Not a lot to say about this one beyond the pretentious aspirations to ‘serious music’ and corrupt forms of insecure knowledge demonstration. Study in D emerged from a simple question: What are the emergent characteristics of a piece as it evolves through changes in tempo, time signature, and mode? Further, how might this vary with differences in instrumentation across ages or spaces? Study in D was written and recorded by Lugubrious 78 and released on November 28, 2025.
Using the same underlying score, Study in D is presented as a modern electronic piece (“Disparate”) and as a trimmed-down orchestral piece (“Desperate”), with almost identical patterns repeated throughout. Each piece consists of 17 sections. A full breakdown of the algorithm governing the changes between sections is provided in Lugubrious 78 (2026). Briefly:
- The first 8 sections ascend in D major with the tempo defined by the frequency, and the number of beats in a bar defined by the wavelength of the same frequency, descending where all other parameters increase.
- There is then a leap up an octave and a corresponding doubling of the tempo, after which scale and tempo descend, but the number of beats irregularly increases.
- The descent is thrown into disarray, first by the hint of scale change with a naturalised C. The desperate deceit of D dorian is revealed in the next section when the B is likewise shifted down a half step. The descent in D minor is confirmed but ambiguous.
- And so on…
Each section lasts roughly 90 seconds. The original intention was to release each as an individual track. These may have fallen foul of modern limitations on artistry when attempting to disseminate musical works through popularly available channels (for example, apparently too many short tunes game the system; silence is not allowed; track titles must follow particular formatting rules).