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Quadrivium. Music of Edmund Campion performed by Earplay

by Edmund Campion

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    four panel wallet with 1 CD

    Includes unlimited streaming of Quadrivium. Music of Edmund Campion performed by Earplay via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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      $15 USD or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Free pdf booklet included
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      $7 USD  or more

     

1.
Mathematica 11:24
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2.
Geometria 13:18
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3.
Astronomia 10:10
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4.
Musica 13:20
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about

“Being raised in an East Dallas, Texas, working-class neighborhood, I never imagined an eventual stay in Rome for the purpose of greater artistic enlightenment.” But it was during such a 1995 stay there as a Fellow at the American Academy that Edmund Campion first explored techniques of computer assisted composition [CAC] – studies that still form the basis of his art today.

The original term Quadrivium, taken from the Latin and meaning the four ways, comprised the subjects of the medieval liberal arts education consisting of Astronomia, Arithmetica, Geometria, and Musica. Here they represent a cycle of four compositions originally intended for live quadrophonic performance.

“In these pieces are found my early adoption of CAC techniques including the use of time-varying probability tables and Markov decision processes to create distributed spatial electronics and to manage slowly evolving instrumental harmonies and textures.”

In the first piece, Mathematica, for flute(s) shifting probabilities govern all aspects of the electronic and instrumental parts including the spatial, harmonic, dynamic and rhythmic unfolding throughout. In the second piece, Geometria, for clarinet alone, the soloist’s movements are choreographed to shape the diffusion of sound through space. The clarinetist turns in a circle, places their back to the audience, moves the clarinet in a sweeping motion, or hides the clarinet between the legs. In the third piece, Astronomia, for marimba and electronics, polyphonic tempos are superimposed to create the effect of sound moving in orbits at different rates. Astronomia is a rhythmic etude exploring the continuum from grid-based periodic worlds to off-the-grid aperiodic spaces. The collection ends with Musica, for flute, clarinet, marimba, and piano, a purely instrumental composition that relies heavily on CAC techniques and the IRCAM Open Music software.

The cycle is performed by the ace players of Earplay, based in the Bay Area and dedicated to the performance and recording of new chamber music — an evolving genre where composers and musicians freely experiment with musical structure, rhythm, and sounds, challenging the audience to broaden its concept of music with new emotional and auditory experiences.

Edmund Campion (b. 1957) is Professor of Music Composition and Director at the Center for New Music and Audio Technologies (CNMAT) at the University of California, Berkeley. A composer, performer, and collaborating artist for over 30 years, he continues to produce highly personal music that often mixes emerging technologies with acoustic instruments and electronic sounds.

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released August 28, 2023

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Edmund Campion Berkeley, California

Edmund Campion (b. 1957) is Professor of Music Composition and Director at the Center for New Music and Audio Technologies (CNMAT) at the University of California, Berkeley.

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