An engram is the trace of a memory in the brain. Engrams exist physically through the constellation of interconnected neurons. Engrams and our ability to memorize – and to forget – is central in music. We understand a musical event in relation to events that existed earlier in the composition and now only survive in our memory.

Engrammes for saxophone quartet and live electronics begins with a forceful 2-minute ending. The music continues however, and most of the piece paints how the impact of these 2 minutes exists in our memory, and how the impression transforms and fades away.

The music is based on a quartertone harmony. The computer listens to the performers and extends the chords they play, based on the pitches it detects. In some sections, the micro-intonation in the live electronic part is closely conducted by the saxophones’ performance. All electronic sounds are generated through sound synthesis.

          - Ö. Sandred

This work was commissioned by Quasar with the financial support of the Quasar Creative Fund.