Quartet
Machine Sounds and Industrial Impulses
for string quartet
About
The rhythm and hum of machines are the vital pulse of modern civilization. Quartet: Machine Sounds and Industrial Impulses recognizes the role machines play in the soundscape of contemporary life. Industrialization has had myriad effects, both positive and negative, on the world’s societies. This work does not ultimately submit a judgment of these consequences, but simply reflects on the sounds produced by our profusely mechanical and electronic lifestyle. Throughout my day, I am awe-struck by the pervasiveness of machines throughout modern Western society. Machines have long been an important part of our world, and since the Industrial Revolution people have increasingly depended upon the ingenuity of our engineering for their very survival. Truly, our way of life depends on them more than ever before. For better or worse, mobile devices provide an extension of our capacity for memory, communication, and data processing. Automation, computing, and robotics are so pervasive that without them, modern society would cease to function as we know it. While these feats of inventiveness continue to evolve our way of life, they also alter the sounds we hear each day. It is the inspiration that I draw from these sounds that was the creative thread of Quartet. The first movement draws upon the repetitive nature of mechanized rhythms. Like a logical piece of engineering, it is highly structured. The second movement is free, reflecting upon the awesome consequences this progress brings. The third movement is drawn from the beeps and chimes of our digital extensions. This is a language of noise that we have come to speak fluently: from the buzz of an alarm clock to the bleep of a microwave oven. While this work draws inspiration from the concept of machines, inevitably the music is about where human and machine meet; the contemporary human condition.
Details
Performed by Momenta Quartet
Duration: ca. 10 minutes
Premiered October 8, 2011
