Sonology Show Lab #2.  22'17''
Live electronics and electric piano

Live performance recording during the second  'Sonology Show Lab' event at De Vinger. 
28/10/2013, Den Haag, Nederland.

• premier: De Vinger, Den Haag, Nederland. 28 Oct. 2013
https://soundcloud.com/maiafrancisco/live-performance-recording
https://sonologyshowlab.bandcamp.com/track/maia
https://maiafrancisco.com/Sonology-Show-Lab-2

© 2020. Live Performance Recording, Sonology Show Lab #2 by Maia Francisco is licensed under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Sonology Show Lab #2

Live Performance Recording, Sonology Show Lab #2

12 Pieces for Piano and Wave Oscillator | Piece lII -  Piano and Wave Oscillator - Ephémère 20' 09''
Acoustic piano and two analog sine oscillators
Live Performance Recording of Ephémère 34 event at Studio Loos
16 Jan. 2014 Den Haag, Nederland. 
https://www.loosdenhaag.com/ephemere-2014/ephemere-34
https://maiafrancisco.com/Piano-and-Wave-Oscillator
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUCPGIsteso

• Premier: Studio Loos, Den Haag, Nederland. 16 Jan. 2014

© 2020. Piano and Wave Oscillator - Ephémère by Maia Francisco is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.

Piano and Wave Oscillator - Ephémère

12 Pieces for Piano and Wave Oscillator | Piece l - Piano and Wave Oscillators

Institute of Sonology - Koninklijk Conservatorium in Den Haag, Nederland.
Acoustic piano and two analog sine oscillators
Live Performance Recording - 06/02/2014
Music composed and performed by Maia Francisco

• Premier: Schoenbergzaal, Den Haag, Nederland. 6 Feb. 2014
• Recorded at Studio 1 - Institute of Sonology - Koninklijk Conservatorium in Den Haag, Nederland. 24 March 2014


© 2020. Piano and Wave Oscillator - Institute of Sonology is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.

Piano and Wave Oscillator - Institute of Sonology

12 Pieces for Piano and Wave Oscillator | Piece l - Piano and Wave Oscillators 2'06''
Acoustic piano and two analog sine oscillators
Music composed and performed by Maia Francisco (2014)
Recorded by Henry Vega (www.henryvega.net/) and Sohrab Motabar (https://sohrab.org/) at Studio 1 - Institute of Sonology - Koninklijk Conservatorium in Den Haag, Nederland. 24 March 2014

• premier: Schoenbergzaal, Den Haag, Nederland. 6 Feb. 2014


© 2020. 12 Pieces for Piano and Wave Oscillator | Piece I by Maia Francisco is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.

12 Pieces for Piano and Wave Oscillator | Piece l

Research Concert 3
Acoustic piano, analog sine oscillator and transducer
Studio 1, Koninklijk Conservatorium, Den Haag, Nederland. 14 January 2015

RCC#3 is a sound exploration that combines acoustic grand piano with a transducer connected to an analogue sine oscillator. The composition features tonic and melodic choirs played on the piano, while experimenting with the integration of the piano’s music and the chaotic, disorganized noise produced by the transducer. Placed manually on the piano’s strings, the transducer generates unpredictable sounds, creating a contrast to the structured melodies. The piece explores how these disparate elements can merge musically, challenging the boundaries between harmonic order and sonic disruption.

https://maiafrancisco.com/RCC-3

Performed by Maia Francisco

© 2020. RCC#3 by Maia Francisco is licensed under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

RCC#3

Wonderwerp #58  13’40’’
Improvisation for Piano & Wave Oscillator (2015) 
Piano, analog oscillator, transducer
https://maiafrancisco.com/Wonderwerp-58 

Wonderwerp #58 is a minimalistic composition combining acoustic piano with a transducer connected to an analogue sine oscillator, placed on top of the piano’s soundboard. With a sparse sound palette, the piece unfolds through slow, sparse choirs, allowing the delicate interaction between the piano and the sine oscillator to shape the sound. The volume of the transducer’s vibrations, which resonate through the piano, is controlled by Maia’s foot via a switch pedal, adding a layer of subtle dynamic control. The piece’s slow tempo and improvisational nature invite exploration of space and sound, focusing on the organic and evolving relationship between the acoustic and electronic components.

• Recorded at Studio Loos, Den Haag, Nederland. 29 Jan. 2015

http://www.studioloos.com/wonderwerp/wonderwerp-june
http://dewidevree.org/event/wonderwerp-58-starting-from-scratch-loos-den-haag/
http://www.studioloos.com/wonderwerp/wonderwerp-58-starting-from-scratch

Performed by Maia Francisco

© 2020. Wonderwerp #58 by Maia Francisco is licensed under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Wonderwerp #58

Excerpt from the live-streamed performance recorded for Algorave Brasil 2024 on December 14, 2024.

