Wednesday 10 April 2019

Scoppiatori Burster Exploder progress

I've started work on the Scoppiatori. To be honest I don't know if these upright Intonarumori were listed as the Scoppiatori/ Burster/ Exploder but mine will make the noises Russolo described these machines as making. I have a plan and intend to use a number of string/ drum hitting mechanism to affect a variety of sounds. However these will change during the construction process, as new possibilities are suggested and my understanding of these machines is furthered.

In response to historical press reports of brass plates and bellows being inside an intonarumori, I'm going to include the plates of a xylophone (technically a glockenspiel) and possibly bellows. The xylophone can of course be used to create the 'noises like the bursting of objects that break and shatter', which Russolo mentions but, I'm also looking to get the xylophone played conventionally within the intonarumori. This is because Russolo in his book, the Art of Noises, talked about a xylophone being added to his orchestra of Intonarumoris because of it's clear dry timbres...' making an interesting contrast to the complex timbres of the noise instruments'. 

Here I've started to add three 'swinging arms', which through activating the levers will bring the motors and their effects into play against the string and drum.