This work considers anachronism as a condition of art’s production. It draws directly on works by Georg Philip Telemann, borrowing rhythmic motifs, and even requiring the viola to detune to resemble the viola da gamba. The cultural objects composed by Telemann have manyfold indexicality; as biographical artifacts, sheet music, memories, phonograph recordings, digital streams, etc. These identities are further refracted when placed on a modern instrument and paired with live electronics and aleatoric elements. This work aims to combine the old and new, and make ambiguous sounds that are human/nonhuman. It is this ambiguity that will speculate upon the future. It helps us imagine a space different from historical performances; one where the performer can evolve from a phonograph-like automaton, a mere mouthpiece for representation of historical objects, into a triumphant robot, a signifier of rebellion that, through repetition, degrades the object until they have as much power of voice as their would-be master/creator/composer. To represent the ongoing degradation of the work, the program for every performance should fill in the blanks in the title with the date of the performance.

This work was written for violist Aaron Michael Smith as part of a commissioned concert titled “re/pro.”