Abstract:
A new scale, such as the Bohlen-Pierce scale, based on an interval other than the octave, brings about challenges that mirror the development of Western music over the past 1000 years. Extrapolating from our experiences we can build analogies to musical theories that emerged from this evolutionary process and thus test some of the underlying assumptions. These findings can be the point of departure for building new musical systems, an attempt which in many ways resembles the budding field of synthetic biology. In my presentation I will, in the context of my piece Beyond the Horizon, talk about spectral matching of scale and spectra, the establishment of a new theory and, most importantly, demonstrate a new notation environment capable of representing music in different notational contexts.