Traffic for strings is based on a time expanded version of the original structure used in Traffic for brass quintet. Timbral and dynamic choices, pitch distributions, and the way in which time is perceived in the work reflect an aesthetic borne from my experience in the manipulation of sound and time and the use of random processes in computer music. Recorded live at Merkin Hall in NYC and performed by the S.E.M. Ensemble, Petr Kotic conducting. © 2005 Philip Mantione
Traffic for brass quintet is based on pitches and rhythms derived from a transcription of a field recording of traffic sounds in NYC. The original durations from the transcription were expanded many times over and intuitive choices influenced the orchestration for brass regarding octave displacement, timbral manipulation and dynamics. The result is an eight minute soundscape where individuals emerge from and recede into a texture of largely sustained harmony, anarchic in its origins but fixed in its present form. The same underlying structure was used as the basis for Traffic for strings, a piece for string orchestra premiered at Merkin Hall in NYC by the SEM Ensemble, conducted by Petr Kotik. © 2003 Philip Mantione
Brass Quartet is based on melodic fragments chosen at random. The sharp attack unique to brass instruments is exploited through the simultaneous use of repeated notes that accelerate in one line, slow down in another, and remain constant in another, creating rhythmic and timbral complexity. Throughout the piece, polarized ideas of meter, texture and dynamics stubbornly coexist. © 1995 Philip Mantione
E Pluribus,Pluribus is for any five, pitched instruments and tape which includes randomly placed and panned fragments from recorded live performances of previous works. Although players are given a specific number of notated pitches to perform within each time period, the actual sounding pitches and timbre will vary depending on the instruments used. The underlying structure is based on relative intervallic distances, specific sectional durations, and contrasting articulation and dynamic indications. © 1997 Philip Mantione
Ochlokratia for orchestra incorporates computer generated random events that provide the foundation for harmonic, melodic and rhythmic content. Aleatoric devices are used to create complex and chaotic rhythmic textures. Shifts from metered to non-metered music and their coexistence define states of flux or stasis. The title of the piece, Ochlokratia, was chosen at random from Webster’s Dictionary. It is the Greek root of the word ochlocracy, defined as government by the mob or mob rule. © 1996 Philip Mantione
image: Ochlokratia, 1996, pencils, graphite, and nails on wood © 1996 Philip Mantione
In Random 25 for string quartet, constantly shifting timbres and microtonal colors evolve as the consensual timein the beginning of the piece, gives way to an independent or individual notion of temporal space. Performed at Dixon Place in NYC by the Kaleidoscope String Quartet. © 1999 Philip Mantione