In the geocentric universe of classical Greece, the sublunary sphere referred to that which lay beneath the moon and its orbit, namely the earth. It was believed that only this realm was subject to change and, by extension, to imperfection. The moon traced something like the spherical frontier between the skies and the heavens.
Sublunar Harmonies I in particular involves two contrasting and interleaved sets of material, each representing a different approach to harmony. Though both are based on harmonic “laws” governing usual root progressions, they are subject to randomized processes, microtonal/timbral variations, and certain temporal distortions, which either expand or obfuscate these underlying associations depending on the listener’s perspective.
A similar sensibility informs Sublunar Harmonies II. A stochastic model determines the harmonic sequence, derived from Prelude No. 1 of The Well-Tempered Clavier. The sine tone element is in just intonation based on a fundamental of 64 Hz (scientific pitch), in contrast to the 36 equal divisions of the octave in the electric organ. The piece was initially composed and recorded for the occasion of Bach to the Future VIII, November 2020.
Many thanks to my friends and colleagues in The Academic Complex.
Many thanks to Sakiko Mori, organizer of Bach to the Future and a truly wonderful musician.
Photo taken at The D. B. Weldon Library, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario
credits
released April 7, 2023
Sublunar Harmonies I -- Performed live by The Academic Complex
18 November 2021, in Lippes Concert Hall
State University of New York at Buffalo
Tyler Adamthwaite, violin; Alex Buehler, trombone; J. P. A. Falzone, piano/vibraphone; Matias Homar, electric guitar; Joel Kirk, flugelhorn; Jonathan Rainous, euphonium; Lihuen Sirvent, flute
Recording: Christopher Jacobs
Sublunar Harmonies II, for 36-EDO electric organ, vibraphone, and sine tones
Multitrack recording, performed and engineered by J. P. A. Falzone at The Ardmore, Buffalo, New York
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