Nunc fluens facit tempus, nunc stans facit aeternitatem
Orreliquum is an algorithmic instrument for modern plainchant performance, built by composer and synthesist Jeffrey Pierce. It sonifies the musical residue time leaves behind.
This site serves as it's program notes, visualizing data the instrument is built on:
- the Tridentine calendar, which fixes what was sung on any given day
- Medieval cosmology, planetary ephemerides and the music of the spheres
- A large body of chant, analyzed for mode, rhythm, cadence and melodic shape
- Tuning ratios, the Guidonian hand, and the rubrics of chant performance
Live performance dates and album release coming in late 2026
Inquiries: salve@orreliquum.com
Calculations and analysis come from tonus, an open source library written for this project