Revelation is a 72-minute work for solo piano in a "just intonation" tuning created by the composer. This excerpt is from Section “X. Tone Cloud III” and includes “XI. Finale,” from the album “Revelation” (Cantaloupe Music, 2007), with the composer at the piano.

Copyright 2007 Michael Harrison Music

Michael Harrison: https://www.michaelharrison.com/
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Revelation - X. Tone Cloud III (excerpt), XI. Finale

The premiere performance of Just Constellations by Michael Harrison, commissioned by Roomful of Teeth and performed at Mass MoCA.

Copyright 2016 Michael Harrison Music

Michael Harrison: https://www.michaelharrison.com/
Roomful of Teeth: https://www.roomfulofteeth.org/
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Just Constellations, premiere by Roomful of Teeth at MASS MoCA

Composed by Michael Harrison based on a traditional Indian vocal composition
Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan, Indian classical vocals
Kimball Gallagher, piano
Anirban Roy Chowdhury, tabla
Aaron Shragge, tanpura
Produced by Michael Harrison and Ryan Streber

Copyright 2016 Michael Harrison Music

Michael Harrison: https://www.michaelharrison.com/
Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan: https://www.mashkooralikhan.com/
Kimball Gallagher: http://kimballgallagher.com/
Anirban Roy Chowdhury: https://www.anirbanroychowdhury.com/
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Jaunpuri (Rendition of a Raga)

Sanhita Nandi, vocals
Michael Harrison, just intonation piano, tanpura
Payton MacDonald, just intonation vibes 
Ashley Bathgate, cello

Mixed by Sam Torres
Copyright 2014 Michael Harrison Music

Michael Harrison: https://www.michaelharrison.com/
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Yaman Tone Cloud

innova 974
https://www.innova.mu/albums/sophia-subbayya-vastek/histories

SOPHIA S.V. - SHE IS ASLEEP

MICHAEL HARRISON - JAUNPURI

I'm exploring polyphonic raga.  Typically polyphony is reserved for Western music, and is generally thought to be anathema to the Raga system, but in fact it can work, as shown by the brief harmonizations of my Gurus, the Gundecha Brothers.  La Monte Young and Michael Harrison have also done much work in this area, and this track was inspired by my ongoing relationship with Michael and his ideas about polyphonic raga.

Polyphonic Malkauns Demo

“The Traps” was a collaboration commissioned by New Music USA for Mugiyono Kasido and Talujon percussion. This piece emerged from material developed in high-energy improvisations between Mugiyono and Nick in Central Java in 2013. The work explores frenetic addictions to change and the culture of the “cut”. Mugiyono writes about the work: “Orang takut untuk berhenti, waktu selalu berjalan dan kehidupan tidak bisa ditebak” (“People shudder to stop, time just passes, and life is unguessable”). 

For the work, Nick constructed attaché case gamelans, an orchestra in a box, each tuned to one of the 6 modalities of central Javanese gamelan. Each modality is associated with a time of day, and as the piece progresses, the different tonalities accumulate. The orchestration is inspired by the “traps”, boxes used for silent film sound effects, as well as the Javanese dhalang tradition, where knockers held by hands and toes create a makeshift foley. Though Javanese gamelan is only somewhat audible here, the piece takes a cue from the sampak, the fastest structure in gamelan, used for fight scenes in the shadow puppet plays. In tempo with Mugiyono’s breakneck shifts, the music is built on gestures that repeat compulsively, break, then re-form.

The Traps

Clarice Jensen performs Michael Harrison's Cello Constellations
Cello Constellations was commissioned by cellist Clarice Jensen 
The work is scored for solo cello with 21 pre-recorded cellos and sine tones
Audio recording by Dan Bora
"For This From That Will Be Filled" album on Miasmah: bit.ly/ForThisAlbum 

Copyright 2018 Michael Harrison Music

Michael Harrison: https://www.michaelharrison.com/
Clarice Jensen: https://www.claricejensen.com/
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Cello Constellations is comprised of five constellations and eight harmonic cascades of complex just intonation harmonies that gradually evolve over time. The frequency relationships between each tone are perfectly tuned in whole number proportions. These same proportions are used to determine the timing and envelopes (fade in, sustain, and fade out) of each note, resulting in an organic relationship between pitch, rhythm and duration. I am calling this compositional technique “Integrated Proportionality.” Although related to the concept of Total Serialism, Integrated Proportionality is fundamentally different in that the interrelationships of musical components are derived from the actual frequencies of the notes, rather than abstract correlations with a 12-tone row or set of pitches.

The rhythmic pulsations heard in the sine tones (and later magnified with repeated notes in the cellos) are the result of interference patterns perceived by the brain as acoustical beats. When we hear two sounds of slightly different frequencies, an acoustical beat is perceived as a periodic variation in volume whose rate is the difference of the two frequencies.

Cello Constellations was composed using math and text-based computer programming. The data was then organized into spreadsheets and used to create a more traditional score with the just intonation ratios and exact frequency specified in Hertz above each note. All of the tones were divided between the cellos and sine tones to create an integrated timbre.

--Michael Harrison

Cello Constellations

Winner of the 2021 Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra Composition Competition, "Second City Strut" is an exploration in the hybridization of jazz with that of Western Art music. Constructed from a section of non-literal counterpoint in constant similar rhythmic motion, the incidental harmonies create a layer upon which other melodies, chords, and harmonies are presented - and continually interrupted by spastic flurries of sound.

"a strong and unique work" - Michael Harrison, Composer and Guggenheim Fellowship recipient

"Second city strut is truly a nightmare. But I love it." - Noah J. Nethery, Florida State University

"The sad thing is, I like it!" - Dennis J. Meacham, Northern Illinois University

"A jazz infused work for orchestra that is uncompromising, serious, evidencing exceptional skill in its use of the ensemble and in its understanding of style and instrumental effect. A remarkable melding of modern techniques of orchestral composition with familiar jazz licks, it sounds like little else I know. Deserving of many performances, although it is not easy, except, as a listener, to grasp and appreciate." - David Katz, The American Prize

___________________________________
*Personnel

Piccolo & Flutes - Sarah Holmes
Oboes - Jenny Charles
Horns (1 & 2) - Mark Robinson
Horns (3 & 4) - Kate Swope
Trumpets - Derek Detzler
Trombones - Jenny Young
Tuba - Dennis Meacham

Clarinets, Bassoons, Percussion, Timpani, Vibraphone, Piano, Harp, and Strings - Vienna Symphonic Library 

*All recorded parts were doubled (and in some locations overtaken) by the Vienna Symphonic Library

Recording Engineers - Tom Hapeman & Mark Robinson
Producer, Editor, MIDI Sequencer, Mixer, Talent Scout - Craig Peaslee

Second City Strut

Recorded by the Syracuse Singers under John F Warren.

Verdigris Ensemble ION Composer Competition Winner (2021).
1st prize in Warren County Summer Music School's Composer Competition (2022).
3rd prize in The Choral Project's Composition Competition (2020-2021).
Selected for the SCI Summer Student Mixtape (2020).

Cello Constellations

Michael Harrison

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