OSINISSA

Ossinissa was the last aboriginal king of the El Hierro, the smallest of the Canary Islands.  He was also my 12th great-grandfather.  His submission to the conquistador Hernán Peraza the Elder in mid-15th century marked the start of Spanish domination of the island.

This Metaludio uses a processed image of a tilted Savin Juniper tree (typical of El Hierro) as a source of musical material.  Using various software programs, the image was converted into sound (WAV) and subsequently into a MIDI file, which served as raw material to compose the piece.  The overall form and general harmonic scheme stems from the converted image.  This material was later highly ornamented and dynamically shaped.   The piece also incorporates quotes of a traditional melody from El Hierro's folklore in several places