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, organized in four movements according to classical 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 notation. Like an equation, the characters are translated to notes. Thus the phonetic notation is given an abstract tonal equivalent, resulting in a minimalistic and repetative musical piece. What Schwitters requests in terms of dynamic and rhythm, cannot be directly translated, but is subject to an underlying mathematical pattern, which may result in tension through random dissonances.
2 - Input example
3 - Output example
4 - Code
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
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]/h /g
s/ä/f+ /g
s/ö/g+ /g
s/ü/d+ /g
g+ c+ f d a d g+ e f+ f+ h d f d a d
g+ c+ f d a d g+ e f+ f+ h d f d a d
g+ c+ f d a d g+ e f+ f+ h d f d a d
g+ c+ f d a d g+ e f+ f+ h d f d a d
g+ c+ f d a d g+ e f+ f+ h d f d a d
g+ c+ f d a d g+ e f+ f+ h d f d a d
Bd d d d d
c+ g a+ c+ g+ d e
c+ g+ d e c+
d g
c+ g h g
d a+ f+ f+ a c+ g
c+ g h g g+ g
d a+ f+ f+ a c+ g h g
c+ g h g g+ g a c+ c+
d a+ f+ f+ a c+ g h g a c+ c+
c+ g h g g+ g a c+ c+ h c+ c+
d a+ f+ f+ a c+ g h g a c+ c+ h c+ c+
c+ g h g g+ g a c+ c+ h c+ c+ Ua+
d a+ f+ f+ a c+ g h g a c+ c+ h c+ c+ Ua+
c+ g h g g+ g a c+ c+ h c+ c+ Ua+ g g
d a+ f+ f+ a c+ g h g a c+ c+ h c+ c+ Ua+ g g
c+ g h g g+ g a c+ c+ h c+ c+ Ua+ g g d+ g
d a+ f+ f+ a c+ g h g a c+ c+ h c+ c+ Ua+ g g d+ g
c+ g h g g+ g a c+ c+ h c+ c+ Ua+ g g d+ e d d
d a+ f+ f+ a c+ g h g a c+ c+ h c+ c+ Ua+ g g d+ e d d
wrap.sh
cat << END
@head {
\$time_sig 4/4
\$tempo 120
}
@body {
@channel 1 {
\$patch 1
\$octave 4
\$length 16
END
cat << END
}
}
END