Microtonal Music by Samuel Pellman

Selected Nebulae

M45 for digital sounds in 4-TET M6th temperament

Click to hear a stereo mix of the surround sound version: mp3 file (2.8 MB)

Click here to go to vimeo.com to see the video by Miranda Raimondi!

NGC 2080

for digital sounds in just intonation

Click to hear a stereo mix of the surround sound version: mp3 file (3.5 MB)

Click here to go to vimeo.com to see a video by Miranda Raimondi!
Click here to go to vimeo.com to see another video by Miranda Raimondi!

NGC 2818 for digital sounds in just intonation

Click to hear a stereo mix of the surround sound version: mp3 file (2.7 MB)

Click here to go to vimeo.com to see a video by Miranda Raimondi!

3C461 for digital sounds in just intonation

Click to hear a stereo mix of the surround sound version: mp3 file (3.6 MB)

M17 for digital sounds in just intonation

Click to hear a stereo mix of the surround sound version: mp3 file (4 MB)

Click here to go to vimeo.com to see a video by Miranda Raimondi!

NGC 1999 for digital sounds in just intonation

Click to hear a stereo mix of the surround sound version: mp3 file (2.6 MB)

Click here to go to vimeo.com to see the video by Miranda Raimondi!

NGC 6357 for digital sounds in just intonation

Click to hear a stereo mix of the surround sound version: mp3 file (2.6 MB)

Click here to go to vimeo.com to see a video by Miranda Raimondi!

Selected Planets

Messenger

for digital sounds

The pitches of the principal sounds in the texture are tuned in a 5-limit just intonation based on the harmonic series of a Thunder Tube.

Click to hear a 35 second audio clip from the middle of the piece: mp3 file (556K)

Click here to go to YouTube to see the video by Lauren Koss!

Perelandra

for digital sounds

This piece employs a large amount of pitch bending and pitch motives based on a scale comprised of nine equal divisions of a just major third.

Click to hear an audio clip from the piece:

  • from Phrase 3, an mp3 file (1 MB, 66 seconds)
  • from Phrase 4, an mp3 file (948 K, 60 seconds)
  • from Phrase 5, an mp3 file (460 K, 29 seconds)
  • from Phrase 8, an mp3 file (1.2 MB, 82 seconds)
  • from Phrase 9, an mp3 file (1.4 MB, 95 seconds)

Click here to go to vimeo.com to see the video by Lauren Koss!

Vaporis Congeries Magnae

for digital sounds

This Csound piece is tuned in a 7-limit just intonation.

Click to hear a 22 second audio clip from the middle of the piece: mp3 file (352K)

Click here to go to YouTube to see the video by Lauren Koss!

Neptune Flyby

for digital sounds

This piece is for the most part constructed of pitches in 12-TET. However, there are occasional microtonal embellishments, as heard in this 68 second audio clip: mp3 file (1 MB)

Click here to go to vimeo.com to see the video by Lauren Koss!

Dancing in the Dark

for digital sounds

The pitches for this piece are those found in a scale based on twenty equal divisions of a perfect fifth, with middle-C as the tonic. Each of these divisions is slightly larger than an interval of 35 cents, and the result is very similar to Wendy Carlos's gamma tuning. A special property of this scale is that it can be used to form very pure major and minor thirds, and so the tertian harmonies used in this piece are therefore quite clear and beautiful.

Click to hear a 66 second audio clip: mp3 file (1 MB)

Click here to go to YouTube to see the video by Lauren Koss!

other microtonal music:

"Lament for renown and grace" from the
Suite from "MacBeth"

for digital sounds in two channels

The pitches for this piece are those found in a scale based on nineteen equal divisions of octave (i.e., 19-TET). A special property of this scale is that it can be used to form very pure minor thirds and major sixths. As this movement illustrates, it also provides more than the usual complement of chromatic embellishing pitches.

Click to hear a 10 second audio clip: mp3 File (189K)

"Midnight Madness" from the
Suite from "MacBeth"

for digital sounds in two channels

This movement is certainly xenharmonic! Its most salient feature is an apparently endlessly descending set of glissandi (an example of an aural illusion known as Shepard tones).

Click to hear a 53 second audio clip: mp3 File (819K)
or 19 second audio clip: mp3 File (315K)

Foonly Tunes for digital sounds in two channels

Click to hear a 23 second audio clip: mp3 File, 384K
or a 17 second audio clip: mp3 File, 288K
   
To obtain performance materials or for further information, please feel free to contact me!



The music on this site, including original music as well as arrangements, is copyrighted. Please feel free to download any samples for your listening enjoyment. However, before you use them in any other way (e.g., in a commercial project or a non-commercial one), you MUST have the permission of the copyright owner.
For further information, contact me at this address.