MELUSSYNE
Melussyne draws inspiration from the figure of European folklore and mythology, a spirit of fresh water. Melussyne is commonly depicted as half woman, half fish (much like a mermaid). The piece employs pre-recorded electronics launched at specific moments. These include image-to-sound transcription of fractal (self-similar) images, as well as a sampled piano tuned in the Bohlen-Pierce tempered scale, which divides the twelfth into thirteen equal intervals (13-ET), as opposed to our usual chromatic scale which divides the octave in twelve (12-ET). Inside-the-piano extended techniques are also used in this metaludio, including string harmonics and the use of superball mallets to produce whale-like sounds. Psychoacoustics play also an important role in the piece. Many sonorities are crafted by carefully combining specific pitch and dynamics sets with precise timing to give the illusion of new, sometimes electronic-sounding sonorities.