1,369 (2021) Performance score for any instrument
1,369 is a live-generated score within Max/MSP. The patch is coded to generate a random integer between 0 and 12 and runs the interval of 2100 bpm. Each number corresponds to a key on the chromatic scale, a total of 13 different tones. As the patch runs, a musician (or musicians) play the note that corresponds to the integer on the screen. The sound is recorded live through a microphone that plays back into two monitors that are facing each other. Throughout the course of the performance, the natural resonance of the room causes the speakers to interact with each other. The piece runs the duration of 1,369 notes, at which point it is complete. This work was inspired by Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man.
The number 1,369 is derived from the amount of lightbulbs the invisible man has in his residence in the underground. The random number generator reflects the fluidity of the invisible man’s mind and experiences as well as the improvisational aspect of jazz music that we hear throughout the text. The two monitors face one another so as to have conversation with each other throughout the piece. At various points this causes excess reverb and feedback amidst the alternating frequencies. The piece can either be recorded or exist as part of any individual iteration of the performance. Because the generator outputs random numbers, no iteration of this score will ever be the same.