Fram
Sounds from a large humming top
2002 (14′40″)
Electro Intrumental Music
In co-operation with Stefan Hößle and with support of the gallery Rachel Haferkamp the big top Fram was built in Nürnberg in the spring 2002. The top is named after the research ship of Fridtjof Nansen and has a diameter of 90 cm. Fram is one of the largest, sounding humming-tops of the world. Fram has 12 accordion tongues and a 6-voice chord (the remaining tongues are octave doublings). From this top sound partial upper tones were derived by means of filters and transpositions. I watched the Fram sound with a magnifying glass, listened to its inner self and let it tell its history.
The composition Fram is quiet and arranged in a meditative way. It is a reminiscence of the original tops from China, which were used during magic celebrations.