Steven Bryant

This is the flexible/adaptable instrumentation version of The Machine Awakes, which includes parts for all band and orchestra instruments + electronic accompaniment. The same electronics files/apps (see below) work with this version. In addition, I’m making available the component audio tracks (“stems”) for ensembles to remix and experiment with in making new versions of the piece. These files will be available here, very soon.

Program Note

The Machine Awakes is the sound of something not human (but of humans hands) – something not entirely organic, but most definitely alive – waking for the first time. From the opening swirling textures, we sense the first hesitant sparks of thought, attempting to find form and coherence. This new machine – sentient, aware – comes fully awake, possessed of emphatic self-determination and unfathomable purpose.

The performance electronics for this work are triggered from a computer (Macintosh or Windows) via a self-contained program, freely downloadable from this website, or from an iPhone/iPad/Android device, using the apps available on the Apple App Store ($0.99) and Google Play store ($0.99).

Technical Info

The music is mostly based on a rising minor scale. Alternate octaves and more difficult passages are included in selected parts for more advanced musicians (notated as small, cue-sized notes), but these are entirely optional. The piece is fairly malleable, so if there’s a particular passage that your musicians cannot master, that shouldn’t rule out the work. If you have questions, you are always welcome to contact me!

View Instrumentation List