To Conlon Nancarrow, a tribute / pastiche for the centenary of his birth

Here, as in many works by Nancarrow, a machine is exploring polyrythmical worlds that are too complex to be mastered by the human hand.

— Francis Dhomont [English translation: François Couture, ix-20]

Machin de machine was realized in stereo in 2012 at the composer’s studio in Avignon (France). It was commissioned by Amici della Musica di Cagliari, at Lucio Garau’s request, for the 2nd Festival di musica contemporanea de Cagliari (Italy). Machin de machine was awarded an Honorable Mention at the international electroacoustic music competition Musica Nova 2012 (Prague, Czech Republic). The work was reimagined and developed into an eight-channel piece in December 2012 at the composer’s studio in Avignon. More complex and longer by 40 seconds, this new piece became Machin de machine 2. In 2020, the stereo version was struck from the composer’s catalogue, and the eight-channel version took over the original title Machin de machine.

Composition

• September 2012, version 2.0: Personal studio, Avignon (Vaucluse, France)

Revision

• December 2012, version 8.0: Personal studio, Avignon (Vaucluse, France)

Premiere

• September 19, 2012, Premiere of the stereo version: Festival di Musica Contemporanea di Cagliari: Concerto acusmatico: Manfredi Clemente, Aula Magna — Facoltà di Scienze della Formazione — Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy)
• July 12, 2013, Premiere of the 8-channel version, under the title Machin de machine 2: Meister im Konzert: Francis Dhomont, SeaM Werkstattstudio — Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Weimar (Thüringen, Germany)

Awards

• Honorable Mention, Category A (fixed medium), Musica Nova 2012, Prague (Czech Republic)