Video still from live performance © Tate 2005

The Sixth Sick Sheik's Sixth Sheep (sic)

Olias Nil was commissioned to make a new 'aural' score for The Sound of Heaven and Earth.

Performance recording: The Sixth Sick Sheik's Sixth Sheep (sic) by Olias Nil
Copyright for the content of this work remains with the original author/s ©
See below to download composer's notes, score and script / instructions

During both the rehearsal and performance, Olias Nil followed his own written script (as provided below), weaving his way amongst the musicians, whispering instructions.

The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick is reputed to be the most difficult tongue-twister in English. Using this tongue-twister may be a breach of copyright at the very least. I’ve relinquished any claim of total authorship, but that's cool, I haven't told the players what to play either. All I’m doing is asking them to copy each other's sounds. The title copies the original tongue-twister's sound, but on paper, it gets it wrong. It may be guilty, then, of copywrong. But the point of a tongue-twister is to copy wrong. If it were easily copied right, it wouldn't be a tongue-twister. That little (sic) at the end means it was wrong to begin with & that being wrong is acceptable. This piece is about copying wrong and having that little (sic) at your disposal - not apologetically, but philosophically. I might have called it 'toy boat'.

Olias Nil, 2005

Download visual and written representations of the score as spoken in real time during the performance by Olias Nil, moving physically amongst the ensemble and whispering instructions in cycles, as noted in the downloadable documents.

Composer's notes, score and script / instructions by Olias Nil

Instrumentation included: Bass by John Edwards, Bass Saxophone by Tony Bevan, Electronics by Andrew Morgan, Electronics and Flutes by David Toop, Harp by Rhodri Davies and Cello by Neil Heyde. The ensemble was put together by Andrew Morgan.

Produced in collaboration with Tate Modern, the Goethe Institute London and the London Consortium.