nathaniel bartlett modern marimba w w w. n a t h a n i e l b a r t l e t t. c o m
bio»»» I was born in 1978 in Madison, Wisconsin. I studied at the Eastman School of Music, the Royal Academy of Music (London), and privately with the renowned marimbist, Leigh Howard Stevens. As an integral part of being dedicated to an instrument of our time, I am also dedicated to the music of our time constantly seeking out composers with whom to collaborate in the creation of new repertoire for the instrument. Recent collaboration projects include new works from Jon Forshee (Verse From the Aethersphere), Allan Schindler (Precipice), Augusta Read Thomas (Silhouettes), and Greg Wilder (Interlude). Within the world of new music, I am particularly interested in the integration of computers and other electronics in live performance, creating a high definition, multi dimensional, sound environment. «««In October 2005, I finished the recording for my debut solo album. The disc, a hybrid multi channel super audio CD entitled Precipice, will be released by Albany Records in August 2006. www.nathanielbartlett.com www.albanyrecords.com
my music An excerpt from Precipice (for marimba and computer geneated sounds), by Allan Schindler, which I commissioned in 2003.»»» The computer generated sounds were originally conceived for a high definition, multi channel, sound environment. Many of the computer generated sounds heard in this composition were derived from recordings of me at the marimba. In many instances, these marimba samples have been broken into tiny grains and then reassembled. These conglomerations of tiny sound grains form, as Schindler has put it, timbral necklaces which create new and beautifully complex sounds.» I specialize in serious Western art music of our time on an instrument of our time the modern marimba. In addition to performing works for solo marimba, many of the works in my repertoire involve high definition, ambisonic (multi dimensional or surround sound ), computer generated sounds. Through the use of a high powered computer, other electronics, and multiple high definition speakers, I am able to project and move sound anywhere in a concert space total immersion in sound. In fact, the computer generated sounds relate quite well to the visual arts in that concepts of objecthood and spacial structure become a part of the musical fabric.
ambisonic audio»» Through complex mathematical formulae, and a minimum of four loudspeakers (placed at the four corners of the audience), a true multi dimensional sound stage can be created. Not only can the computer spacialize sounds (create the perception that a sound is near or far, right or left, front or back), but the computer can also give sounds motion, and move them around through the concert space (with the option of utilizing or defying the Doppler effect). Rhythm, pitch, timbre, intensity (loudness). These were the basic parameters that a musician had to manipulate to create music. Now, with the advent of computers and other electronics, there is a fifth parameter: spacialization. The spacialization and motion of sounds now create their own textures within a musical composition. The sound of my instrument is a critical component of my art, and a critical component of the sound of my instrument is the acoustic nature of the space in which I am performing. In a very real way, a concert hall is an instrument that a musician plays during a recital. However, not all spaces (in particular small spaces) have a sound that is well suited for solo marimba. Through the use of the hardware and software components of my system, along with my rectangular loudspeaker array, I can synthesize desirable acoustical properties in nearly any space. This allows me to perform in a much greater range of venues, and to bring my music to a much wider audience.
high definition audio»»» There are two main components to standard digital audio: sampling rate and bit depth. The device that digitizes sound essentially takes a snapshot, or sample, of the sound wave at regular intervals (the sample rate). CD audio has a sampling rate of 44.1 khz (44,100 samples per second). I work with a sampling rate of 96 khz (!), more than twice as dense as CD audio. With each of these samples, the number of 0s and 1s (binary) that can be used to describe the sound is determined by the bit depth. CD audio is 16 bit which is 2 16 (65,536) 0s and 1s. I use audio that is 24 bit. 2 24 is a VERY big number (16,777,216). This means that the sounds are of a more refined nature (like the difference between High Definition TV and regular TV), and there is a wider dynamic (volume) range in which they can exist. In short, it just sounds better. vs. high def multi channel
performances» Universities and Colleges Carthage College Colorado State Universty Eastman School of Music Florida State University Michigan State University Oklahoma City University Rowan University University of Arkansas University of Central Arkansas University of Notre Dame of Maryland University of Wisconsin Eau Claire University of Wisconsin Oshkosh West Chester University William Patterson University Where have I performed? One of the few places where new music is alive and well is the academic community, so many of my performances take place in the music schools of Universities and Colleges. In addition to a performance, many of these engagement also include a masterclass and/or presentation. Outside of the academic world, I have performed in a wide range of venues venues of many different sizes and acoustics. As I mentioned above, my computer system and speaker array allow me to create an excellent concert hall acoustic in nearly any space. Modern marimba anytime, anywhere! Other Venues Andrea Clearfield Salon (Philadelphia, PA) Artspace (Richmond, VA) Borås Kulturhus. (Borås, Sweden) Chazen Museum of Art (Madison, WI) Christ Church (Rochester, NY) Edward M. Pickman Concert Hall (Cambridge, MA) Kirby House LHS Summer Marimba Seminar (Elberon, NJ) Mills Hall (Madison, WI) Philadelphia Ethical Society (Philadelphia, PA) The Red Room (Baltimore, MD) Taliesin Hillside Theater (Spring Green, WI) University City Arts League (Philadelphia, PA)
my marimba» The bars of my marimba, sixty one in all, spanning a range of five octaves, and just over nine feet (three meters), are made out of Honduras Rosewood. They are arranged in the same manner as a piano keyboard (white keys and black keys), and are tuned to a similar, equal tempered system. Under each of the bars hangs a brass tube called a resonator, creating a column of air that resonanates and increases the volume of the instrument. My marimba was made in Asbury Park, New Jersey, by Malletech. The sound of the marimba is produced by striking the bars with mallets. Depending on where, how, and with what kind of mallet the bar is struck, the marimbist is able to control the sound of the instrument. As you can see in the photo on the cover page, the marimbist plays with four mallets simultaneously two in each hand which can quickly be moved closer together or farther apart in order to reach different intervals. The modern marimba is essentially an instrument of our time, both in its design and repertoire. Although still a bit off the radar screen of the mainstream classical music community, many of the greatest composers of the 20th and 21st centuries have composed works for the instrument. All facets of the marimba design, repertoire, and performance technique remain in a period of rapid evolution and growth.
contact» e mail: nathaniel@nathanielbartlett.com studio: 610 526 9113