Yup. Leland Smith is the guy who made SCORE, and probably stands in the
position to music publishing that Don Knuth does to text/book publishing. He
was interested in all sorts of music scores, with regard to automating
(maybe automizing) their production. He also had apparently instantiated a
synthetic rhythmicon in a PDP10 minicomputer, which in itself is pretty
noteworthy.
But my reference was to point out that Margaret Schedel had a recording of
the Smithsonian rhythmicon, and that she had sent a copy to David Mooney
(whose email is linked at the bottom of the page), and thus, regardless of
its quality, it does stand as an existing recording of an actual rhythmicon.
Margaret Schedel also should be contactable, but I haven't found a direct
email reference for her. Instead, Apple has a page devoted to her, and lists
Trinidad McAuliffe as the videographer who worked with her on the featured
project. Ms. McAuliffe has a web page with contact information here:
http://www.athinline.com/contact06.html
So it's possible that you could get a copy of the recording of the
rhythmicon that Ms. Schedel made either through Mooney or from her directly
if Ms. McAuliffe would be willing to act as a go-between to hook you up with
Ms. Schedel.
Another possibility is to contact the Smithsonian Music Instruments
department curator directly, but the only contact I can actually locate (on
short time and on the web) is *Dr. Kenneth Slowik*, music director. He's
into viola da gamba, though, so he might be crazy enough to also care about
Termin's instruments. At the least, he should be able to put you into
contact with the current curator of the collection that contains the
rhythmicon.
ray
On 10/26/07, David V <porphyrous@...> wrote:
>
> Ray,
>
> I've read several accounts of the Joe Meek story, and only about a third
> of them present the story as apocryphal.
>
> In the archival video I have of the Stanford conference, there is a
> gentleman, Leland Smith, who gives quite an extensive presentation on
> the rhythmicon, shows a score on an overhead projector, with commentary
> from Nicolas Slovinsky and a comment or two from Leon Theremin.
> Unfortunately, there are no performances in the video, just a scholarly
> panel discussion.
>
> -----
> DAVID VESEL -- synthetic music for humans
> -----
> Spellbound, a brief program of music for theremin
> Sunday 10PM-12AM http://spellbound.purplenote.com
>
> Ray Brohinsky wrote:
> > from http://www.city-net.com/~moko/rbackgnd.html,<http://www.city-net.com/%7Emoko/rbackgnd.html,>a site put together by
> > David R. Mooney
> >
> > In the course of research for an article published in *Organized
> > Sound<
> http://titles.cambridge.org/journals/journal_catalogue.asp?mnemonic=oso>
>
> > *, Margaret Schedel recorded the rhythmicon housed in the Smithsonian.
> The
> > sound is surprisingly percussive, almost drum-like. The pitch is unclear
> in
> > the recording she sent me and she, too, remarked on this fact. The
> samples
> > have been used in John P. Young's work, "Ars Algorhythmica," a piece for
> > didgeridoo and electronics performed at the SEAMUS 2005 conference in
> > Muncie, Indiana.
> >
> > At the bottom of this page, he also reports the apocryphal story that a
> > rhythmicon was found in a NY pawn shop, exported to a british studio,
> and
> > used in the scores of a bunch of movies, a tv series, and at least four
> rock
> > albums, which is reported as fact elsewhere on the web.
> >
> > There is a working rhythmicon reported to be held by the Smithsonian.
> > Perhaps, if anyone lives in or near enough to WashingtonDC, a
> pilgrimmage
> > can be arranged. I do know that the curator of the music division is
> very
> > interested that instruments that might qualify as 'antiques' be restored
> to
> > playing conditions and used, rather than made pretty and hung on walls.
> If
> > she is still in charge, it's my feeling that she'll be very much in
> favor of
> > someone wanting to research the beast, and schematics and mechanical
> > diagrammes might just be possible (either the Smithsonian might have
> them
> > already, or they might be willing to allow circuit tracing, etc. to be
> > done.)
> >
> > ray
> >
> > On 10/26/07, David V <porphyrous@...<porphyrous%40topicbox.com>>
> wrote:
> >> Hello,
> >>
> >> Does anyone know of any recordings featuring the rhythmicon? I've only
> >> found one thus far, a rather odd collection of ambient and avantgarde
> >> recordings of new compositions using a virtual rhythmicon. I understand
> >> that they aren't generally available -- only 2 were ever built? -- but
> >> there have been some simulations. I'm especially looking for any
> >> recordings of classical works written for the instrument.
> >>
> >> --
> >> -----
> >> DAVID VESEL -- synthetic music for humans
> >> -----
> >> Spellbound, a brief program of music for theremin
> >> Sunday 10PM-12AM http://spellbound.purplenote.com
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
> > AETHERPHON, the glocal thereminist community
> >
> > To contact the moderator, e-mail porphyrous@...<porphyrous%40yahoo.com>
> >
> >
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
