Chris Arrell, "Diptych" for two prepared pianos, Jacob Greenberg and Amy Williams

"Diptych" (2011) for two prepared pianos (Jacob Greenberg and Amy Williams)

Chris Arrell, "Icarus" for piano, Lisa Leong

"Icarus" (2007) for piano (Lisa Leong)

Chris Arrell, "Of Three Minds" for soprano, piano, and computer, Tony Arnold, Jacob Greenberg, Chris Arrell

"Of Three Minds" (2013) for soprano, pno, and computer (Tony Arnold, Jacob Greenberg, Chris Arrell)

A carnyx is a large ceremonial and battle trumpet that dates back to the Iron Age Celts. The body of the instrument, a curved sharply ascending S-shape, features a small mouthpiece on one end and a wide bell on the other. Towering six or more feet above the head of the musician when played, the bell of the instrument is typically designed as the head of a fierce wild predator or mythical monster that comes to life during performance with fiery eyes, wagging tongues, and cacophonous bellows. One can imagine the terror of first encountering an army of Carnyces as scores of beastly animal heads slowly emerge from the early morning mist with “cries so loud and piercing, that the noise seemed to come not from human voices and trumpets, but from the whole countryside at once”. (Polybius, Histories, II, 29). Programs: Csound and IRCAM's Open Music.

Carynx by Chris Arrell

Realization by the Ball State Electroacoustic Ensemble (world premiere)
Chin Ting CHAN, Director.

t, o, n, e, s (2023) is an open instrumentation graphic score comprising five modules. Each module is identified by a letter (e, n, o, s, or t). A performance involves the performers using the modules/letters to spell one or more words of their choice - e.g., (n, o, t, e, s), (n, o, t / n, o, t, e, s), (o,n,e / s, e, t). Any number of players may participate in a performance, which may last for any duration. How the graphs are interpreted is left to the player(s).

t,o,n,e,s (s,t,o,n,e)

Spirits and Spectra takes inspiration from the chaconne, a musical form organized around a series of repeating chords. Five timbres/harmonies unfold, settling in time into a looping pattern fashioned from permutations of the series 3-5-1-4-2. Aleatoric processes coded in Open Music complement the number sequence by providing continuous variation in frequency density, waveform, amplitude, spatialization, and delay. Further contrast is heard in deviating sections rooted in interpolations between the chords of the chaconne. Spirits and Spectra is dedicated with gratitude to the Csound and Open Music communities.

Spirits and Spectra

Breathless (2016) for piano trio. Premiere by Saúl Britrán, Jan Müller-Szeraws and Adam Golka, College of the Holy Cross, March 2016.

Breathless (2016) for piano trio

Altamira 1b for clarinet and live electronics. Performed by Carlos Cordeiro with Chris Arrell (live electronics)

Altamira 1b (2016) for clarinet and electronics

Chris Arrell "echo electric" for clarinet, violin, cello, and vibraphone, Sonic Generator and Chris Arrell

echo electric (2013) (Sonic Generator, Chris Arrell)

chrisarrell(dot)com
music for throats, fingers, and oscillators 

chrisarrell(dot)com

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