Multiverse – 2005

Our Lives
our lives are a balance
a balance between heaven and earth
between heaven and earth or the hell we create

We three
we three are standing by
standing by as one
as one weaving horizontal strands

Our words
our words have no meaning
no meaning in a world of loss
a world of loss with limited visibility

We resonate
we resonate vertical tubes
vertical tubes in vibratory flux
in vibratory flux we create dissonance for growth

Composed between August of 2005 and December of 2005, Multiverse, is a 37 minute algorithmically generated composition. It is comprised of eight movements. Csound, Cmask, Mathematica and Excel were the primary tools employed to accomplish a unique approach to algorithmic composition, which is primarily based upon sample manipulation. After hearing this work one listener stated: “It was like learning a foreign language. However, if you make the investment to learn it, the rewards are substantial. It took me places I have never been and had never imagined even existed.”

The story behind Multiverse:
While out for a morning walk, the idea of a piece on the subject of weaving horizontal strands through vertical tubes came to mind. By the time the walk was finished lyrics, featured on the last page of the CDs booklet, had been firmly established as well as a plan for using tube sounds with searing strands running through them. Later that same day there was a posting on the CEC (Canadian Electroacoustic Community) discussion list from composer Bill Thompson. In it Bill wrote about a midnight walk in Aberdeen, Scotland, the night before. As he was walking he heard this angelic sound being carried by the wind. When he investigated it he found that it was the sound of the North Sea wind blowing through the scaffolding tubes used at a construction site on the beach; a new Port Authority building. He had recorded the sounds and generously made them available to others on the list. The coincidence was too suggestive to let it pass by. So with Bill’s permission the sound file was downloaded and work began on Multiverse. When the project was mentioned to Sylvia Pengilly it was immediately very visually suggestive to her and so inspired several subsequent video works. The image on the front of this CD booklet is one frame from one of the resulting videos. She and the composer are collaborators on several related videos.

Track One:
Prologue     
1:30
Track Two:
Part 1a     
2:32
Track Three:
Part 1b     
7:01
Track Four:
Interlude #1     
1:30
Track Five:
Part 2     
6:20
Track Six:
Interlude #2     
1:30
Track Seven:
Part 3a     
6:02
Track Eight:
Part 3b     
10:12

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