Just Constellations
Roomful of Teeth, vocal octet
Just Constellations was completed in 2016 and recorded in the ultra-reverberant acoustics of the TANK Center for Sonic Arts in Rangely, Colorado in 2017. The work is comprised of four interconnected constellations of justly tuned chords and modes. The first three of these are related to harmonic regions of La Monte Young's epic The Well-Tuned Piano.
"The Magic Constellation" presents three variations of "The Theme of The Magic Chord," which is one of the simplest, but most profound themes from The Well-Tuned Piano. "The Acoustic Constellation" is based on the fourth octave of the harmonic series and uses the "acoustic" mode with the 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 16th partials (I replace the 13th partial with the 27th partial transposed down an octave). Nom-tom syllables are used throughout the work. Although the sounds of this ancient musical language are derived from mantras, they have no literal meaning. Nom-tom has been used by Indian classical vocalists for centuries to create beautiful vocal timbres and rhythmic accentuations. In "The Magic Constellation," sargam syllables, or the Indian equivalent to solfege, are also used. — Michael Harrison
Commissioned by Roomful of Teeth and supported by fellowships from Yaddo and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.
Track Listing
- 01 I. The Opening Constellation: Summer
- 02 II. The Romantic Constellation: Autumn
- 03 III. The Magic Constellation: Winter (based on a theme by La Monte Young)
- 04 IV. The Acoustic Constellation: Spring
Photos
“…glacially beautiful… luminous… Harrison's glacially beautiful 2015 piece Just Constellations made the deepest connection to the place [The Tank]: as luminous chords accumulated, it was difficult to tell which pitches were coming from live singers and which were coming out of the walls.”
More Press
“'The Opening Constellation' section proved particularly arresting, a celestial soundscape of gorgeous harmonies that became even more alluringy ambiguous in the ensuing 'Romantic Constellation.' In the concluding 'Acoustic Constellations,' the notes rang out like a jubilantly microtonal choir of bells.”
“Michael Harrison's Just Constellations explored the opposite of reckless heterogeneity. Influenced by seminal minimalist La Monte Young, the music isn't repetitive so much as it settles onto a single chord and evolves so subtly it's like watching a landscape in changing light.”