“Wild Rose, Winter Garden” is a result of an online collaboration between myself and Paulo Chagas.
Although the making of this album spanned just before the Covid-19 pandemic started in the USA and Portugal in January 2020 and an apex of it in January 2021, we already had many years of experience of sending music files electronically to each other and responding to each other.
Online collaborations have a unique quality to them. It is possible that the receiver could rearrange what is received, but that is not how Paulo and I have worked on collaborations. We have accepted each other’s pieces, basically like recorded musical scores. We listen very closely to what is given, and respond with what we feel are the appropriate sounds.
For this album, I started the two “Wild Rose” pieces, using the Mosesa13, and Paulo added his parts using a bass clarinet and a flute. Paulo started “Flowing Parsley” (alto sax), “Wet Thyme” (flute) and “Winter Garden” (prepared piano, Tibetan bowls, mark tree (chime tree)) and I added my parts using the Mosesa13.
The mosesa13 is an instrument that I have been developing since 2012. Paulo Chagas has supported the development of the mosesa by collaborating with me since then for various albums and pieces. I am currently working on the 14th version.
It is a bowed string instrument, using 4 bass guitar strings bowed with an Erhu bow (Chinese two stringed bowed instrument). I use the Erhu bow because I can change the tension of the hairs while I am playing. It is very light so I can play a full range of very light pressure to heavy pressure, not unlike bow use for the Persian kamānche.
The body is played in a horizontal position held up by a percussion stand. It allows me to have almost full access to the string spectrum. I have learned how to bow close to where I stop the strings (without a neck, pointing, gripping to lightly touching the strings) as well as close to the bridge and everywhere in between to create sounds in degrees of pure tones to tones that are made to sound out overtones. Paulo mostly concentrates of wind instruments, but in “Winter Garden” he also plays various tuned percussion instruments.
Enjoy!
Wilhelm Matthies
3.21.21
Wilhelm Matthies, mosesa13 parts, mixing and mastering, photography and graphics.
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Paulo Chagas, bass clarinet, flute, alto sax, Prepared piano, Tibetan bowls, mark tree (chime tree
paulochagas.weebly.com
released March 21, 2021