10 to the power of negative 33
for clarinet and computer
I wrote 10-33 in 2008 for clarinetist Mauricio Salguero in response to a commission from the Missouri Music Teacher’s Association and the Music Teacher’s National Association. The composer and Mauricio Salguero premiered the piece at Washington University at the Missouri Music Teacher’s Association Annual Conference in November 2008.
The piece abstractly incorporates notions of symmetry outlined by Neon M. Lederman and Christopher T. Hill in their book “Symmetry and the beautiful universe.” I am more concerned with the perception of symmetrical relationships than the precise application of mathematical symmetry. Symmetrical relationships are loosely applied to register, proportion, dynamics, the balance of contrasting materials, panning, and the relationships between the instrument and the electronics. Despite these considerations, the composition of the piece was quite free in terms of materials and overall form.
The listener will hear multiple layers of sound: the live clarinet, the live clarinet slightly amplified, processing done in the real time to the live clarinet, and the playback of sound files generated by processing clarinet samples. This creates an ambiguity in terms of the source of the sounds during the performance.