Five parts reflecting a journey through I - Emergence, II - Evolution, III - Division, IV - Spring and V - Retreat

As biological systems are structured, this music follows a bio-inspired construction principle to reflect structural features at distinct, non-self-similar scales and mechanisms. Each part follows its own evolution in the flow of musical concepts, but the series of five parts in turn follow a pattern, at a larger scale. These multiple scale construction principles, rooted in variations of themes while retaining a set of order, reflects a realization of the Universality-Diversity-Principle, in musical form.  

Emergence defines the roots, and sets the foundation.  Evolution brings about change and transformation. Division reflects the fine struggle between distinct outcomes - life or death. Spring represents the victory of life.  Retreat represents the return to a dormant, cooler, state, from which emergence can commence yet again.

--

Swamps are incredibly interesting ecosystems that produce variations of materials and conditions across the seasons. Interfacial in nature, they live at the division between solid and liquid, and evolve continuously. They recycle, change, and adapt, and materialize the actions of variegated species over time.

Swamp Variations: Emergence, Evolution, Division, Spring, Retreat

Molecular structures are translated into a multi-instrument score, focused on the nuclocapsid spike in SARS-CoV-2 interacting with an antibody molecule. The complex piece, resembling the entanglement of three protein chains, is analyzed and a series of musical fragments are extracted (parts I, II, III, IV and V). The parts build on each other and are organized in increasing complexity, I being the simplest and V being the most complex version.

N Spike Antibody Fragment V

The construction of biological matter, and life itself, features striking similarities with musical creativity. In my research, I have explored these relationships with a combination of biology, chemistry, as well as mathematical and music theoretical tools. 

Listen here how dinoflagellate (a single-celled organism with two flagella, occurring in large numbers in marine plankton and also found in fresh water)  induce hierarchical vibrations translated to musical form.

Superfluous Dreams (Violin Adagio) - Part V

Superfluous Dreams (Violin Adagio) - Part VIIII

Swamp Variations: Emergence, Evolution, Division, Spring, Retreat 

Part of a series of 5 parts: This is Evolution.

Ambient version (reduced orchestration, focus on piano and flute, string instruments)

Swamp Variations - Part II - Evolution (((AMBIENT SPACE VERSION )))

Swamp Variations: Emergence, Evolution, Division, Spring, Retreat 

Part of a series of 5 parts: This is Spring.

Swamp Variations - Part IV - Spring

Swamp Variations: Emergence, Evolution, Division, Spring, Retreat 

Part of a series of 5 parts: This is Emergence.

Swamp Variations - Part I

Swamp Variations - Part I - Emergence

Protein resonances inspire a minimalist evolution of ideas across the resonances of piano and solo strings. The structure evolves slowly as the motion of jellyfish, a natural hydrogel, in water. Ethereal resonance.

The series of short pieces is based upon this musical reflection of infection, inverting the original molecular attachment: https://soundcloud.com/user-275864738/coronavirus-spike-protein-bound-to-ace2

Piano And Cello (VI)

Ethereal Resonance: Protein Inspiration - VI (PIano and Cello)

Swamp Variations: Emergence, Evolution, Division, Spring, Retreat 

Part of a series of 5 parts: This is Evolution.

Swamp Variations - Part II - Evolution

Swamp Variations: Emergence, Evolution, Division, Spring, Retreat 

Part of a series of 5 parts: This is Division.

Swamp Variations - Part III - Division

Protein resonances inspire a minimalist evolution of ideas across the resonances of piano and solo strings. The structure evolves slowly as the motion of jellyfish, a natural hydrogel, in water. Ethereal resonance.

Piano And Cello (VIIII)

Ethereal Resonance: Protein Inspiration - VIIII (PIano and Cello)

A musical experiment with proteins, coyote, bells, guitar, and a rooster. This is an audible journey through a variety of natural sources of sound, invoking various forms of life, materials, as well as electronic synthesis methods.

Typically, sound is made from vibrating a material, like a guitar string, and music is made by arranging sounds in hierarchical patterns. Here we explore a variety of modes of sound generation - from string vibrations (guitar), to protein vibrations (molecular music), to animals (coyote and rooster), to bells, and a few other unusual sources. In one sweep, our ears pick up all of the features a complex hierarchical system: pitch, timbre, volume, melody, rhythm, and chords.

Music, as a universal language, connects people across the world. More so, it allows us to explore the physical features of matter - both living systems and inanimate - in their ability to generate sound through energetic excitation. Hence, it is a model of our shared humanity. And we can cross scales and species, as done in this piece, where we visualize distinct organisms like animals, materials, and humans interacting in a sort of virtual jam, in musical space.

Energy Equilibrium: Proteins, Coyote, Bells, Guitar, and a Rooster (((Ambient Version)))

Swamp Variations: Emergence, Evolution, Division, Spring, Retreat 

Part of a series of 5 parts: This is Retreat.

Swamp Variations - Part V

Swamp Variations - Part V - Retreat

Ethereal Resonance: Protein Inspiration - VII(PIano and Cello)

Ethereal Resonance: Protein Inspiration - I (PIano and Cello)

Markus J. Buehler is the McAfee Professor of Engineering at MIT, and a composer of experimental, classical and electronic music, with an interest in sonification. Using an approach termed "materiomusic", his artistic work explores the creation of new forms of musical expression - such as those derived from biological materials and living systems - as a means to better understand the underlying science and mathematics. One of his goals is to use musical and sound design as a novel and abstract way to model, optimize and create new forms of matter from the bottom up, and to assess cross-system design relationships. He is also interested in research to explore relationships between classical music, mathematics, and the physical and biological sciences, an in the mapping of models of consciousness across systems. In recent work he has developed a new framework to compose music based on proteins – the basic molecules of all life, as well as other physical phenomena such as fracturing, to explore similarities and differences across species, scales and between philosophical and physical models. 

Contact: mbuehler@MIT.EDU

Swamp Variations - Part IV - Spring

Markus J. Buehler

Related tracks