WebernUhrWerk

Generative Music Generator in Memory of Anton Webern
© 2005-2020 by Karlheinz Essl

vs. 5.0 (64bit)     NEW released: 28 Apr 2020

With authentic bell sounds from the Belfry Carillon (Ghent, Belgium)!

Like all of Karlheinz's shareware, this is extraordinary. Weird interface, strange nomenclature and completely original. On the web radio station I will someday open (www.robotradio.net) this music and the other Essl soundscapes will be the signature sound. Don't put radio on computers -- put the computers on the radio! MacMusic - 6 Sep 2006 -

For Whom the Bell Tolls

WebernUhrWerk (translated: Webern's Clockwork) was composed as an open-air sound installation for the 60th anniversary of Webern's death which took place on 15 September 2005 on the market place at Mittersill. A loudspeaker placed into the open roof window of the city hall was connected to the audio output of this program. Every quarter of an hour, a short musical phrase with a Carillon sound was played which could be heard all over the city - like the sounds of bells ringing every 15 minutes.

For those having troubles to run the my computer program „WebernUhrWerk”, I have created a really long recording that you can use on any computer. Just start it at the beginning of a full hour and let it run. When finished, you can repeat the piece as long as you like. Be aware that the piece consists mostly of silence! You will hear a short Carillon phrase exactly every 15 minutes - just like a church bell. If you wish, you can also download the file in order to play it from your mobile device.

Compositional Aspects

12-tone row of Webern's unfinished op. 32

This series serves as the basic material for a composition algorithm that generates music in real time which never repeats itself. The row is subjected to an algorithm that uses the structure of the series as its own permutation program. The pitch classes are then mapped onto fixed registers of which 6 different models are existing - minor seconds, major seconds, minor thirds, major thirds, a combination of minor and major seconds and finally a sort of all-interval row. Each model is represented by a twelve-tone chord where each pitch class occurs in a fixed register.

For each quarter of an hour, four individual compositional models have been created. Although their outlines are defined, infinite variants are obtained by utilizing random procedures and aleatoric methods for constructing the rhythmic structure.

Programming Aspects

WebernUhrWerk 4.0: graphical user interface
© 2018 by Karlheinz Essl

System Requirements

• Apple Macintosh computer
• MacOS X (10.6 or higher)

• Intel PC
• Windows XP
• Quicktime

License

• Attribution: You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor.
• Noncommercial: You may not use this work for commercial purposes.
• No Derivative Works: You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work. For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work. Any of these conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder.

Your fair use and other rights are in no way affected by the above.

Freeware Notice

Download

WebernUhrWerk 5.0 (64bit) - for macOS 10.14 or higher    NEW released 28 Apr 2020: ZIP archive (33.8 MB) - with real Carillon sounds!

WebernUhrWerk 4.0 - for macOS 10.8 or higher released 1 Aug 2018: ZIP archive (42.3 MB) - with real Carillon sounds!

WebernUhrWerk 3.2 - for Mac0S 10.6 or higher released 18 Aug 2015: ZIP archive (29.2 MB) - with real Carillon sounds!

WebernUhrWerk 2.3 UB - for MacOS 10.4 or higher (PPC and Intel) released 12 Jan 2011: ZIP archive (7.8 MB) - with Quicktime sounds

WebernUhrWerk 2.1 beta - for Windows XP released 10 Sep 2006: zip archive (2.1 MB) compiled for Windows XP / Windows 2000 by Nesa Popov

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Updated: 1 May 2020