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** The Music and Science list is managed by the Institute of Musical Research (www.music.sas.ac.uk) as a bulletin board and discussion forum for researchers working at the shared boundaries of science and music. **

MESSAGE FOLLOWS:



Dear all,

A reminder that tomorrow at 2pm, Dr John Eacott will present the seminar 
/Environmental sonifications 'Hour Angle' and 'Flood Tide'/.

The seminar will take place in room 105 in the Electronic Engineering 
Department, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 
4NS. Directions of how to get to Queen Mary are available at 
http://www.elec.qmul.ac.uk/newsevents/c4dm-seminars.php as are details 
of future seminars. The room is under access control, so people from 
outside QM will need to contact C4DM to get in - the lab phone number is 
+44 (0)20 7882 7480 and if I'm not available, anyone else in the lab 
should be able to help. If you are coming from outside Queen Mary, 
please let me know, so I can make sure no-one's stuck outside the doors.

All are welcome to attend. For those unable to do so, a video recording 
of the seminar will be streamed live and also made available online 
after a few days. Please see the above website for details.

If you wish to be added to / removed from our mailing list, please send 
me an email and I'll be happy to do so.


*Tomorrow's seminar (13 May, 2pm):*

Title:
*/Environmental sonifications 'Hour Angle' and 'Flood Tide'/*

Speaker:
*Dr John Eacott
School of Media Arts and Design
University of Westminster*
www.informal.org


Abstract:
Hour Angle and Flood Tide are musical works generated from gradually 
changing environmental data. Hour Angle uses calculations of the 
position of Earth and Sun while Flood Tide uses live readings of tidal 
flow. Common to both works are a set of algorithmic processes that 
translate the data into musical values. A software process that I now 
call LiveNotation is used to display the values as musical notation that 
appears on computer screens and is read and performed by musicians. In 
this presentation I will discuss the ideas behind the work and the 
processes and considerations used to generate music illustrated with 
extracts of previous performances.

Bio:
John Eacott is a trumpeter and composer whose career started in the 
1980s with anarchic jazzers Loose Tubes and post-industrial metal 
bashers Test Dept.  In the 1990s he focused on composing many works for 
Theatre including the worldwide touring production of Gormenghast for 
the David Glass Ensemble and arrangements for the 2002 Royal Shakespeare 
Company production of Timon of Athens. Film scores include the Miramax 
feature Three Steps to Heaven (1995), Escape to Life with Vanessa 
Redgrave (2000) and jazz arrangements for Alfie starring Jude Law 
(2003). His many television soundtracks include the BBC documentary 
series In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great BBC2 (1997).  His 
orchestral compositions have been performed and recorded by the Scottish 
Chamber Orchestra and Docklands Sinfonietta. Previous algorithmic / 
generative works include The Street, an interactive sound environment 
(2000), Morpheus, a CD Rom of generative electronica (2001), and 
Intelligent Street, a sound space in which users alter their sound 
environment by sending text messages (2003). Since the completion of his 
PhD in 2007, John has focused on making accessible live performances 
using algorithmic composition methods to sonify environmental data. His 
tide sonification Flood Tide has been performed 9 times including 
performances at the Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford Upon Avon, 
Greenwich Royal Observatory and Thames Festival London 2009. He is 
Principal Lecturer in music at the University of Westminster, London.



Emmanouil Benetos
--
Centre for Digital Music (C4DM)
Electronic Engineering Department
Queen Mary, University of London
[log in to unmask]
Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 7480
Fax: +44 (0)20 7882 7997

C4DM Web-site : http://www.elec.qmul.ac.uk/digitalmusic/index.html