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Seven Small Wheels Revolving

by The Brass Whisperer - TUNING THE HORN

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Michael Dixon
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tortkis
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The title of the work comes from the text called The Stanzas of Dzyan of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. The sentence inspiring this piece from Sloka VI reads: “Lastly, seven small wheels revolving; one giving birth to the other.”

A melody is presented in Section 1 and closely followed in the remaining six sections. Variations occur in the harmonisation of the melody. Section 2 uses common notes occurring from the melody notes in the lower octave, Section 3 from the middle octave and Section 4 from the higher octave. Sections 5-7 have harmonies using the harmonics that relate to close microtonal shifts of the melody notes. The “small wheels” give “birth” using common tones between pitches from the various harmonic series.

The music is composed using the tuning system called Just Intonation. Here the tunings are organised around twelve sets of harmonics playable on a standard double horn. Each valve slide is precisely tuned in a just intonation ratio to the central pitch, F concert. Many harmonics from each fundamental are used and once the tuning set-up is organised by the player very few lip adjustments are required. The bassoon player has a more limited number of pitches to play though most will require non-standard fingerings to match the horn.

This work was written 2010 at the request of Sophia Rhee then recorded at the University of Western Sydney Music Department on 17 April 2010 by her and the composer for Sophia’s PhD. It has been performed live by Matthew Farrell, cello and Michael Hugh Dixon at the International Horn Society Symposium, Griffith University, Queensland Conservatorium of Music on 21 July 2010. Further performances have been with Ben Hoadley (bassoon) ion Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland.

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released October 6, 2020
This recording took place at a studio in the Australian Institute of Music engineered by staff and students, played by the composer and bassoonist Matthew Ockenden, 11/11/ 2011.

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The Brass Whisperer - TUNING THE HORN image

The Brass Whisperer - TUNING THE HORN Sydney, Australia

I am grateful to have been born into a musical family, hearing my older sisters, my dad practising and my mum’s mum teaching me piano. I took to the trumpet, then french horn and composed in my teens. All of this in Auckland. A fascination with microtones has evolved. ... more

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