An Algorave is an event where music is created and danced to, generated through algorithms written in real-time using live coding. Visuals are also produced, often reacting to the music.

At an Algorave, multiple live coders participate; there are no headliners, and it can encompass a wide variety of styles. In this context, the live coder does not necessarily become the main focus of the audience's attention. The focus may shift to the screen displaying the live code, allowing the audience to simply dance or listen to the music generated by the code while also observing the programming process.

Algorave Basil 2024

Élmar 07’50’’
2 analog sine oscillators
https://maiafrancisco.com/Elmar

Audio recording of Élmar, a piece about sine waves, performed at Kees van Baarenzaal on January 2016.
Institute of Sonology - Koninklijk Conservatorium, Den Haag, Nederland.

Élmar is an exploration of the possibilities of making music using two analogue sine oscillators. The project investigates the limitations and constraints of thinking of sine oscillators as musical instruments, probing how their pure tones can be manipulated and structured within these confines. By focusing on the fundamental nature of analogue oscillators, Élmar challenges the boundaries of what is possible within the minimalistic world of sine waves, embracing their simplicity while expanding their potential as sound generators.

Watch Video by www.eduardfigueres.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2FtkWQ9Z_U

© 2020. Élmar by Maia Francisco is licensed under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Élmar

Washing Machine  11' 46''
Fixed media, 8 channels

• Premier: Schoenbergzaal-Institute of Sonology, Den Haag, Nederland. 27 June 2017

• Remastered 2018 for SONIX #2 Festival, Brno, Czech Republic. 24 March 2018
https://www.jiri-suchanek.net/en/project/sonix-vecery-akusmaticke-hudby/

• Exhibited 14/10/2020 - 15/02/2021 at Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (Madrid). Audiosphere. Sound Experimentation 1980-2020
https://www.museoreinasofia.es/en/exhibitions/audiosphere

Piece description
"The aural phenomenon, where two sine tones - close to each other in frequency - cause a sensation of beating or pulsations in the ear of the listener, is generally called ‘beating patterns’. The pulsation rate is equal to the difference of the two frequencies involved."
This piece is based on the exploration of beating patterns and beat frequencies that developed into a musical idea by controlling the level, range and duration of the beat frequencies throughout the piece. In this context, two sound materials have been used: the sine waves – beating patterns and beat frequencies- and the recording of a washing machine centrifuge. These two sound materials operate as different layers of sound. The dynamics present in the washing machine recording, however, make this particular layer of sound function both as the structural basis for this piece, and as a layer of noise.

https://maiafrancisco.com/Washing-Machine

© 2020. washing Machine by Maia Francisco is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.

Washing Machine

Live performance audio recording 27/06/2017
Schoenbergzaal, Koninklijk Conservatorium 
The Hague, Netherlands

Performers
Jeong-guk (tenor recorder)
Akane Takada (piano) (https://akane.tehis.net/)
Maia Francisco (sine waves)

Piece description
The aural phenomenon, where two sine tones - close to each other in frequency - cause a sensation of beating or pulsations in the ear of the listener, is generally called ‘beating patterns’. The pulsation rate is equal to the difference of the two frequencies involved. 
This piece has been influenced by the works of Alvin Lucier that combine acoustic instruments and sine waves to bring about emergent beating patterns. In the context of this piece, the beating patterns emerge from the combination of sine waves with the sound of the piano and tenor recorder. Specifically, the sine waves and the notes of the tenor recorder result in beating patterns with fluctuating beat frequencies. This irregularity is considered as a feature explored throughout the composition. This piece also explores audible beating along with spectral analysis of the frequencies and intensities of the harmonics present in the piano and tenor recorder sounds.

© 2020. A Piece for Piano, Tenor Recorder and Sine Waves by Maia Francisco is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.

A Piece for Piano, Tenor Recorder and Sine Waves

Live performance audio recording 27/06/2017
Schoenbergzaal, Koninklijk Conservatorium 
The Hague, Netherlands

Piece description
Fixed media 8 channels 

The aural phenomenon, where two sine tones - close to each other in frequency - cause a sensation of beating or pulsations in the ear of the listener, is generally called ‘beating patterns’. The pulsation rate is equal to the difference of the two frequencies involved.
This piece is based on the exploration of beating patterns and beat frequencies that developed into a musical idea by controlling the level, range and duration of the beat frequencies throughout the piece. In this context, two sound materials have been used: the sine waves – beating patterns and beat frequencies- and the recording of a washing machine centrifuge. These two sound materials operate as different layers of sound. The dynamics present in the washing machine recording, however, make this particular layer of sound function both as the structural basis for this piece, and as a layer of noise.

© 2020. A Piece for washing Machine and Sine Waves by Maia Francisco is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.

