Melodos

This song explores verbal and musical “quanta”.

Bottom Voice

This python script “quantizes” both the 24 tone scale and the English alphabet.

Quantized Scale

This song is in the “key” of eb. Each “degree” in the scale is separated by seven quarter tones.

Degree 1 = eb
Degree 2 = eb + seven quarter tones = gquarterb
Degree 3 = gquarterb + seven quarter tones = bb
Degree 4 = bb + seven quarter tones = dquarterb
etc.

The complete scale is given in the floating staff at the beginning of the score.

Quantized Alphabet

I mapped each of the 26 letters in the English alphabet to seven “degrees”.

Degree 1 = {a, b, c, d}
Degree 2 = {e, h, g, h}
Degree 3 = {i, j, k}
Degree 4 = {l, m, n, o}
Degree 5 = {p, q, r}
Degree 6 = {s, t, u, v}
Degree 7 = {w, x, y, z}

When quantized, the Buddhist mantras

om ah mi dhe wa hri om ma ni ped me hung om ah mi dhe wa hri

become

44 12 43 122 71 253 44 41 43 521 42 2642 44 12 43 122 71 253

These degrees are then matched to the corresponding musical notes in the quantized scale above.

44 = dquarterb dquarterb
12 = eb gquarterb

Top Voice

Again, all notes come from the quantized scale. The melody is freely composed over the ostinato rhythm.

The score, as well as all the python and lilypond code I used, can be found here.

posted by mxcollins (1 comment total)

Nicely done! I'm really digging the interesting ways in which you explore various spiritualities by treating the music not as tools to achieve spirituality but as manifestations of spiritual concepts. Most traditions use music to create a mood whereas your approach treats the music as the point and invites the listener to contemplate the structures and forms in order to illuminate deeper spiritual truths.

Ostinatos always work well in Western music. I appreciate the minimal interference of the upper voice which when it does come in it feels at once independent and also like it needs to be there to accent the piece.
posted by bfootdav at 10:33 AM on August 30, 2015