Music from Second Sound: How Advanced Physics Inspired Der Rufer for percussion quartet

Summary, in English

This report will discuss how principles from the advanced physics of cryogenics influenced my composition Der Rufer for percussion quartet. In this paper I explain how I translated information and concepts from superfluid helium (He II) to music composition. Achieved using different methods ranging from purely intuitive to quasi-quantitative, I transferred the following eight principles from ultra-cold physics into organized sound, including: anisotropy, isotrophy, vortices, vortex rotation, bifurcations, mutual friction, turbulence past an obstacle, and second sound. Written for Professor Olaf Tzschoppe, director of the Bremen Percussion Quartet, this work is the first result of a planned long-term collaboration with J.G. Weisend II, a Deputy Head of Accelerator Projects at the European Spallation Source (E.S.S.).

Keywords European Spallation Source (E.S.S.), Superfluid turbulence, Music composition, Art-science collaboration, percussion instruments.

• Author: Michael Edgerton
• Department/s: Teachers (Malmö Academy of Music)
• Publishing year: 2023-11-20
• Language: English
• Pages: 29-38
• Publication/Series: Emille: the Journal of the Korean Electro-Acoustic Music Society
• Volume: 21
• Issue: 2023
• Links: http://keams.org/emille/emille/emille_21/emille_21_4.html
• Document type: Journal article
• Topic: Music
• Keywords: European Spallation Source (E.S.S.); Superfluid turbulence; music composition; Art-science collaboration; Percussion instruments
• Status: Published
• Project: composition, 1985 to current; Collaboration between European Spallation Source (Weisend) and the Malmö Academy of Music (Edgerton); vibraphone - multiphonic harmonic
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISSN: 2233-9302