POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Alemba musical instrument made by Moya Henderson and Alan Forester

Object No. 87/886

This unique instrument, the Alemba, is one of only two complete instruments invented, designed and made by Australian composer Moya Henderson. The instrument is significant both for its association with a leading Australian composer and for its innovative approach in creating a keyboard percussion instrument. As an alternative to other tuned percussion, that could be used in both orchestral and ensemble settings, it also complements other more established examples such as tubular bells, xylophones, marimbas and vibraphones. It is also significant by illustrating the combined disciplines of music, design and science within the one instrument. The Alemba is representative of the design process from initial conception to collaboration with scientists and craftsmen with the technical knowledge to realise the originator's invention. In 1976 composer Moya Henderson was commissioned by Helfried Hagenburg, a Düsseldorf artist, to write a piece of music to accompany his sculpture which was made of 27 triangular objects made from steel rod. Similarity in the size of the rod made the tones produced limited. Encouraged by her teacher at the time, Mauricio Kagel, in early 1976 Henderson experimented with getting different sounds from a single triangle suspended by a cord. She also placed the lower half of a plastic mineral water bottle on the cord when the triangle was struck by a soft beater. The sound produced was different to the usual sound coming from a triangle and in Henderson's words; "It was a beautiful sound and I knew I was on to something." (Henderson, 1984, p.9). From this beginning Moya Henderson further developed the idea eventually creating a series of triangles covering three chromatic octaves and using tuned resonators. With an initial grant from the Australian Department of Productivity in 1980 Henderson was able to make a prototype with a more manageable keyboard layout to the triangles allowing a single player to use the instrument. The grant contributed towards gaining the assistance of Carl Nielsen of Nielsen Design Associates to design a frame, Albert & Douglas MacDonald to assist with bending the triangles using a job specific machine and Dr Rob Dunlop of the School of Physics of The University of New South Wales to assist with spectrum analysis to enable more accurate tuning of each triangle. This treble version of the alemba was completed in 1983 and used in a performance of Janacek's Glagolitic Mass by the Sydney Symphony orchestra conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras. The bass alemba in the Powerhouse Museum's collection is also significant having been used in performance by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and supported by the renowned Australian conductor, the late Sir Charles Mackerras AC CH CBE (1925-2010). Reference M Henderson; 'The Discovery of a New Musical Sound' in The Bulletin of the Australian Acoustical Society, Vol. 12 No.1, April 1984, p9 Further Reading: JI Dunlop; 'The Acoustics of the Alemba' in The Bulletin of the Australian Acoustical Society, Vol. 12 No.1, April 1984, pp.12-14. NH Fletcher; 'Tuning a Pentangle - A new musical vibrating element', in Acoustica, No.55, 1984, pp.12-14. M Henderson; 'The Discovery of a New Musical Sound' in The Bulletin of the Australian Acoustical Society, Vol. 12 No.1, April 1984, pp.9-11. M Henderson & N Fletcher; 'The Tosca Alemba - Ringing the Changes' in The Journal of the Australian Association of Musical Instrument Makers (JAAMIM), September 1994, pp.30-40. 'Moya Henderson' (Represented Artist Profile), Australian Music Centre, Sydney http://www.australianmusiccentre.com.au/artist/henderson-moya Michael Lea, Curator, 2012