MICROTONAL OCARINA ENSEMBLE:
STOLEN VOICE
The pitch range on this set of ocarinas is from F2 up to C#10, ranging from 18 inches long to under 1 CM in size.
These instruments have been used for performances ranging from standard tonal music, microtonal scores, text scores, and fluxus performance art.
AUDIO & VIDEO
Here is a demonstration of the pitch range of the ensemble.
These following SoundCloud audio samples are various experiments I did early in the development of these instruments. They are some of the first sounds made with this set of instruments.
SCORES
Birds
Requirements:
For microtonal ocarina ensemble.
For at least 8 performers dispersed throughout a large open space at dusk for at least 10 minutes.
Instructions for each performer:
Think of the vocabulary of songbirds.
Think of birdlike chirps and patterns.
Move around the performance space, interacting with others.
You should focus on one-on-one communication.
Play much like you are in conversation.
The sounds you produce should be more melodic then rhythmic.
Think about the sounds and patterns available on your specific instrument.
Think about the way your body interacts with the instrument.
Think about how you interact with others and how your new voice, through the instrument, affects the way you communicate.
Instructions to the group:
Depending on where the performance takes place, planning the progression, the length, and amount of players in the performance may need to happen. Many spaces such as parks or museums will require the performance to be structured and organized in order to follow their safety regulations. The group will need to address if the events of the performance develop naturally, with minimal planning, or if the performance will be choreographed.
Insects
Requirements:
For microtonal ocarina ensemble.
For at least 8 performers following the performance of Birds to be played for at least 10 minutes.
Instructions for each performer:
Similar to the first part, Birds; this work is thinking of Insect like sounds, thinking of the vocabulary of things such as crickets and cicadas.
Instructions to the group:
This work is thinking more rhythmically then melodically. Thinking of patterns of communication, syncopation and the creation of independent, isolated moments as well as moments of communication between players. In this work players will interrupt one another playing rapid rhythmic sets of sounds. Overblown sounds and shrill sounds are also welcome, given what is possible on each player’s instrument. Players will take moments to interrupt the rapid patterns of another player as well as find moments of agreement with rhythm, playing together as well as against one another.
