Commission from the Musicacoustica Festival, Beijing: 8-channel work using world music samples, 18’45”.

Programme note: : Shortly prior to starting this work I heard Issho-ni (Together, 2014, 31’) in which the composer, Hans Tutschku took a variety of forms of traditional music from across the globe, combined them elegantly seeking to achieve a form of unity. This work, E Pluribus Plures (Out of Many, Many, 2021) departs from the point of view that the world’s diversity of music is rich and running the risk of both dilution and extinction due to the greater homogeneity and prominence of commercial forms of music available today. The work intends therefore to celebrate our universal love of music whilst equally celebrating its wonderful diversity in which the known and the unexpected seek to find cohesion (coexistence) through their variety. E Pluribus Plures is meant to act as a metaphor for our need to respect cultural diversity in all of its forms. The word respect is integral to my attitude regarding each and every sample used no matter how they were recomposed. No sample in the piece was altered in any manner beyond removing unexpected glitches. Special thanks to Sato Naomi for re-recording the one online sample that didn’t work (for Japanese shō). Despite its title, E Pluribus Plures forms part of the Old / New series. The recording below is a binaural version.