Meara O'Reilly Hockets For Two Voices

The practice of hocketing is defined by splitting a melody across multiple parts, often in very surprising ways. While the form dates back to the vocal music of medieval Europe, it is also found in music from all over the world. Meara O'Reilly is a composer and artist who focuses on perception and new musical interfaces. She has presented her work at National Sawdust, Los Angeles' Walt Disney Hall, San Francisco's Davies Symphony Hall, The Bauhaus Dessau, and as part of Bjork's world Biophilia tour. She is also the co-creator of the Rhythm Necklace app, a musical sequencer that uses two-dimensional geometry to create rhythm. Hockets for Two Voices is a series of seven hockets composed for two performers. (O'Reilly performs both vocal parts on the recording.) Each piece explores a variety of instances where the listener might involuntarily fuse sequences of notes into melodic patterns, despite differing sound sources. In the entire series, there are never more than two notes occurring at one time, although it's easy to perceive that there are many more. In the field of music cognition, this is referred to as pseudo-polyphony, or melodic fission. Early versions of these pieces were commissioned by visual artist Tauba Auerbach for a 2016 performance and installation at The Kitchen in New York City. Photographs of Auerbach's sculptures appear in the packaging for the Hockets EP.