User:Natasa Siencnik/prototyping/notation

Ursonate

Sound poetry by Kurt Schwitters [1]

1 - Description
Following piece of music is based on Kurt Schwitter's composition Ursonate, an early example of sound poetry from the 1920s. The sonata consists of a written organization of phonetics, subdivided in four movements according to classic musical structures and is meant to be performed by a speaker in public. Schwitters states that "[…] as with any other reading, correct reading requires the use of imagination" [2], and encourages an alternation in rhythm, dynamic and density. However, no notes, tempi, or formal dynamics are given, allowing a variety of interpretations.

Amazed by this abstract piece, its patterns, repetition and analytic approach to language, I tried to develop a tonal interpretation of Schwitter's score. Using an analogy, the characters are translated to notes. Thus the phonetic notation is given an abstract tonal equivalent, resulting in a minimalistic and repetative sonic piece. What Schwitters requests in terms of dynamic and rhythm, cannot be directly translated, but is subject to an underlying pattern, which may result in tension through random dissonances.

2 - Input example

ursonate.txt

rakete rinnzekete
rakete rinnzekete
rakete rinnzekete
rakete rinnzekete
rakete rinnzekete
rakete rinnzekete
beeeee
bö 	üdrei
dreia
fö
         böwö
fümmsbö
         böwörö
fümmsböwö
         böwörötää
fümmsböwötää
         böwörötääzää
fümmsböwötääzää
         böwörötääzääuu
fümmsböwötääzääuu
         böwörötääzääuu pö
fümmsböwötääzääuu pö
         böwörötääzääuu pögö
fümmsböwötääzääuu pögö
         böwörötääzääuu pögiff
fümmsböwötääzääuu pögiff
         kwiiee

3 - Output example

g+ c+ f d a d g+ e f+ f+ b d f d a d 
g+ c+ f d a d g+ e f+ f+ b d f d a d 
g+ c+ f d a d g+ e f+ f+ b d f d a d 
g+ c+ f d a d g+ e f+ f+ b d f d a d 
g+ c+ f d a d g+ e f+ f+ b d f d a d 
g+ c+ f d a d g+ e f+ f+ b d f d a d 
c+ d d d d d 
c+ g a+ c+ g+ d e 
c+ g+ d e c+ 
d g 
c+ g b g 
d a+ f+ f+ a c+ g 
c+ g b g g+ g 
d a+ f+ f+ a c+ g b g 
c+ g b g g+ g a c+ c+ 
d a+ f+ f+ a c+ g b g a c+ c+ 
c+ g b g g+ g a c+ c+ b c+ c+ 
d a+ f+ f+ a c+ g b g a c+ c+ b c+ c+ 
c+ g b g g+ g a c+ c+ b c+ c+ a+ a+ 
d a+ f+ f+ a c+ g b g a c+ c+ b c+ c+ a+ a+ 
c+ g b g g+ g a c+ c+ b c+ c+ a+ a+ g g 
d a+ f+ f+ a c+ g b g a c+ c+ b c+ c+ a+ a+ g g 
c+ g b g g+ g a c+ c+ b c+ c+ a+ a+ g g d+ g 
d a+ f+ f+ a c+ g b g a c+ c+ b c+ c+ a+ a+ g g d+ g 
c+ g b g g+ g a c+ c+ b c+ c+ a+ a+ g g d+ e d d 
d a+ f+ f+ a c+ g b g a c+ c+ b c+ c+ a+ a+ g g d+ e d d

File:Ursonate.ogg

4 - Code

notes.sed

s/[a-b]/c /g
s/[c-d]/c+ /g
s/[e-f]/d /g
s/[g-h]/d+ /g
s/[i-j]/e /g
s/[k-l]/f /g
s/[m-n]/f+ /g
s/[o-p]/g /g
s/[q-r]/g+ /g
s/[s-t]/a /g
s/[u-v]/a+ /g
s/[w-z]/b /g

s/ä/f+ /g
s/ö/g+ /g
s/ü/d+ /g

wrap.sh

cat << END

@head {
    \$time_sig 4/4
    \$tempo 120
}
@body {
    @channel 1 {
        \$patch 1
        \$octave 4
        \$length 16

END
 
cat << END

    }
}

END

loop

for ((i=0; i<30; i++))
do
date | sed -f notes.sed | bash wrap.sh | midge -o ursonate.mid
timidity ursonate.mid -Ov
mv ursonate.ogg date$(printf '%02d' $i).ogg
done
oggCat ursonateloop.ogg ursonate*.ogg