kalimBAO

for one kalimba player and electronics
with a poem by Daniil Charms
for Jennifer Hymer

Whilst writing kalimBAO which is dedicated to Jennifer Hymer I had a recording of Astrud Gilberto in my head where the bresilian jazz star sings a certain bossa nova entitled ÑBerimbaoì. Berimbao is an instrument played in brasilian cupueira: it has a long string which is hit with a stick. Often a certain rhythm appears which is also quoted in this bossa nova piece. I used this rhythm and some other fragments in my composition, often rather hidden. This is where the hybrid title kalmBAO comes from which also reflects the characteristic sound of a kalimba tone: The combination of kalimba and berimbao.

The kalimba is tuned to two different interlocking overtone series which then provide the microtonal material for the piece. Their fundamentals are a major second plus 31 Cents apart (7:8 interval in just intonation). So there chords in just intonation available if one stays within the material of one overtone series. And there strange complex intervalls and very small intervalls available.

An african instrument combined with a manipulated brasilian rhythm using some french-like harmonic approach composed by a german composer - to this constellation you have to add a short bizarre poem by the russian writer Daniil Charms (1905-1942) which now breaks up the purely musical structures and comments on them. Then you get this hybrid being which I called kalimBAO.