Multitemporal music is composed using sound streams that have different internal
tempi or
pulse speed, for example one part at 115
bpm and at 105 bpm at the same time. This particular ratio between two tempos was proposed by Valerio Camporini Faggioni in a series of recordings and documented in 'Polimetri, Poliritmi and Multitemporal Music'. Multitemporal music was first heard in US-Mexican composer
Conlon Nancarrow's work, discovered by Hungarian
György Ligeti, who undertook the task of bringing Nancarrow's music to the fore. To overcome the limits posed by a human performer in playing a multitemporal score Nancarrow used two modified
player-pianos, punching the rolls by hand. One of the few recordings of this composer's work is found in Wergo's "
Studies for Player Piano" series. The idea was then proposed by
Iannis Xenakis in the early seventies and more recently by Italian born composer Valerio Camporini Faggioni using synthetic and software devices. A similar technique, with the tempi similar to each other is
rhythm phasing – a technique introduced by
Steve Reich and used especially in
minimalist and
post-minimalist music. ==See also==