Salomon's sound-houses

(
2006
)
Composer: Roderik de Man
for saxophone quartet and electronics

Salomon's sound - houses for saxophone quartet and electronics was requested bu the Quasar saxophone quartet to whom the work is dedicated and commissioned by the Funds for the Creation of Music.

The title of this work was taken from "The New Atlantis" by Francis Bacon published in 1627. The description of Salomon's sound houses is as follows :

"We have sound-houses, where we practise and demonstrate all sounds, and their generation. We have harmonies which you have not, of quartet-sounds, and lesser slides of sounds. Divers instruments of music likewise to you unknown, some sweeter than any of you have; together with bells and rings that are dainty and sweet. We represent small sounds as great and deep; likewise great sounds extenuate and sharp; we make divers tremblings and warblings of sound, which in their original are entire. We represent and imitate all articulate sounds and letters, and the voices and notes of beasts and birds. We have certain helps which set to the ear do further the hearing greatly. We were tossing it; and some that give back the voice louder tahn it came; some shriller, and some deeper; yea, some rendering the voice differing in the letters of articulate sound from that they receive. We have also means to convey sounds in trunks and pipes, in strange lines and distances".