God only knows

‘God only knows’ is based on the beautiful song written by Brian Wilson. [It wasn’t at obvious choice for variations at that time but I’m gratified that ‘Pet Sounds’ (where the track comes from) has since been voted ‘the best album of all time’ by professionals in the music industry!]

My piece develops the technique of translation first tried out in 'Translations from the Original', and applies it to this theme.

I chose it because within the 12 bar chord sequence the harmonies flow superbly through a number of Key centres. As soon as I thought of the idea, I had to discover what that would sound like when translated to other harmonies. I feel a bit guilty now of having tampered with something profound – I’m not sure I would want Brian Wilson to hear the results, even though I did the best I could.

This extract is taken from a transfer of tape of a recording I made at Goldsmith’s College in 1991.

If you'd like to know more about this technique of 'translation' click here

If you've already read the essays about frequency translation and want to know more about 'God Only Knows' click here