or any other human emotion or state of being - these things are common and relatable to all.
Nothing Comes From Nothing
Composition 2010.02 (Untitled)Composition 2011.01 (Untitled) Composition 2015.02 (Untitled)
The Nothing Comes From Nothing album consists of three sparsely textured compositions that explore the relationships between form and non-from - sound and empty space - and between something and nothing.
The concept of “nothing comes from nothing” (ex nihilo nihil fit) comes from the Greek philosopher Parmenides of Elea (c. 515-450 BCE) - who proposed that there exists only one unchanging and eternal reality - which he identified as "Being" or "the One." Everything that we perceive as change - diversity - or coming into/out of existence is illusory.
One of the implications of the principle "nothing comes from nothing" is the denial of the existence of void or nothingness. Since there cannot be a true "nothing" - there cannot be any void or emptiness either. This leads to the idea that the universe is full and continuous.
Given his belief in a single - unchanging reality - Parmenides argued that all change - motion -and multiplicity are mere illusions. If something were to come into existence - it would have to come from either being or non-being. But it can't come from being (since it already is) and it can't come from non-being (since "nothing" can't produce "something"). Therefore, the apparent birth and death or transformation of things are illusory.
Nothing in Excess
Composition 2024.01 (Untitled) Composition 2024.02 (Untitled) Composition 2024.03 (Untitled)
Composition 2024.01 (Untitled) consists of randomly produced tonal dyads within the pitch range between G1 and C3. The Open AI GPT-4 program was use to both create the dyads and the ordering of the bar lengths - which range from 1 - 2 - 3 - and 4 bars.
Composition 2024.02 (Untitled) is based on five-tone row from Igor Stravinsky’s composition ‘In Memoriam Dylan Thomas’ (1954). The Open AI GPT-4 programme was used to determine the lengths and ordering of the tones - with the tones being from one to five bars long. This is the original tone-row: E - D# - C - C# - D.
Composition 2024.03 (Untitled) consists of a single line moving in semi-tones - minor thirds - and tritones - within a two octave pitch range between C1 to C3. The Open AI GPT-4 programme was used to determine the ordering of the notes.
The Delphic maxim "nothing in excess" is one of the many proverbs inscribed at the ancient Greek temple of Apollo at Delphi, a sacred site and home to the famous Oracle of Delphi. The inscriptions are collectively known as the Delphic maxims and are attributed to the Seven Sages of Greece - although their exact origin is not definitively known. The maxims served as practical and ethical guidelines for individuals to live by.
"Nothing in excess" is usually conveyed in Ancient Greek as "μηδὲν ἄγαν" (mēdén ágan). This maxim encapsulates the idea of moderation and balance in all aspects of life - advocating against excessiveness and extremes. The Ancient Greeks valued moderation - seeing it as essential for maintaining harmony and avoiding the detrimental effects of excess - whether in behaviour - emotion - action - or consumption.
Object World
Composition 2010.01 (Untitled)Composition 2013.05 (Untitled) Composition 2018.02 (Untitled)
Object World is a collection of three compositions produced over a eight-year period from 2010 to 2018. The compositions are a set of variations - and consist of shared material - with repeating elements that echo each other.
Composition 2010.01 is based on the tone-cell of C2 - A#2 - C3. The composition was was first performed at Corpora Aliena - IKLECTIK - London - 25.05.2019
Composition 2013.05 (Untitled) consists of short fading sounds separated by silence. Ring-modulation was used to create a level of harmonic complexity.
Composition 2018.02 (Untitled) consists of a continually repeating tone with additional fading sounds.
Sparsely textured - the Object World compositions are examples of ‘technological lessness’ - or what the American architect and philosopher Buckminster Fuller called ‘post-industrial ephemeralisation’ - of doing more with less - of doing everything with nothing. The compositions use a reduced palate that emphasise minimalism and restraint. One of the aims of composing this music was the desire to touch upon the most basic essentials of existence.
