A multimedia investigation into musical tunings

Machine Project, a Los Angeles-based arts organization, will visit CSU Monterey Bay for two public events Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 15 and 16, sponsored by the Teledramatic Arts and Technology Department and the Monterey Bay Film Society.

On Thursday at 6:30 p.m., writer Colin Dickey, artist Nicole Antebi and musician Chris Kallmyer will explore a bit of musical history and the controversy it has generated.

In overlapping performances, they will explore the difference between two rival pitches – 440 Hz and 432 Hz. Sound and music consist of vibrations; the more vibrations per second, the higher the pitch. The unit for measuring this is the Hertz, abbreviated Hz.

The natural “keynote” in the universe is 432 Hz; 440 Hz is the standard used today. Dickey will trace the history of the war for correct musical tuning, a debate that has raged for two centuries and has involved the French government, the British Broadcasting Corp., and Joseph Goebbels, among others.

Antebi will accompany the talk with a two-channel video “tinkering” with the shape of sound while Kallmyer creates pitch-altered recordings of Wagner, sine tones and live instruments.

On Wednesday at 7 p.m., Kallmyer will give a talk about Machine Project, its work and approach to sound programming.

Both presentations will be held in the TAT Studio on Sixth Avenue adjacent to the World Theater. Both are free, supported by the Broadband Technology Opportunity Program in partnership with the Monterey County Office of Education.

Driving directions and a campus map are available here.

Photo of Chris Kallmyer by Alex Stephens