This was an eerie piece. I liked how sparse it was. I think silence can mean as much as sound does. The metallic shaker sound (I'm not sure what it was exactly) sounded a little like a bag of coins being dropped or something. I liked it. I also loved the flutes. Recording one and then playing against it again created a really ethereal sound, but this was less airy than in the Alexander piece. I couldn't decide if it sounded like whale song or wolves howling. I think towards the beginning it sounded more like wolves and later it was whales. Also later I heard something high pitched and a touch whiny like an insect sound, but that might have been the sound of the flutes interacting with each other.
This piece is definitely not settled or harmonic and super easy to listen to, and there's no set meter, but there is a sort of orderly feeling to it, making it significantly easier to listen to than the Alexander piece. I don't think it has the really unsettled feeling of the Alexander, and it doesn't change too much throughout the piece, meaning it doesn't require quite as much attention. It actually is kind of meditative or trance-like.
Alexander's And the whole air is tremulous
I thought the title of this one was appropriate, because on top of being flutes, which sound airy generally, he layered tracks in a way that had the vibratos at different speeds. Also things were slightly out of tune with eachother, which lent to this haunting wind-howling-through-the-trees kind of feel.
The section that started at about four minutes was really wild. I couldn't quite figure out what the percussive sound was, but I think it was some kind of pitched drum, maybe out of a gourd or something, since it wasn't a very sharp sound. I love the way everything was edited together in that section, especially the flute sounds that have had something done to them to make them sound synthesized, the weird attack sound (I can't describe it any better than that). I could tell that there were some spots that had been reversed, since the attack sounded backwards, a swoopy kind of sound. Also, the section after that when the music swells and there are suddenly too many wind sounds to count is great because of the polyphony that turns into a homophonic harmonic thing. It's so effective because it's frenetic. The really dissonant long held out notes are great too. The whole thing is just so unsettled, it fits the title so well.
The section that started at about four minutes was really wild. I couldn't quite figure out what the percussive sound was, but I think it was some kind of pitched drum, maybe out of a gourd or something, since it wasn't a very sharp sound. I love the way everything was edited together in that section, especially the flute sounds that have had something done to them to make them sound synthesized, the weird attack sound (I can't describe it any better than that). I could tell that there were some spots that had been reversed, since the attack sounded backwards, a swoopy kind of sound. Also, the section after that when the music swells and there are suddenly too many wind sounds to count is great because of the polyphony that turns into a homophonic harmonic thing. It's so effective because it's frenetic. The really dissonant long held out notes are great too. The whole thing is just so unsettled, it fits the title so well.
Babbitt's None but the Lonely Flute
The entire time I listened to this I was thinking that it's beautiful and haunting, and I could hear fragments of a theme, but I couldn't figure out what in the world it had to do with electroacoustic music. It's only one flute line. I could hear that the line is very disjunct, but unless I know very little about flutes (which is entirely possible) I think that this didn't require piecing together of tracks or some other electronic fiddling, and I didn't hear any effects. I was really confused. I knew Milton Babbit was a famous composer who used the 12 tone series, and I knew he did some experimenting with electronic music, but I still failed to see the correlation between that and this particular piece.
Hiller/Isaacson Illiac Suite for string quartet
As one of the first compositions written by computer, you would expect the Illiac Suite to sound mechanical or strange and atonal, but it is neither of those things. In fact, in some spots, it's quite beautiful. It's really exciting that two guys using ridiculously old technology could produce something of this caliber.
The first movement has two distinct sections. The first section is playful, and has each instrument playing their own playful lines with a lot of movement separately, in something that feels like a conversation, or a dance (basic counterpoint). Right at the end thy play in little duets, and they end playfully with a unison pluck. After that is a sound that is very classic to me. It is pretty and slow with a melody in the violin and a countermelody switching between the other parts. Occasionally the other parts will get to play without the violin; it mostly consists of duets, but occasionally all of the parts play together. It has a fairly wide dynamic range. After that it speeds up again, feeling like the beginning of the movement again. I would call it ABA, but it isn't really a repetition of the beginning, although it ends with a pluck like the beginning of the section. Even with the slow middle section, the movement has a very bright quality. It's sweet and light.
The second movement feels very different from the first. First of all, it's slow. It's also homophonic, and for the first part each part seems to be changing notes at the same time, but the lines seem unrelated in terms of notes (although they aren't dissonant). The playing gets more orderly as the song goes on, and a distinct melody and distinct harmonies develop until it has turned into what you would think of as a baroque string quartet. The rhythms toward the end even sound baroque. The mood is also different. Rather than being sprightly and playful, this movement is serene.
The third movement is again very different. While still very consonant, the lines are very different from eachother. Instead of just typical playing, there's plucking, sliding, vibrato, and beating of hands against the instruments (or at least I think that's what that sound is, I don't know enough about strings to give a better description). They're playing with different sounds. This slowly turns into something that I'm going to assume is one the twelve tone scale. The instruments are playing together now instead of independently. Then it goes back to each instrument playing with some different technique, and then they're playing together again. It switches back to the fast disconnected sound one last time, before the cello plays a beautiful slow solo line with the upper parts interjecting occasionally. The third movement is all about the contrasts between the uncontrolled sections and the homophonic sections. Obviously, using the twelve tone scale, it's not meant to be happy, or serene. The twelve tone scale always sounds a little jarring or uncomfortable, but it works really well when trying to create tension or draw attention.
As with the others, the fourth movement is its own piece (in fact, I think they could probably all be performed separately, they all sound so different) There isn't a real sense of key in this movement, but the lines do all seem to relate to one another. They're all playing at the same time, even if the rhythms are a bit different. The mood is also very different. I wouldn't say that it's frenetic, but it's very far from calm, as the fast notes and the lack of resolution show.
All in all, I'd say that this suite was one of my favorite pieces out of all of the assignments. It's beautifully written (by a computer!) and the work that must have gone into getting the computer to produce four completely different styles is more than I can possibly imagine. They're wonderful. Are they ever done anymore?
The first movement has two distinct sections. The first section is playful, and has each instrument playing their own playful lines with a lot of movement separately, in something that feels like a conversation, or a dance (basic counterpoint). Right at the end thy play in little duets, and they end playfully with a unison pluck. After that is a sound that is very classic to me. It is pretty and slow with a melody in the violin and a countermelody switching between the other parts. Occasionally the other parts will get to play without the violin; it mostly consists of duets, but occasionally all of the parts play together. It has a fairly wide dynamic range. After that it speeds up again, feeling like the beginning of the movement again. I would call it ABA, but it isn't really a repetition of the beginning, although it ends with a pluck like the beginning of the section. Even with the slow middle section, the movement has a very bright quality. It's sweet and light.
The second movement feels very different from the first. First of all, it's slow. It's also homophonic, and for the first part each part seems to be changing notes at the same time, but the lines seem unrelated in terms of notes (although they aren't dissonant). The playing gets more orderly as the song goes on, and a distinct melody and distinct harmonies develop until it has turned into what you would think of as a baroque string quartet. The rhythms toward the end even sound baroque. The mood is also different. Rather than being sprightly and playful, this movement is serene.
The third movement is again very different. While still very consonant, the lines are very different from eachother. Instead of just typical playing, there's plucking, sliding, vibrato, and beating of hands against the instruments (or at least I think that's what that sound is, I don't know enough about strings to give a better description). They're playing with different sounds. This slowly turns into something that I'm going to assume is one the twelve tone scale. The instruments are playing together now instead of independently. Then it goes back to each instrument playing with some different technique, and then they're playing together again. It switches back to the fast disconnected sound one last time, before the cello plays a beautiful slow solo line with the upper parts interjecting occasionally. The third movement is all about the contrasts between the uncontrolled sections and the homophonic sections. Obviously, using the twelve tone scale, it's not meant to be happy, or serene. The twelve tone scale always sounds a little jarring or uncomfortable, but it works really well when trying to create tension or draw attention.
As with the others, the fourth movement is its own piece (in fact, I think they could probably all be performed separately, they all sound so different) There isn't a real sense of key in this movement, but the lines do all seem to relate to one another. They're all playing at the same time, even if the rhythms are a bit different. The mood is also very different. I wouldn't say that it's frenetic, but it's very far from calm, as the fast notes and the lack of resolution show.
All in all, I'd say that this suite was one of my favorite pieces out of all of the assignments. It's beautifully written (by a computer!) and the work that must have gone into getting the computer to produce four completely different styles is more than I can possibly imagine. They're wonderful. Are they ever done anymore?
Hiller/Baker Computer Cantata
I read that this cantata was composed by a computer. That definitely sheds some light on why it's so strange. That being said, I actually kind of like the cantata. I have no eartly idea what any of it means (or does it mean anything if it's written by a computer? I've got it, it's about the triumph of computers over man! Down with the humans! They're obsolete now! Just kidding Dr. Hemmel...) but, it's pretty neat. I mean, the sound is dense enough to keep from boring me, and coherent enough to actually sound like music. It's fun. It's a curiousity. Anyway, on to my attempt at analyzing/reacting....
