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Atoms, fractals, DNA form basis for music
NEW YORK, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- An archaeological enigma, fractals
and DNA are among the inspirations behind a series of startling music
compositions using anything from saxophones to string quartets, in composer
Alexander Mihalic's collection of science-based works titled "Encyclopaedia
Musicalis." "Within the structure of the molecules in DNA or
different symmetries in crystals, you can find structures for musical
compositions," Mihalic told United Press International recently in
an interview from Paris. "Every composition of mine is like an article
in an encyclopedia, but the knowledge is hidden or shown in a form other
than a traditional written article." When it comes to song names such as "Crystals,"
one might expect New Age synthesizer pop. But the Czech-born composer
uses anything from trombones, percussion and even an instrument of his
own making, the multi-pedaled "pedalophone," in his bold and
eerily disconcerting avant-garde work. Each composition finds its roots in science, from atoms
-- a trio for flute, cello and piano -- to a chamber orchestra piece based
on the ancient relic known as the Phaistos Disk. The enigmatic, 3,500-year-old
object was discovered in an ancient palace on Crete in 1908 and is inscribed
with a spiraling band of 241 cryptic hieroglyphs that may represent anything
from a sacred hymn to a geometric proof. "I saw the Phaistos Disk in the Iraklion Archaeological
Museum in Crete and it was like a bolt of lightning for me," Mihalic
said. "Everybody knows that there is something comprehensible on
it, but nobody knows what exactly. You can look at the disk like an object
of art or like an object for scientific research. Everybody can interpret
the disk following their own desires." In future, Mihalic plans interactive multimedia computer
works that allow listeners not only to analyze his music but to participate
in its composition. "The goal of this project is to integrate knowledge from different fields of science into the compositions and at the same time allow the end user to explore this knowledge in his own way," Mihalic said. "When we look at the sunset we admire the colors, but for the physicist it's also diffraction of light. The same thing can have lots of faces." |