Collatz is named after the Collatz Conjecture which is related to a simple algorithm: for any number n, if n is even divide it by 2, if n is odd multiply it by 3 and add 1. Any number will generate a sequence if you continue to put the result back into the algorithm. The Collatz Conjecture says that no matter what number you start with, you will always have a sequence with the number 1. This conjecture is famously unproven, but at the very least works for the numbers n = 1 through 9. The sequences created by those numbers are the basis for the form of this piece. My intention is to reveal this pattern of returning back to the number 1 by expanding this mathematical concept onto a musical landscape.

Links: Score

Recorded Performers: Benjamin Giroux and Subin Cho