A Piece for Washing Machine and Sine Waves

Suikinkutsu  14’51’’
8 Sine oscillators and field recordings
https://maiafrancisco.com/Suikinkutsu

• Life performance recorded on the 23rd of November 2017, Kawagoe - Tokyo, Japan
• Remastered on the 4th of December 2017, Den Haag, Nederland.
• Performed at The Art of the Fields Festival  ‘24 for the Butoh dance by Mao Hosada, 10th of November 2024, Tokyo, Japan
https://mao.tx-d.art/
https://artngo16.wixsite.com/socialart


Description
A suikinkutsu (translated from Japanese as "water koto cave") is a jar buried in the Japanese garden that makes sound generated by water dripping. Maia was very surprised to discover this amazing ‘music instrument’ while she was performing sound research in Japan during the month of November 2017. That discovery took place at the Inarikio Shrine, a very quiet spot in the heart of the busy Shinjuku in Tokyo.
The suikinkutsu is usually built next to a traditional Japanese stone basin for washing hands and the ‘device’ is hidden from the view. Pleasant sounds are coming from the underground. The clear and pure sound of water droplets is considered relaxing and soothing, a very appropriate sound to promote a state of calmness.  The suikinkutsu at the Inarikio Shrine provides a bamboo tube nearby to amplify the beautiful and soothing sounds.
During the Edo period, it was very common to place a suikinkitsu as a musical instrument in the garden of the house.

During the sound research carried out in Tokyo, Maia performed Suikinkutsu - a piece she had created out of the recorded sounds of the suikinkutsu- at The 5th Kura and Contemporary Art Exhibition - Resonating Space on the 23rd November 2017 in Kawagoe, Japan.
The performance took place at the candle shop Haze where Fumiko Nakajima‘s artworks were exhibited.

Suikinkutsu was  performed as the soundtrack for the Butoh dance by Mao Hosada created by Kuniyoshi Ishii at the The Art of the Fields Festival ‘24 on the 10th November 2024 in Saitama, Japan.

http://kuratogendaibijutu.web.fc2.com/index.html
https://www.art-fumi.com/
http://haze.jp/
https://mao.tx-d.art/
https://artngo16.wixsite.com/socialart


© 2020. Suikinkutsu by Maia Francisco is licensed under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Suikinkutsu

GRONDWATER4  6' 57''
live performance, sine waves and field recordings
http://www.grondwaterfestival.nl/

• Excerpt of the life performance recorded on the 13th of May 2018 at Studio Loos (http://www.studioloos.com/) Den Haag, Nederland.

© 2020. Grondwater4 by Maia Francisco is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.

GRONDWATER4

Grondwater4

12 Pieces for Piano and Wave Oscillator | Piece lI- Piano and Wave Oscillators 2'26''
Acoustic piano and two analog sine oscillators
Music composed and performed by Maia Francisco (2014)
Recorded by Henry Vega (https://www.henryvega.net/) and Sohrab Motabar (https://sohrab.org/) at Studio 1 - Institute of Sonology - Koninklijk Conservatorium in Den Haag, Nederland. 24 March 2014

© 2020. 12 Pieces for Piano and Wave Oscillator | Piece ll by Maia Francisco is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.

Pieces for Piano and Wave Oscillator | Piece ll

12 Pieces for Piano and Wave Oscillator | Piece ll

Sinetology (Excerpt 13'35'')
Sine Waves / Saw Waves
https://maiafrancisco.com/Sinetology-1

Live coding performance streamed on the 6th of April 2020, at "8:08 La hora del LIVECODER" - TOPLAP Barcelona. https://toplapbarcelona.hangar.org/

Sinetology is a project that delves into the exploration of sine waves as foundational sound materials, using them as layers that interact dynamically within a composition. By manipulating their levels, frequency ranges, and durations, the project develops a coherent musical idea centered around beating patterns and beat frequencies. The visuals accompanying the performance are synchronously controlled by the sound, creating a unified audiovisual experience.

The project premiered during " 8:08pm La hora del LIVECODER ," a series of live coding performances streamed by the TOPLAP Barcelona collective during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in 2020.

In April 2023, Sinetology was performed live at viu.multichannelExpansion();  during the ‘5th edition of /*viu*/ livecoding festival in Barcelona. This event showcased experimental audio-spatialization works using an 8-channel sound system.

Listen full track: https://maiafrancisco.com/Sinetology-1
Watch full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnyx8fdWsTE

Published on Discs NoIA, March 3, 2025.  https://www.discs-noia.cat/sinetology/#more

© 2020. Sinetology by Maia Francisco is licensed under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Sinetology

Barcelona-based performer and sound artist whose work delves into the exploration of pure sound, with a strong focus on improvisation and a sensitive approach to electronics.

Her artistic journey began at Barcelona’s Escola Massana Centre d’Art i Disseny and the Conservatory of Music, where she laid the foundations of her practice. Driven by a deep fascination for sound, she pursued a Master’s in Sonology at the Institute of Sonology in the Netherlands.

© 2020. Content on this site is licensed under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

Maia Francisco

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