https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLTwhr3hzk0

When composing this work I was fascinated by the mechanical limitations of the disklavier.The piano, while associated with human expression, is a rather strange and unnatural instrument - resulting from amazing feats of engineering with its complex levers, industrial parts, and chemically processed wood. The disklavier highlights this in a way that is at times jarring and uncanny. The human player has physical limitations – hand-size, speed of movement, and number of simultaneous notes. Limitations of speed and notes are shared by the disklavier as well (although the disklavier is still super human in these traits). But the disklavier has some limitations the human does not; pedals and keys are all operated by voltage through solenoid motors. These motors struggle at producing softer dynamics, they often squeak with unwanted noise, they have timing errors from their inability to play soft notes as quickly as loud notes, and the release of the keys and pedals are often jarring. I included the toy piano to augment these, at times, clumsy and mechanical sounds. I installed solenoid motors and a transducer inside the toy piano. Some are meant to strike the metal bars of the toy piano, and some are meant to strike the metal bridge that holds the bars in-place. The title, of motor, bar & wire draws its name from the materials used in this work.

of motor, bar, & wire

Nathan Nokes is a composer, musician, and sound artist whose works contrast heavily calculated precompositional processes with intuitive, freeform lyricism. Much of his work is written for chamber and live electronics. His work often explores the topic of nature and human interconnectedness in the information age. Works of his have been performed by members of ensembles such as Wet Ink, Loadbang, Mise-en, Ulysses European Ensemble, and Invoke Quartet. His music and sound installations have been featured in concert series such as Fusebox Festival (TX), New Voices Festival at COA (Washington DC), Foot in the Door (CT), Cohen New Works Festival (TX), and Festival of Contemporary Art Music (WA). 

His fellowships, scholarships, and residencies include the Kent Kennan Graduate Fellowship (TX), Hartt Talent Scholarship (CT), Nief-Norf Technology Fellowship (TN), I-Park (CT), and The Walden School (NH). 

He is a currently a graduate fellow, composition D.M.A student and associate instructor at the University of Texas in Austin. He received his M.M. in composition from Hartt School of music at the University of Hartford, and B.M. in Composition from Washington State University. 


His fellowships, scholarships, and residencies include the Kent Kennan Graduate Fellowship (TX), Hartt Talent Scholarship (CT), Nief-Norf Technology Fellowship (TN), I-Park (CT), and The Walden School (NH). 

He is a currently a graduate fellow, composition D.M.A student and associate instructor at the University of Texas in Austin. He received his M.M. in composition from Hartt School of music at the University of Hartford, and B.M. in Composition from Washington State University.