A sonification of John Heydon's geomantic figure.

Musical Geomancy

Recording of Arvo Part's "Pari Intervallo", for guitars (plucked, bowed, e-bowed) and bell. From the split CDr with Ashtray Navigations (2007).

Xenis Emputae Travelling Band - Pari Intervallo (Arvo Part)

For more information:
http://larkfall.wordpress.com/2013/12/12/josef-hauers-eternal-atonal-universe/

A Tropic Prelude (for Josef Matthias Hauer)

Continued apologies to both Joseph Matthias Hauer and Johann Sebastian Bach...

For more information:
http://larkfall.wordpress.com/2013/12/12/josef-hauers-eternal-atonal-universe/

A Tropic Prelude (for Nikos S)

A Tropic Prelude (for Rory Scammell and the Paisley Fox)

Recorded during lockdown, when we couldn't get together for the usual May Day larks. <3

Hal-An-Tow (with Emily, Vern and Layla)

Digital simulation of a zwolftonspiel, composed after the techniques of Josef Matthias Hauer.

Zwolftonspiel for Layla Legard (16/11/13)

Digital simulation of a new zwolftonspiel, composed after the techniques of Josef Matthias Hauer.

Zwolftonspiel for Kim Cascone (18/12/13)

Composed after the techniques of Josef Matthias Hauer. Splices two harmonic bands based on John Dowland's 'tear' motif.

Unlike the earlier set of Tropic Preludes, these zwolftonspiel use very strict techniques to 'contemplate the twelve-tone universe'.

For more about Hauer's mystical approach to atonal music, see: http://larkfall.wordpress.com/2013/12/12/josef-hauers-eternal-atonal-universe/

Zwolftonspiel - Melancholic Supercontinuum (09/01/14)

A very short piece of 'automatic' or algorithmic music composed using the "Organum Mathematicum" of Gaspar Schott - a sort of 17th century computer made out of wooden plates, or 'baculi'. More info: http://larkfall.wordpress.com/2014/06/06/kircher-schotts-computer-music-of-the-baroque/

Apologies for the abrupt end and slightly fast tempo - it's a file from 2007, the original MIDI data for which is long lost...

Dorian Strophes

A song written and sung by my 9 year-old son. Hopefully the first of many!

V - Skeleton

An informal recording:
Rory - Hurdy Gurdy
Emily & Layla - Voices, Percussion
Rob - Guitar
Phil - Recorder

The Meanwood Solstice Players: Ding Dong Merrily on High (Branle de l'Official)

Download selected Hexadic studies, May-June 2015 from: https://xetb.bandcamp.com/album/sorath

A very simple piece illustrating progressions around a hexadic figure. The pedal tone (G0) precedes each arm/pole in the progression. After the pedal tone, the root and interval of the particular hexadic field are played, followed by pairs of notes from the field itself. The progression is: Pole III; Arm F; Pole III; Pole V; Arm D; Arm E.

Hexadic Study - Progressions

A rough and ready improvisation with Hexady: a little Max for Live based system for dynamically mapping tonalities from Ben Chasny's Hexadic System to keyboard.

Hexady can be programmed with a progression a Hexadic figure, and maps the natural notes across two octaves into:

* The centre tone in three different octaves; 
* The six tones from the current hexadic field; 
* The same tones transposed up one octave.

The C# key is used to move to the next hexadic field in the progression.

Hexadic Improvisation with Max for Live

Inspired by Drew Mulholland's 'How to Consecrate an Imaginary Circle'.

Score & notes available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzoXlAMThiDiS2U5Y3VRQmhobzg

Triangle of the Art

Small sketch - ten cards dealt from the Hexadic deck, one for each of the sephiroth.  The paths dictate which tone can follow next. Two random walks around the figure are generated (one an octave lower). The upper part is then interpolated in units of four and repeated three times each, so (a b c d e f) - for example - becomes (a b c d) x3, (b c d e) x3, (c d e f) x3.

