Atomic geometries

(for electronics) by Andrea Montalbano

Introduction "Atomic geometries", as the title suggests, is a geometric composition with internal homotetic trasformation. The piece is structured on three levels, like a geometric figure with two other of them inside: a (basic unit), A (medium unit), Bi (the whole piece, the biggest structure). The piece repeats itself the same way on different scales, lasts 55 minutes and 27 seconds and is inspired from the image called Atoms above spirals. Listening to the song we have the impression of being immersed in a continuous spiral, with everchanging of smaller elements. For this reason the musical texture is very dense and rich. The basic unit of the song (a), the atom of the whole song, lasts just 12 seconds, is characterized by a "nucleus" and musical scales that "gravitate" around it. This fragment resembles the model of the atom devised by Ernest Rutherford. The following graph (Fig. 3) explains the Bi structure (with all intersection marked) and shows clearly the global structure of whole piece.

Composition metod: from the smallest element (a) to the whole song (Bi) This is the score of the short fragment of 12 seconds, called a, basic unit of the piece:

As you can see, this short musical fragment is caracterized by a main sound (C note) and 7 different musical scales (related to C note) gravitate quickly arount that: whole-tone scale, melodic minor scale, major scale, harmonic minor scale, chromatic scale, major pentatonic scale and minor pentatonic scale, creating a swirling musical sense . Is used the sound of the synthesizer. The following graph describes the way of a develop for the construction of "A" (Fig. 1) and the way A develop for the construction of the whole piece ( Bi) (Fig. 2):

The numbers on the y axis indicates how many half tone a is increased or decreased . (Ex. a+2 = a is increased by 2 semitones , a-2 = a is decreased by 2 semitones). Every 4 seconds from the beginning of a fragment, a new fragment (increased or decreased) enters with the following order: a, a+1, a-1, a+2, etc ... Got to a-12, the process repeats itself in reverse .

The entire process lasts for 3 minutes and 20 seconds, is called A and becomes the fragment for the construction of the next stage, which is developed with the same mode of a, on a different scale, maintaining approximately the same proportions (Fig. 2 ), about heights and lenghts. Infact, as the development of a, the various increases or decreases of A (Ex. A+1, A-1, etc.) enter 1 minute and 5 seconds after the beginning of the previous fragment (which lasts 3 minutes and 20 seconds). For example: A+1 enters 1 minute and 5 seconds after the beginning of A etc. Temporal proportions of the beginning of the fragments The beginning of a varied (Ex. beginning of a+1 after a, etc...), called Va = 4 seconds; a = 12 seconds; The beginning of A varied (Ex. Beginning of A+2 after A, etc... ), called VA = 1 minute and 5 seconds (65 seconds); A = 3 minutes and 20 seconds (200 seconds); Va : a = VA : A 4 : 12 = 65 : 200 = 800 780 error of 20: 10%. Proportions between a, A, Bi a = 12 seconds; A = 3 minutes and 20 seconds (200 seconds) ; Full song, Bi = 55 minutes and 27 seconds (3327) ; a : A = A : Bi 12 : 200 = 200 : 3327 = 39924 40000 error of 76: 2.3%.