aleph
Bill Alves
About this work:
Aleph was inspired largely by the geometric patterns of Islamic art, an art derived from the same proportions and numerical symbolism as the tuning systems of the ancient Greeks and Byzantines. In the music I have adopted similar proportions, known in music as just intonation, as well as intricate and slowly transforming patterns of pitches and timbres. Writers have connected the arithmetic symbolism of this art to the Arabic language and alphabet, the first letter of which, aleph, is a single vertical stroke. This stroke represents the descent of light, the "creative ray which initiates existence." From this simple division follows the expansion into creation, and the connection of all people to the cosmological rhythms of number and pattern. Aleph was created with povray computer graphics language and Csound computer music language. The music and images were composed in tandem.
Year composed: 2002
Duration: 00:09:36
Ensemble type: Electronic Instruments and Sound Sources:Prerecorded Sound
Instrumentation:
Instrumentation notes: Computer-generated video and sound