LUIGI RUSSOLO - Risveglio di una Citta

JEAN COCTEAU - Les Voleurs d'Enfants

MARCEL DUCHAMP - La Mariee Mise a nu par ses Celibataires, Meme

from Futurism & Dadaism Reviewed

Marcel Duchamp, "The Bride Stripped Bare by her Bachelors, Even. Erratum Musicale"

THE BRIDE STRIPPED BARE BY HER BACHELORS, EVEN. ERRATUM MUSICAL (1913) by Marcel Duchamp.

Realization by Donald Knaack
(Manuscript/Mrs. Marcel Duchamp. Time: 15:04)

The Erratum Musical bears the same title as Duchamp's "Large Glass". It proposed an elaborate compositional process utilizing chance operations to create a new musical alphabet. The score consists of a manuscript that describes the compositional process and how to realize it. Duchamp states that the composition may be performed on a player piano, mechanical organ or any other new instruments for which the virtuoso intermediary is suppressed. Once an instrument has been chosen, the compositional process may begin. The process requires the following: a large funnel, five open-connected wagons and numbered balls. There must be one numbered ball for each sound (timbre and/or pitch) the chosen instruments) is capable of producing.

Each one of the five wagons represents a predetermined time period. The balls are all placed into the funnel and fall at random into the wagons which are pulled under the funnel. Once the funnel is empty, and all the wagons have passed under, the balls are removed from each wagon and notated in sequence of removal. The duration of each note is determined by the number of balls in a given wagon in relation to the assigned time period of that wagon (e.g., numerous balls in a wagon = less proportioned-space between notes; fewer balls = more proportioned-space between notes). Dynamics are left to chance in each performance. The completion of the process yields one period with five sections. The process may be repeated if additional periods are desired.

For my realization I chose to make new percussion instruments from glass that suppress the virtuoso intermediary. Glass was chosen because of Duchamp's interest and work with glass and transparency. The instruments include twelve types of wind chimes, a xylophone made of glass rods, a xylophone made of bottles, wine glasses, tube chimes and glass maracas. There are 24 instruments and 95 timbres.

There are three simultaneous process-realizations on this recording.

DONALD KNAACK, Percussionist. Recorded, remixed and mastered at Atlantic Recording Studios, New York, N.Y. Recording & remix engineer: Bobby Warner. Mastering engineer: George Piros. PRODUCED BY ILHAN MIMAROGLU. (r) (c) 1977 Finnadar Records Printed in U.S.A. Donald Knaack has performed with the Louisville Orchestra, Manhattan Percussion Ensemble and the Center of the Creative and Performing Arts, State University of New York at Buffalo. His performances include concerts in the U.S. and Europe, premieres of percussion solos by Charles Camilleri, Luis DePablo and Yannis Xenakis. Mr. Knaack is a recipient of a 1976 CAPS Award.

Notes by DONALD KNAACK

Donald Knaack wishes to acknowledge: Harald Bode, John Cage, Walter Gajewski, Robert Moog.