In philosophy - the ‘object world’ can be understood as the external reality that exists independently of our perceptions - thoughts - and consciousness. It refers to the realm of tangible and intangible entities - including physical objects - abstract concepts - and everything that exists beyond the boundaries of individual subjectivity. Philosophical investigations into the object world delve into fundamental questions about the nature of reality - knowledge - and the relationship between the mind and the external world.
Composition 2021.01 (Untitled)
Composition 2021.02 (Untitled) consists of a repeating pedal note of C2 that alternates with different single tones - dyads - and triads.
Composition 2021.04 (Untitled) is based thematic material from Arnold Schoenberg’s 1909 composition ‘Three Piano Pieces’ Op.11. Tone Cell: C#2 - A2 - D#2 - G#2 - D2 - C2 - D#2 - C#2.
The phrase "nihil humanum" is Latin and - when used in full - is typically "nihil humanum a me alienum puto." Translated to English - it means "Nothing human is alien to me." This phrase is attributed to the Roman playwright Terence (Publius Terentius Afer).
The idea behind this expression is a universalist one - emphasising the shared nature of the human experience. By stating that nothing human is alien or strange to him - Terence communicates a sense of empathy and understanding for all facets of the human condition. Whether people experience joy - suffering - love - loss - or any other human emotion or state of being - these things are common and relatable to all.
Composition 2010.02 (Untitled)
One of the implications of the principle "nothing comes from nothing" is the denial of the existence of void or nothingness. Since there cannot be a true "nothing" - there cannot be any void or emptiness either. This leads to the idea that the universe is full and continuous.
Given his belief in a single - unchanging reality - Parmenides argued that all change - motion -and multiplicity are mere illusions. If something were to come into existence - it would have to come from either being or non-being. But it can't come from being (since it already is) and it can't come from non-being (since "nothing" can't produce "something"). Therefore, the apparent birth and death or transformation of things are illusory.
Composition 2024.01 (Untitled)
Composition 2024.02 (Untitled) is based on five-tone row from Igor Stravinsky’s composition ‘In Memoriam Dylan Thomas’ (1954). The Open AI GPT-4 programme was used to determine the lengths and ordering of the tones - with the tones being from one to five bars long. This is the original tone-row: E - D# - C - C# - D.
Composition 2024.03 (Untitled) consists of a single line moving in semi-tones - minor thirds - and tritones - within a two octave pitch range between C1 to C3. The Open AI GPT-4 programme was used to determine the ordering of the notes.
The Delphic maxim "nothing in excess" is one of the many proverbs inscribed at the ancient Greek temple of Apollo at Delphi, a sacred site and home to the famous Oracle of Delphi. The inscriptions are collectively known as the Delphic maxims and are attributed to the Seven Sages of Greece - although their exact origin is not definitively known. The maxims served as practical and ethical guidelines for individuals to live by.
"Nothing in excess" is usually conveyed in Ancient Greek as "μηδὲν ἄγαν" (mēdén ágan). This maxim encapsulates the idea of moderation and balance in all aspects of life - advocating against excessiveness and extremes. The Ancient Greeks valued moderation - seeing it as essential for maintaining harmony and avoiding the detrimental effects of excess - whether in behaviour - emotion - action - or consumption.
Composition 2010.01 (Untitled)
Composition 2010.01 is based on the tone-cell of C2 - A#2 - C3. The composition was was first performed at Corpora Aliena - IKLECTIK - London - 25.05.2019
In philosophy - the ‘object world’ can be understood as the external reality that exists independently of our perceptions - thoughts - and consciousness. It refers to the realm of tangible and intangible entities - including physical objects - abstract concepts - and everything that exists beyond the boundaries of individual subjectivity. Philosophical investigations into the object world delve into fundamental questions about the nature of reality - knowledge - and the relationship between the mind and the external world.
