Richard Heufkens, componist

The number Pi. Who hasn't heard of it. Has something to do with circles and math. I won't bore you with the details, but pi is a constant number, three, with a progression of decimal places. And not just any progression, but an endless progression that is never repeated anywhere.

That got me thinking. What if you replace those numbers after the decimal point with musical notes? Then you get an infinitely varying melody. Could that produce beautiful music?

To link a pitch to each digit, I had to come up with a key. A scale has only seven notes. Think of the seven white keys on a piano; they are in the scale of C major. If I add the scale of C minor, I have four notes that are identical in both scales. Joining those two together, you get ten notes - just what I needed.

But just putting the notes you get one after the other, doesn't yield beautiful music. Nobody would ever want to listen to this. Music calls for harmony, and the ear finds rest in repetitions. The initial digit three offered a solution here, in the form of the three notes of a triad.

On to the melody. Groups of notes, introducing pi's decimals, in motifs. Pi always determines the note, but I take the liberty of choosing the position and length of each note. And once introduced, those motifs may also be repeated.

By using variations, you do indeed get music, music that can sometimes be abrasively dissonant and sometimes surprisingly harmonious, but always interesting. Judge for yourself through this link.

De eerste zes delen zijn gebaseerd op de cijfers van pi. Deel zeven is een vrije expressie van eerder geëxposeerde thema's. Daarnaast zijn er twee bonustracks: een extra lange versie van deel vier en een ingekorte versie van het tweede deel, ter begeleiding van dit vrolijke filmpje:

Each piece has its own unique quality. Parts 1 to 6 are based on pi's digits. Part 7 is a free expression of previously exposed themes. Two bonustracks have been added: an extended version of Part 4, and an abridged version of Part 2 to accompany this uplifting video:

			Go back A composition for orchestra, based on the mathematical constant pi's numbers. And you can download the music here.
At the bottom of this page is a description of how this piece of music came about. You can also watch the introductory video below. Introductory video. Short explanation about the creative process for this composition. Of course, the music is also available in stereo with a mixed sound image. The music files are available here for a very modest fee. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The number Pi. Who hasn't heard of it. Has something to do with circles and math. I won't bore you with the details, but pi is a constant number, three, with a progression of decimal places. And not just any progression, but an endless progression that is never repeated anywhere. That got me thinking. What if you replace those numbers after the decimal point with musical notes? Then you get an infinitely varying melody. Could that produce beautiful music? To link a pitch to each digit, I had to come up with a key. A scale has only seven notes. Think of the seven white keys on a piano; they are in the scale of C major. If I add the scale of C minor, I have four notes that are identical in both scales. Joining those two together, you get ten notes - just what I needed. But just putting the notes you get one after the other, doesn't yield beautiful music. Nobody would ever want to listen to this. Music calls for harmony, and the ear finds rest in repetitions. The initial digit three offered a solution here, in the form of the three notes of a triad. On to the melody. Groups of notes, introducing pi's decimals, in motifs. Pi always determines the note, but I take the liberty of choosing the position and length of each note. And once introduced, those motifs may also be repeated. By using variations, you do indeed get music, music that can sometimes be abrasively dissonant and sometimes surprisingly harmonious, but always interesting. Judge for yourself through this link. De eerste zes delen zijn gebaseerd op de cijfers van pi. Deel zeven is een vrije expressie van eerder geëxposeerde thema's. Daarnaast zijn er twee bonustracks: een extra lange versie van deel vier en een ingekorte versie van het tweede deel, ter begeleiding van dit vrolijke filmpje: Each piece has its own unique quality. Parts 1 to 6 are based on pi's digits. Part 7 is a free expression of previously exposed themes. Two bonustracks have been added: an extended version of Part 4, and an abridged version of Part 2 to accompany this uplifting video: