Looking to add some artistic flair to your surroundings? Check out teenage engineering CH-8 Hatshepsut, one of eight wooden dolls designed to serenade you with a repertoire of choral classics as well as perform your own original compositions through MIDI over BLE.
Hatshepsut hails from Egypt and has a mezzo soprano vocal range. Made from solid Beech wood with an internal speaker module that performs solo or within the choral ensemble with up to 15 choir members. The speaker module is rechargeable and provides up to four hours of play time. The choir can be paired with the OP-1, OP-Z, or any other BLE MIDI keyboard as well as the Ortho Remote for start/stop and volume control. Hatshepsut ships with a USB cable for charging and updates.
At a Glance
- Vocal range: Mezzo soprano (A3 to F5, 220 to 698 Hz)
- The wood pattern is unique to each doll
- 3-4 hours of continuous singing time
- Can be paired with OP-1 field, OP-Z, and any other midi keyboard as well as the Ortho Remote for start/stop and volume control
Behind the Curtain
The pre-programmed repertoire of classic songs have been created and performed using an algorithm based on counterpoint melody, a compositional technique that refers to the independent but complementary relationship between two or more lines of melody played at the same time.
Tap, Tilt, or Smack
To get the choir started, they need a helping hand. A sensor inside the speaker module reacts to vibration and movement, so controlling choir is a playful experience in itself. Gently tap the doll on its head or on the table to trigger play or pause, or tilt the doll left or right to decrease or increase the volume accordingly. If it gets annoying, it can handle a little smack to turn it off.
Presenting the Ensemble
Based on cultures and characters from across the world, every doll is unique and has its own vocal tonality. While each is given their own voice type, a single doll can customize their vocal range to sing a dynamic solo performance. When more than one member of the choir are placed together, in any combination, they communicate with each other, and recognize the choral members in range, joining in a full choral experience.
Full Repertoire of Songs
- Silent Night: Franz Xaver Gruber, Joseph Mohr, J F Young
- O Tannenbaum: Trad., Ernst Anschütz
- O Come, All Ye Faithful: John Reading, Frederick Oakeley
- Sankta Lucia: Trad. Via Teodoro Cottrau, Sigrid Elmblad
- Deck The Halls: Charles Wood, Thomas Oliphant
- Shchedryk (Carol of The Bells): Mykola Leontovych
- Auld Lang Syne: Trad. Via Robert Burns
- Love Me, And the World Is Mine: Ernest Ball, Dave Reed Jr.
- I Never Knew: Tom Pitts, Raymond Egan, Roy Marsh
- Sverige: Wilhelm Stenhammar
- Dear Old Girl: Theodore Morse, Henry Buck
- Gute Nacht: Robert Schumann, Friedrich Rückert
- Sweet Adeline: Harry Armstrong, Richard Gerard Husch
- Warm-up Exercise: Signore: Trad.
- In All My Dreams, I Dream of You: Al Piantadosi, Joe McCarthy
- Den Blomstertid Nu Kommer: Trad., Israel Kolmodin
- I've Been Working on The Railroad: Trad.
- Now Is the Month of Maying: Thomas Morley
- Gaudeamus Igitur: Trad.
- Warm-up Exercise: Zing-a-mama: Trad.
- The Darktown Strutters' Ball: Shelton Brooks
- An Die Freude: Ludwig Van Beethoven
- En Sommarafton: Adolf Fredrik Lindblad
- Tourdion: Pierre Attaingnant, César Geoffray
- Goodbye My Coney Island Baby: Les Applegate
- O Haupt Voll Blut Und Wunden: Johann Sebastian Bach