jarring noise at around 3.37 and other places? Still don't reeally understand the concept, I'll have to ask you again when we next meet up. I'm sure this is somehting I can use in my word-stuff. Greatly enjoyed!

I enjoy the concept of the composition,...2 parts are written out to be performed independently, the composition assures that the ovelaps are productive, not cancelling.  The implicit situation is that playaers will inevitably pay attention to each other too...Beautiful idea, fantastic performance, recording and processing....

I enjoy the contrast in timbres hapr and piano, moments of difference and blending...I enjoy the pedal buzzing too, infact would love to hear more pedaling, perhaps some stroking into the strings by the pianist too....

@wilhelm-matthies: Thank you. Yes, the concept I have been working on for the past few year is now coming to fruition and I'm thrilled to say it works for my musical intentions. The results can be quite mesmerising. There are 7 more recordings to come from this series, some much more complex and violent in their interactions. It's been an exciting project.

Very nice. My bet is that the performers are equally excited as they really have to take ownership of the piece to make it work. They are co-creaters, not just actors. I love that!

tell us about the artwork. Tagentially related, or meant as a graphic compsostion?

Track from the forthcoming CD and download of Marc Yeats' 'the shape distance' pieces for ensemble' recorded by Chamber Cartel. 

Studio recording from Chamber Cartel. This iteration 'the shape distance [11] for harp and piano' features Chamber Cartel members Connor Way [harp] and Amy O'Dell [piano]. Engineered by Thomas Avery at 800 East, Atlanta US, December 2013.

'the shape distance [11] for harp and piano' extends the recent set of unsynchronised works 'the shape distance', originally a series of seven pieces constructed somewhat akin to ‘Russian Dolls’ in that each contains the same or similar core material that is ‘enclosed’ by other layers of material. 

notes:
The musicians play independently of each other. Music is cued to begin only, with no ‘fixed’ synchronisation between the players. The pianist is instructed to begin approximately one minute after the notation for the harp begins. Whilst the relationship of each instrument is flexibly placed against its neighbour, care has been taken to calculate potential outcomes of coincidence and variability. To this end it is vital that metronome markings are adhered to as accurately as possible although the composer appreciates that it is the various interpretations and practicalities inherent in the realisation of tempi that contribute to the richly unique nature and interplay of each performance.

There is only one instructions to the players; to begin where indicated and play until their material is finished. This recording represents an iteration of the music; one possible outcome of many.

The score and parts
I have not produced a score for this piece as difficulties and variables associated with displaying the musical material in vertical alignment as represented in real time are considerable. Each performance will yield different results, interplays, gestural and harmonic references and outcomes. As a result, the material contained within the piece can only be read via the two piano parts. Consequently there is no ‘definitive’ performance of this music – each performance will be unique.

The Shape Distance [11] for Harp and Piano

Marc Yeats is a British composer, abstract landscape painter, writer, poet, and artistic practice researcher. His work as a painter and composer is closely linked to techniques developed over many years, with compositions influencing new approaches to painting and techniques in painting influencing musical development. Although interested in surfaces represented in sound, colour, form, and texture, his work is further influenced by a fascination with layering, geology, erosion, landscapes, and place-specific resonance and its manifestation and embodiment in his work. Understanding, strengthening, and researching this self-referential relationship remains a life-long challenge and passion and sits at the heart of Marc’s work.

Yeats’s creative output is diverse, spanning music, painting, and literature. His recent Collected Poems Volume 1 (2005-2024) and Timecode-Supported Polytemporal Music: What It Is and How to Write It (November 2025), published by Vision Edition, are a testament to his versatility. As a researcher, his book Music, Painting, Landscape, and Me (April 2024, Vision Edition) delves into the deep interconnection between his roles as composer and painter, examining media, landscape, philosophy, neurology, perception, interpretation, walking and embodiment.

The John Davies Gallery in Moreton-in-Marsh represents his paintings, while his music is published by Composers Edition and available through Alexander Street Press libraries. His compositions have been performed by leading orchestras, ensembles, and soloists worldwide, including by the BBC Philharmonic with I See Blue (1995) and PAGAN II (1997), and most recently the unimportance of events (2021) for 22 players with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. At Tectonics Glasgow 2024, this time with the full orchestra, his spatialised polytemporal orchestral work ‘a point in the landscape’ was also featured and broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

Other commissions include the round and square art of memory (1999), a piano concerto for the BBC Philharmonic; My Blood is as Red as Yours (2008) for the Hallé Orchestra to mark World Aids Day; the choral piece sturzstrom (2012) for the Cultural Olympiad; and Forget-Me-Not (2016), a vocal installation on dementia commissioned by Yeovil District and Dorchester County Hospitals. His chamber and ensemble works are numerous and widely recognised.

Dr. Yeats has significantly advanced the study of polytemporal composition, presenting his research at institutions such as the University of Manchester, the University of Leeds, and the City University of New York. His AHRC-funded PhD research at the University of Leeds (2017-2021) focused on developing timecode-supported polytemporal composition methods, pushing the boundaries of how complex, unsynchronised musical structures can be performed without a conductor or unified pulse. His compositional method involves fully notated lines of material operating in different tempi, synchronised via mobile phone stopwatches and part-embedded timecodes. This technique enables performers to follow their temporal paths while maintaining structural coherence.

Marc’s innovative approach explores the balance between composer control and performer flexibility, yielding unpredictable yet recognisable results with each performance. His conductor-less, scoreless method allows musicians to interpret their tempi, using timecodes to navigate the music’s complex polytemporal structure. This pioneering method opens new possibilities for writing and performing multi-tempi orchestral music, enabling complex sonic relationships by managing indeterminacy.

Comments

Utsyo Chakraborty

Sound Awakener

shoreclare

shoreclare

Wilhelm Matthies

Wilhelm Matthies

Marc Yeats

Wilhelm Matthies

Wilhelm Matthies

Ralph Hoyte