Speak Percussion and Four Winds - Bell Curve at Four Winds

NOMINATION: Excellence in a Regional Area

NOMINATION: Excellence in a Regional Area

For activity undertaken in a regional area, utilising Australian repertoire to create a positive impact for the local community. A regional area is defined as Australian areas outside of capital cities.

If you believe you are nominated in the wrong category or the details of your nomination to be incorrect, please contact the AMC via email at awards@australianmusiccentre.com.au before proceeding with the nomination.

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Nominee

Speak Percussion and Four Winds

Nominated Project/Activity

Bell Curve at Four Winds

Nominator Statement
Four Winds and Speak Percussion collaborated to bring the work 'Bell Curve' to the community in the South Coast of NSW. Developed closely with musicians from the community alongside professional musicians from Speak Percussion, the work was presented at the Windsong Pavillion.

Bell dissects the finest details in rhythm, pitch and resonance to unlock the pristine beauty of Victorias Federation Hand Bells. Using wireless networked click tracks and a quadraphonic sound system, twelve Speak Percussionists surround the audience playing perfectly syncronised attacks and timbral colours. Bell Curve explores complex mathematical and spatial relationships between acoustic sounds. Imagine a massed unison attack on 12 bells being gradually split apart; whilst the time between each attack expands, so too do the positions of the sound sources in space. Many of the compositional techniques are derived directly from physics including the motion of pendulum action and drawing inspiration from the recent detection of gravitational waves.

Harmonic relationships between the bell pitches and sine tones are determined spectrally. A spectral analysis of the Federation Hand Bells (achieved by identifying each of the prominent overtones constituting its bell sound) underpin both the exact tuning and harmonic material of the work as well as generating powerful acoustic phenomena such as difference tones or a perceived bending of overtones. The exactitude required to execute such complex musical ideas is achieved through the custom built technology for triggering independently networked audio cues to each performer.

Eligibility checklist

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