Opus 159 Particles from: Waves and Particles
for 8 unspecified microtunable instruments
Particles from: Waves and Particles was recorded in December 2011 at the same time as CD29 Waves, Op 159
From the Composer:
About the Music:
Richard Burdick writes: “I have been listening to this recording in the car for the last month, It’s really good if there is someone near you that is somehow annoying, you can blast this music that sounds like cars horns or a flock of geese and they look around like WTF.
The best track is track eight, and that’s the what you can hear for free, and really that’s all you need to hear to get a sense of the work.
This was recorded in 2011 and I sat on it so long that about five tracks got corrupted and had to be re-recorded. I am in the process of releasing things as soon as I can because if I have another computer crash, there is much less chance of a loss.
CD56 is in a way a catalogue of my I Ching scales version three.
Not much, almost nothing, using my I Ching scales version 3 has been released. It was a major step forward, but was quickly replaced with a system of 64 microtonal scale tonics, but not 64 scales where all eight tones of each scale are tuned outside of the equal temperament that we are so used to.
Wave opus 159 (CD28), was my first composition to be recorded that is music based on the “micro-tonal” version of my I Ching scales (v.3). For some reason in my liner notes for CD28 I referred to the scales v.3 as “equal temperament” They are in fact equal but not tempered. Using the Shau Yung I Ching circle each of the 64 steps is assigned a harmonic from the series where there are 64 tones in the octave. Then from the assigned tonic the half step, negative or broken I Ching lines I counted up 5 (four harmonics in between) and for whole step, positive or solid I Ching lines I counted up 9 (eight harmonics in between).
It is obvious to me that these Particles were very important for my development, BUT there are much better things to listen to such as CD47 I Ching Rhythms, Op. 209 for four horns or even better CD46 A Rainbow of I Ching triads, Op. 186
I have been working with the I Ching as a foundation for my musical compositions since around 1980, and been through a number of revisions of the interpretation. This and the current version of the I Ching scales (both v. 3 & 5) and tonal signatures are all based on the harmonic series F=10.8 hertz. This then includes A=432, which is the tone that naturally resonates with our bodies. The scales are really based on tones of the 64 harmonics in the 7th octave. Because the fundamental tone of 10.8 Hertz reduces numerologically to a 9, ALL the tones of the set also reduce to 9!
In this CD, we hear the waves going through all 64 keys of my third revision of the I Ching Scales. Each scales has its own key and each key in cycle is about 20 cents higher. Hearing these waves, I remember forgotten memories and I believe that is the process of waking up or turning on unused parts or connections in my brain, but the basting of all the tones together like this might be too much to activate because of the sensitivity needed.
As I recorded this (Fall 2010) I envisioned the analogy of a snail who’s whole life has been in the shell of the one theory of music. The snail looks outside the shell and see each being’s vibration in a different key and tonal signature. Love surrounds us; any concept of dissonance is and illusion since it is all so beautiful in the wholeness of God.
I believe this to be an important tool to aid in our evolution; wakening the brain to new sound waves.
We seldom get to hear the 64 harmonics in the 7th octave. I hope this helps in your evolution too.”
About the Recording:
This multi track recording was done in 2011 with a few re-recordings in 2021.
Cover Photo : Rug by R Burdick
About the Performer:
Richard Burdick as a musician:
French hornist: Richard O. Burdick is the first horn of Regina Symphony Orchestra and the Regina Symphony Chamber Players in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. He is a prolific composer.
His move to Canada in 2003, with his wife Rebecca and his two boys, marked the start of the fourth major period in his musical Career.
In the 1980’s Richard was first Horn of Napa Symphony, a member of a San Francisco based theater orchestra and played lots of chamber music as manager of Trinity Chamber Concerts, a chamber music series in Berkeley California.
Starting in 1990 he played fourth Horn full-time for Sacramento Symphony, which went bankrupt in 1996. He then won auditions for Fresno Philharmonic, Napa & North State Symphonies and played in Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera.
He is a prolific composer and has many self produced CD’s of his own compositions, Bach, his classical natural horn playing and multi-track performances of many of his favorite pieces.
He performs on a variety of horns, a baroque natural horn (1720), a classical era natural horn (1800), a romantic era (1840's) natural horn, a single F horn from the 1880's, his main symphony horn is a Brendan Model Finke triple horn.
He has also done many music related jobs such as arranger for Sacramento Symphony, librarian and personal manager for Sacramento Philharmonic, and manager of Trinity Chamber Concerts (chamber music series) in Berkeley, California for 19 years starting in 1984.
Chicago composer & pianist Michael R. Oldham uncorks a dazzling album of piano compositions, bursting with warm, uplifting melodies. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 30, 2021
This elegantly composed chamber album from Ellen Tsai has a playful feel, almost like the soundtrack to a storybook. Bandcamp New & Notable Aug 23, 2022
Argentine composer and guitarist Francisco del Pino achieves a stunning art-song hybrid on the first album to be released under his own name. Bandcamp Album of the Day May 19, 2021
