Hexagram of the Heavens for 6-string electric bass and electronics
- Submitting institution
-
University of Ulster
- Unit of assessment
- 33 - Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies
- Output identifier
- 76645367
- Type
- J - Composition
- Month
- October
- Year
- 2015
- URL
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https://ulster.sharepoint.com/:b:/s/REF2021/Ef9_VpdqoDhBuN8qvn8nwAYBksUYYwz6FD9VYh6lX-8-vw?e=e1tyfY
- Supplementary information
-
-
- Request cross-referral to
- -
- Output has been delayed by COVID-19
- No
- COVID-19 affected output statement
- -
- Forensic science
- No
- Criminology
- No
- Interdisciplinary
- No
- Number of additional authors
-
0
- Research group(s)
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D - Arts practices, practice-as-research
- Proposed double-weighted
- No
- Reserve for an output with double weighting
- No
- Additional information
- 'Hexagram of the Heavens' (2015) for 6-string electric bass, soundtrack
'Hex 2' (2020) for bass clarinet, SABRe, live processing, soundtrack
Justification for Multi-Component:
These are the first two works in a series investigating how common features in flexibly-notated material and soundtracks can provide, at once, unity and scope for variety in interpretation by musicians playing different instruments, and in live sound processing. Both use the same pitch material, derived from the all-triad hexachord, and both soundtracks contain structural cues at identical points.
Context and Aims:
The 'Hex' series sees further investigation of threads from Lyons’ previous works: reference to popular music, aleatoric structure, unifying properties of pitch class sets and improvisation with written material and live processing (cf. 'Tease', 'Stung' and 'Shake').
Methodologies and Findings:
Acknowledging the idea of ‘six-ness’ (Heaton) in Boulez’ Domaines, the music is presented on six pages, each containing various cells based on two main gestures. Melodic fragments from Joni Mitchell’s 'Amelia' are harmonically filtered through permutations of the all-triad hexachord (0,1,2,4,7,8), creating cells which are assembled into longer phrases. The performer goes through the six pages once, improvising using the cells, after which they repeat the six pages, selecting different cells, to construct twelve main sections overall. Live part and soundtrack overlap to obscure sectional boundaries in a Lutosławski-inspired chain form. The soundtrack comprises transformed samples of the respective instruments which provide cue points and the performer improvises to expand the sonic palette using effects pedals (bass) and SABRe (bass clarinet).
Dissemination:
'Hexagram of the Heavens', commissioned by PRSF Beyond Borders, performed by Simon Jermyn in Spectrum, NYC, 28 October 2015, Club Inégales (London Jazz Festival), 21 November 2015, Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin, 22 November 2015, and Great Hall, Derry, UK, 24 November 2015. 'Hex 2', premiered by Marcella Barz on YouTube, 19 December 2020.
- Author contribution statement
- -
- Non-English
- No
- English abstract
- -