June 5, 2016

Tom Johnson’s NINE BELLS
Performed by John Eagle

Tom Johnson’s seminal piece for solo performer lasts, in the words of the composer, “about three miles”. Split into nine movements, the performer walks nine different shapes using the nine bells as coordinates, striking the bells along with the footpath to create a sonic doubling. Johnson then alters the patterns through delay/canon to create two simultaneous shapes. It is not a multimedia piece so much as a geometrical abstraction which takes place in sound and space. John Eagle’s new setting of the piece utilizes a set of justly-tuned bells to make this simultaneity even more specific, placing the shapes on a plane of harmonic space. The spatial relationships of musical pitches reinforce and are reinforced by the shapes of Johnson’s piece.

John Eagle is a composer, performer, and sound designer. His recent work prescribes harmonic environments (often paired with other systems) in which players move independently, taking a cue from harmonic modeling techniques developed by composers Tom Johnson, James Tenney, and others. He has contributed music for songwriters Michael Douglas, Jon Borcherding, and Tavo Carbone. In interdisciplinary work, his music and sound design has been heard in collaborations with artists Janie Geiser, Cassia Streb, Randolyn Zinn, Allen McCullough, and Dina Janis.