Download this free music album: Five Hemispheres

Five Hemispheres

by R. Winchester

instrumental microtonal

5 tracks

44:49

1	One	8:30
2	Two	9:08
3	Three	9:06
4	Four	9:07
5	Five	8:58

Album description

These pieces took a long time to complete ... I wrote them over a period of more than five years. They are composed from the top down, beginning with attention to the length of the piece and lengths and tempos of each section, but the pieces are not notated in a conventional sense. Although it is probably not at all audible, the pieces make use of serial (but not 12 tone) composition techniques. The intent was to incorporate some of what are considered modern radical techniques, yet the concept of the overall sound is conservative, even pedestrian, so that people completely unaware of such things as xenharmonic tunings would have only a vague sense that something might be different than what they are used to hearing. Several pieces include some English change ringing methods. I was learning to ring bells in a bell tower at the time I started composing this piece. It had never occurred to me that algorithmic composition was being developed during the 1600s!

The tunings employed for these pieces are equal divisions of the octave (EDO), and specifically:

One - 7 EDO, seven equal steps per octave. The same chord progression is used throughout in various permutations that go from about 30 seconds to more than three minutes. (The short middle section that is also repeated as the ending contains the entirety of the tonal material used in the piece).
Two - 15 EDO, although the middle sections omit most of the notes and are a 5 EDO subset of 15. Although it is not specifically "program" music, it is influenced by the Greek myth of Orpheus sailing as an Argonaut and overcoming the Sirens.
Three - 21 EDO. The middle section of this piece uses a 7 EDO subset of 21 and quotes some of the thematic material from One.
Four - 8 EDO. Although the structure of this piece was completely composed, almost all of the surface details were improvised, and most of what you hear was recorded on the first take.
Five - 22 EDO. The structure of this piece is an A theme followed by a B theme, then variations on the two themes.

Cheers,
Randy

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Reviews on Five Hemispheres

cenobyte

A Classically and Avante-Garde minded synth composer!!

16/10/11

In the world of microtonal music, there are some big names, such as Sevish, City of the Asleep, just to name a few. They all use synths, yet this composers approach is different. I feel as though Mr. Winchester is the most "classically minded" because he seems to use synths as a composer of yesteryear would. For instance, in "two" there is an instrument that comes in that sounds like a French horn or some other low horn like a trombone. Another thing that sets R. Winchester apart is his lack of percussion that is quite freeing. Sevish, for example, is very good, but his heavy rhythm section give us as listeners a pat-answer about how to interpret his songs. There is much more give in, say, "two"'s rhythmic structure which makes it rich and rewarding. Overall, using similar tools, this album demonstrates that it is not the instruments, or even the synths that make the sound, but it is the composer. I feel as though I have 3 new Hemispheres to work with now. Thank you and keep up the excellent work!

The only complaint I have, as a micro-tonal student, is that the tunings for each song are not disclosed as far as I know.

Sevish

Vividly colourful

27/06/08

How fantastic it is to come across microtonal music! For those who haven't heard any, you'll either be turned off by the dissonances or amazed by the new colours and harmonies that can be produced with this kind of tuning.
For me, the sparkling gem of Five Hemispheres is track 2, "Two". I've been listening to this one in particular for the past few days and it's rewarding each time I come back to it. A delicate, gamelan-ish bell can be enjoyed throughout most of the piece. Polyrhythms and changes of tempo abound.
R. Winchester, I've been looking for something new to get into and I think I've found it!
Do you find that any people in your area appreciate your style of music?

Lucan

Weird and lovely

12/05/08

This album was my first taste of microtonal music. I'd been meaning to check it out for a while.

I like this. The sounds are strange, the intervals even more so, but the overall effect is really very gorgeous indeed!