a piece for viola and electronics (2019), c. 11:30

If you’re interested in performing Telesphorus, please contact me at benliebermanmusic@gmail.com.

Telesphorus was composed for Lauren Siess, and premiered at Arete Gallery in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, on May 15th, 2019.

The electronics in Telesphorus are to be controlled during performance using MAX/MSP and a MIDI foot controller (a MIDI keyboard sustain pedal is the best bet). Another option is to have a second person trigger the electronics. The MAX patch is designed to be responsive to both a computer keyboard or a MIDI controller. More detailed instructions are provided in the score.

Program Note:

Telesphorus takes its name from an inscription on a stone carving by the Swiss analytical psychologist, Carl Jung. Translated from the Greek:

This is Telesphorus,
 who roams through the dark regions of this cosmos
 and glows like a star out of the depths. 
He points the way to the gates of the sun and to the land of dreams.

What better metaphor for music, for the act of composition: like a star out of the depths?

Telesphorus draws its pitch material primarily from the C harmonic series. The scordatura tuning allows the player to reliably achieve higher order harmonics in the same series (i.e., C) not reliably attainable in standard tuning.

The electronics in Telesphorus are all derived from recordings of Lauren Siess’ viola and breath. In this, Lauren becomes a “spectral spectre,” lurking in the compositional shadows: player, accompanist, material progenitor.