Decomposition study by ED WILLIAMS

DECOMPOSITION STUDY (2022) by Ed Williams
for Arciorgano and six musicians
c. 45’

Decomposition Study is a collaborative process. The instrument featured here is an arciorgano, a special microtonal organo di legno with two manually operated bellows and 36-key octaves across two manuals, constructed according to Nicola Vicentino’s designs from 1555. The notes of the music, written according to the rules of canonic contrapunto alla mente, are passed between two organists while four other musicians disrupt and amplify the organ’s airflow, acting similarly to cellular enzymes in decaying organisms during the decompositional process called autolysis. The music is decomposed as it is played, re-composed as it is heard.

Decomposition Study est un processus collaboratif. L’instrument employé ici est un arciorgano ; un organo di legno microtonal avec deux soufflets que l’on opère manuellement, ainsi que des octaves de 36 touches à travers deux claviers, construit selon les dessins de 1555 de Nicola Vicentino. Les notes de la musique, écrite selon les règles de contrapunto alla mente en canon, sont passées entre les deux joueur.euses de l’orgue pendant que quatre musicien.nes additionnel.les perturbent et amplifient l’écoulement d’air de l’orgue. Ainsi, iels agissent de manière analogue aux enzymes cellulaires à l’intérieur des organismes en décomposition pendant le processus nommé autolyse. La musique se décompose dans le jeu, se ré-compose dans l’écoute.

'Enzymes': Abel Fazekas, Noah Rosen, Miriam Paschetta and Ed Williams
Organists: Christoph Schiller and Anna-Kaisa Meklin

Performed and recorded on March 28, 2022 at the Hochschule für Musik, Basel, on the arciorgano and amplified through a 6-faced “Cube” speaker.
Watch it here :
https://youtu.be/IQMvoNJ7ifo
https://youtu.be/F2WUtLdhTUg
https://youtu.be/XxDPwZ8GTC0

Mixed by: Ed Williams.

Many thanks to my professors Caspar Johannes Walter and David Mesquita for the technical help and musical guidance, João Fiadeiro and Chloé Saffores for the philosophical and performative inspiration, and all the performers involved.

Tracklist

1.	Decomposition study	42:53

Credits

released January 19, 2023

License