Podcast1024: Ripples by Carl McTague

Young composer and mathematician Carl McTague explores the interface between mathematics, music, and computation. He composed the experimental piece Ripples Through Pitch Space by releasing particles into a one-dimensional potential field. Actually, he simulated this within a computer by means of a discrete numerical integrator. He interpreted the particles’ positions as pitch, and their velocities as
rhythm; roughly speaking, the faster a particle moves, the more frequently its pitch is heard. Since the simulated space is continuous, or at least nearly so, many wonderful microtones emerge. Listen to how the tense, exotic sonorities relax onto more familiar, consonant ones, at least most of the time. For more detailed information, please read his online concert notes.

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