TASCAM DR-2d

Pentatonic Permutations Morning Glory 20210616

Preparing for the Van Gogh TV Piazza virtuale exhibition at Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin starting November 2021 I managed to bring back to life the welcome message of the telephone interface... 22 kHz, 8 bit linear sampling, the EPROM had not lost a single bit after 30 years. More info https://vangoghtv.hs-mainz.de

Welcome to Piazza virtuale

Pentatonic Permutations is an algorithmic composition that started with the Big Bang 13.78 billion years ago and will continue another 16 trillion years and then stop. It uses the Japanese 1-4-2-3-2 Kokin-Joshi scale that is also known in India for the Raga Vibhavari (Revati).  Each moment of time is tagged with a unique melody that never repeats until the last permutation is played.

The composition is time synchronous and real time except in this recording.

Pentatonic Permutations. Aaah. Oooh. 20210714

Pentatonic Permutations is an algorithmic composition that started with the Big Bang 13.78 billion years ago and will continue another 16 trillion years and then stop. It uses the Japanese 1-4-2-3-2 Kokin-Joshi scale that is also known in India for the Raga Vibhavari (Revati). Each moment of time is tagged with a unique melody that never repeats until the last permutation is played.

The composition is time synchronous and real time except in this recording.

20220217 Pentatonic Permutations.MP3

Pentatonic Permutations II

A sound installation by Benjamin Heidersberger

Eight speakers define a space in a church, transmitting sequences of piano notes generated by a computer program and played live. Pentatonic scales of prime number length are constantly phase shifting, fragments of melodies appear and disappear. Given the chosen number of scales the composition lasts longer than the age of the universe. Two hours are being played.

The pentatonic notes generate a certain harmony. There is no compositional intention, the permutation algorithm will eventually play all possibilities. Therefore the accustic event has no intended meaning and the listener can find his own interpretation and association. The listener can move freely around and explore the different sound events as well as the space of the church. He can come and go and come back, according to the individual taste.

Pentatonic Permutations II reflects the state of the work done since last year.

Thursday, December 19, 2013, 6 - 8 p.m., St. Johannes-Evangelist Kirche, Auguststr. 90, 10117 Berlin, Germany

Recording and photo by Christoph Schauer

Pentatonic Permutations II 20131219

A 24-hour sound installation for Pentecost meditation by Benjamin Heidersberger

Eight speakers define a space in a church, transmitting sequences of piano notes generated by a computer program and played live. Pentatonic scales of prime number length are constantly phase shifting, fragments of melodies appear and disappear. Given the chosen number of scales the composition lasts longer than the age of the universe. 24 hours are being played.

The pentatonic notes generate a certain harmony. There is no compositional intention, the permutation algorithm will eventually play all possibilities. Therefore the accustic event has no intended meaning and the listener can find his own interpretation and association. The listener can move freely around and explore the different sound events as well as the space of the church. He can come and go and come back, according to the individual taste.

Sunday, June 8, 2014 (Pentecost), 3 p.m. until June 9, 3 p.m., St. Johannes-Evangelist Kirche, Auguststr. 90, 10117 Berlin, Germany. The church is open permanently during the installation, also at night.

Pentatonic Permutations III is the third sound installation in this church since 2012. This is a triaxial rerecording. Use headphones.

Pentatonic Permutations III (Pentecost Meditation)

Pentatonic Permutations by Benjamin Heidersberger, an algorithmic piano composition that started 14 billion years ago and will continue another 16 trillion years, tagging every moment of time. After the last permutation the piece will stop.

Recorded at St. Johannes Evangelist, Berlin, October, 19th, 2016.

www.pentatonic-permutations.de

Pentatonic Permutations

Pentatonic Permutations V 20161019

Pentatonic Echos

An ornamental piano music is playing on 8 speakers. It is generated by a computer program written by Benjamin Heidersberger and performed live on four midi synthesizer in a church. Pentatonic scales of  prime number lenght are constantly phase shifting, fragments of melodies appear and disappear. Given the chosen number of scales the composition lasts 450 times the age of the universe (1.9E20 sec). The first two hours are being played.

The pentatonic notes generate a certain order, harmony and ornamental character. There is no compositional intention, the permutation will eventually play all possibilities. Therefore the accustic event has no intended meaning and the listener can find his own interpretation, order and association.

The chosen format of a sound installation goes beyond the reception patterns of a concert. The listener can move freely around, single or in groups and explore the different sound events as well as the space of the church. The listener can come and go and come back, according to the individual taste.

Live triaxial (Kunstkopf) recording (41:36) by Don Hill at Sankt Johannes Evangelist-Kirche, Berlin Mitte, Germany, December 16, 2012. Listen with headphones.

Pentatonic Permutations 20121216

Arunachala: On a sunny morning shortly after sunrise

My first algorhithmic composition for the violin. This are the first 30 min of a rather short piece of 5.51E6 sec length (2 months, 3 days, 20 hours, 46 min, 52 sec), after which all permutations have been played. It makes use of polyphony and is generated on a HP 100LX, the synthesizer is a Yamaha TG-100. I like that melancholic blues minor pentatonic scale.

Pentatonic Permutations 20130128 (On a Winter Afternoon)

Benjamin Heidersberger, born 1957, background in physics, biology, computer science (dropout). Cofounder of the artist group Head Resonance Company in Wolfsburg in 1978, of Ponton-Lab in Hamburg in 1989 and since then its director in Hannover, Germany, from 1994 on. Founder of Kulturserver in 2000 and of the Institut Heidersberger in 2002. Various large scale media projects (Van Gogh TV, Ars Electronica, documenta) in Europe, USA and Japan. Publications on computers, media and society as well as lectures on interactive media.

Benjamin Heidersberger

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