Of Hammered Gold (2000, rev. 2006) Baroque ensemble and computer
…But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make
Of hammered gold and gold enamelling
To keep a drowsy Emperor awake;
Or set upon a golden bough to sing
To lords and ladies of Byzantium
Of what is past, or passing, or to come.
— W.B. Yeats, Sailing to Byzantium, 1927
Musical automata of various types were common in the 17th and 18th century.There were elaborate chiming clocks, music boxes, even strange machines that attempted to capture the vocal qualities of particular singers. Stanford Professor Emeritus taught me the enormous impact that these machines had on music of the 18th century. These machines influenced the aesthetic of game like combinatorics of music of the period just as music influenced the mindset of inventors of these devices.
A particularly popular machine was called the bird organ – small keyboard instruments that were supposed to entice and teach birds to sing along with them. A famous portrait by Chardin in the Louvre shows a woman playing her bird organ to a caged canary.
The idea of recreating the tie between mechanical instruments and a Baroque ensemble seemed a natural approach to combining interactive electronics with period instruments. The ensuing thought of having the computer be the ‘bird organ’ that is ‘played’ but also ‘teaching’ the ensemble was irresistible. That an ensemble like American Baroque was not only willing but enthusiastic to develop these ideas with me is an honor and a joy.
Of Hammered Gold was commissioned by Chamber Music America for American Baroque.