Would you like to understand a complex classical music piece in a new way?
Click on the above video and listen to the Igor Stravinsky's score The Rite of Spring without watching it for a few minutes. Then start the video again, watching the visualization that music animator Stephen Malinowski has created.
What did you experience while only listening versus listening-and-viewing?
Wondering what this color and movement mean? Malinowski explains it on his Music Animation Machine notation page:
Each note is represented by a colored bar (see diagram below).
--- The bars scroll across the screen from right to left as the piece plays, and each bar lights up as its note sounds (so you can't lose your place).
--- The length of each bar corresponds exactly to the duration of its note as performed (not in any way "quantized").
--- The vertical position of the bar corresponds to the pitch -- higher notes are higher on the screen, lower notes are lower.
--- The horizontal position indicates the note's timing in relation to the other notes.
Feedback I have heard from people who have viewed this (summarized):
I can't usually listen to music like this, but seeing it captivated me, and I was able to listen to it.
I now totally understand what the composer was trying to do and have a new appreciation of classical music.
This type of music must be so difficult to write!
How can I get access to that software?
Malinowski's musical visualizations are an excellent example of how displaying information in alternative formats can increase understanding and engagement.
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This piece recently won the 2014 Information is Beautiful Awards in the Community category.
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NPR wrote about Malinowski's work last year close to the 100th anniversary of Igor Stravinsky's ballet of the same name
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To see many “re-rites” of the Rite of Spring, including Malinowski's, check the Pacific Symphony's the ReRite of Spring Project.
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More of Malinowski's animated graphical scores are available on his YouTube channel.
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To understand how Malinowski's Music Animation Machine (MAM) has evolved over decades (from static illustrations to moving images, assisted by changing technologies) check out his MAM timeline.
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