Sephirothic Wanderings #1 (Hexadic)

A polymetric rhythm can be found in in John Dee's Hieroglyphic Monad, in his discussion of the two quaternaries: (1 2 3 4) and (1 2 2 3). Taken as multiples of 1/16 beats, these would give two separate cumulative rhythms, e.g. (1 2 3 4) = (1/16 1/8 1/8. 1/4). The period of the cycle if 5:4, and it is played through twice in this recording. Who knew Dee could be so funky? ;)

John Dee's Polymetric Rhythm

Realisation of musical steganography from Gustav Selenus' Cryptomenytices Et Cryptographiae Libri IX(1624).

This melody encodes the message: "Hiet dich fer deinem Diener Hansen: Daner sol dich ber nacht erwirgen."

Full blog post and more music to follow!

Selenus Cipher #1

Extract from John Dee's First Enochian Key, musically encoded using Gustave Selenus' musico-angelic cipher.

Selenus Cipher #2 (First Enochian Key, extract)

A guitar recording...

Uses Selenus' angelic dyads to encodes a sentence from the from the hymn to Eustace in line A ('vir magno Eustachio'), and the words 'Eustace eustachio' in line B.

Enjoy & happy birthday, Ben!

Background info: https://larkfall.wordpress.com/2016/08/25/enquieriel-co-selenus-musico-angelic-cipher/

Eustace (for B.C.) - Guitar/Drone

Adapted from Magia Sexualis.

More info: https://larkfall.wordpress.com/2017/04/29/p-b-randolphs-astrological-melody/

P. B. Randolph's Astrological Melody

P. B. Randolph's Astrological Melody (simplified)

A canon based on the Sator square and Selenus' Angelic Cipher.

More info about Selenus' cipher: https://larkfall.wordpress.com/2016/08/25/enquieriel-co-selenus-musico-angelic-cipher/

Canon on SATOR AREPO TENET OPERA ROTAS (for B.P.)

Improvising/messing about with the tintinnabuli harmonies from Part's Fur Alina...

Fur Arvo

Guerrilla performance for Mary Bateman at the Thackray Museum to protest against the display of the remains of Mary Bateman, the "Yorkshire Witch".

Briony Yorke on cello and Layla Smith vocals.

For more information on the issue of human remains and their place in museums, visit Honouring The Ancient Dead: http://www.honour.org.uk/

Layla Smith & Briony Yorke - Witch

Swegelwundor

A digital realisation of Leila Waddell's Thelema: A Tone Testament, originally published in The Equinox I:8.

To see my new transcription and edit of the notation visit: http://issuu.com/almiasdraft/docs/tone-testament

Leila Waddell - Thelema: A Tone Testament

Live at Bang the Bore's Psychobabble event at the Hansard Gallery, Southampton, 2011.

Edit from video camera footage, a little reverb added to compensate for what was being reflected from the back wall of the gallery in performance, but which was not picked up by the camera.

Phil Legard, Layla Legard, Sara Sowah Sowah and Seth Cooke.

Orphic Prayer (Phil Legard)

0. Each participant writes down a secret statement of intent.

1. Remove the consonants and keep the vowels.

2. Associate one or more relevant godforms with the statement of intent.

3. Ring a bell.

4. Each participant works through their vowels at their own pace, harmonising or falling out of harmony and rhythm with the others.

5. At appropriate intervals, the bell is struck. This is the signal for the rightmost participant to begin introducing the names of godforms into his/her vocalisations as desired. Each time the bell is struck, another participant may begin to vocalise their godform.

6. In private performance, keep going until you 'make it'. An audience, however, may be more restless. Make what you can of your own endorphins and finish with a song to please them.

Xenis Emputae Travelling Band (live) - Orphic Prayer / King Orfeo

Unangled Spaces

Master Hydrangea Annus Horribilis

Don't Get Me Started

Blood Moon

This Soundcloud is used for sketches, experiments and occasional live documents. For my music see http://xetb.bandcamp.com/

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