<Gorgonio>

Godfried-Wilem Raes

This composition was written within the framework of the authors real time composition program <GMT>. A PC-type computer controlls the authors automatic instruments and robots <Piperola>, <Vox Humanola>, the player piano and <Cloudrider>.

The algorithms underlying the composition are functions of the form sin(x) / x and cos(x)/ x. The number of periods (revolutions) are prime numbers for each of the individual voices. Three musical voices are performed by the piperola, whereas the Vox Humanola adds another two voices. The chordal structures from these five voices are fed into a set of algorithms provided in our Harmony Library and the output -an ongoing set of harmonic solutions- is orchestrated into the player piano part. The percussion instruments -a set of 8 castagnets mounted on the Vox Humanola- and a small 'turkish music' mounted in the piperola, get their parts as a result of a transformation of the momentaneous spectrum of all other parts combined, into a time/rhythm structure. The castagnets are binary, the 'turkish music' is ternary based.

Gorgonio was composed for the 'Gorgola' festival of musical automats held at Logos Foundation from 17th to 19th of december 1998. The duration of the piece is 7 minutes.

Piperola module

Vox Humanola module:

Player-piano:

First published on the Web on december 18^th 1998 by Godfried-Willem Raes

Last Updated on 2002-11-17 by Godfried-Willem Raes