The first movement is all percussion until about halfway through. I like it, because it's full of sharp rhythmic drum sounds; Drum rolls, cymbols, something that's clicking(Maracas?). My point is that it's rhythmic, and therefore can keep my attention for a bit. Then comes a very steady tamtam and it continues in that vein for a bit before slowing down and quieting down to almost silence. That whole first section starts out loud and then kind of peters out at the end; it's a steady decline. After that is a pretty abrupt white noise entrance followed by some other unpitched electronic sounds, and then in comes the flute and the horns, and the voice with it's crazy lines that jump around. How the soprano was able to sing amidst all that madness, I don't know, but it does sound really cool. The vocal line is really fun to listen to, especially with the high flute and the electronic popping noises. In terms of a melody, the only real theme seems to be ridiculous jumps (the instruments do it some too, and the elctronic sounds slide up)
So in terms of emotion, all I'm going to say is that the soprano is lamenting being the last living human after computers have taken over the world.
Just in the first seconds of the second movement it had my attention because it involved strings sliding around in a way that wasn't quite dissonant, but was far from consonant and pretty. Wow, the second movement really packs a punch in a short time. There's that beginning violin bit that sounds a little like a warm up with some guitar(?) underneath, but in a good way (if that's even possible) then the brass is joining as is the flute, and I think I detect some glockenspiel along with plucked strings. There is a sense of melodic line that kind of drifts between parts, it just changes key between parts. Actually, there isn't really a key. Then suddenly the soprano is singing again with all kinds of fun electronic stuff going on around her. I especially like the electronic sound that slides up or down an octave. The movement confuses me, a lot, but I actually really like the individual lines.
The first thing I thought of when I heard the third movement was car horns. Car horns recorded in a random sequence. But it's not random at all. After the really loud part at the beginning, there's a lot of background sound with loud horn melodies occasionally coming to the foreground, and by horns I don't mean brass, I mean beeping sounds like car horns. I like that section. But then, inevitably, it has to immediately turn into the soprano singing and the whole movement changing (I'd like to point out that there's no real transition between parts of the movement, just like in the second movement. Just as suddenly as she comes in the brass and percussion (basically all of the other musicians) magically come in as well. It's like an entirely different movement. There's something vaguely circus-like about this, maybe it's the playful little lines that stick out in the voice or the flute. It also sounds vaguely like an opera orchestra warming up. The parts don't sound like they absolutely don't belong together, afterall, they are from the same opera, they're just not playing together. It's polyphony.... it's cacaphony.... but it's exciting. That transitions into electronic sound that is coherent. All of the parts are working together. I like the downward moving themes in any number of keys. It's fun.
My conclusion about the point of that movement? The two electronic sections were much more coherent than the section involving real instruments. It's the computers trying to brainwash us into giving them control... look, they're so orderly, and we're a mess!
The fourth movement begins with a sprightly string entrance. This movement is a fun mix of instrumental sounds, voice, and electronic sounds. It involves all of the instruments, I think. This movement is actually kind of tonal, it sounds like they're all playing happy things in the same key. And at about a minute fifty seconds the strings and brass actually start to play togethe, and it seems like homophony instead of polyponic madness, but it's not as happy anymore. This movement's nice because it is very tonal, and does seem pretty coherent except for that voice line (Man, I don't envy that soprano), there's also something really playful about this movement, maybe it's the sweet violin lines that are very tonal, or the playful flute, or even the high little electronic sounds. The bells towards the end add a special youth to it. That's it. It's youthful because of its energy.
Now back to interpretation (this is becoming way too fun). In this movement the computers try a different tack. They figure, if they can't win us over by showing that they're better than us, they'll convince us that they can work with us to create beautiful, fun things, like coherent music.
The voice was much more prominent in movement five in the first section. Again, there is stuff going on under the voice that sounds like a warm up or improvisation, but it's not quite as sprightly. The lines hold notes longer and don't move around quite as much. Then it abruptly changes into a percussion section. I suppose this is a nice change of pace from abruptly going into a voice section. It's also the exact opposite of the firt movement. There are a lot of drum rolls, the cymbol is used a fair amount, and so are the castanets, which really excites me for some reason. At around four minutes it really starts to slow down. Drum rolls become shorter and there are suddenly silences. And then it's over. A complete circle. It ends the way it started. Way cool.
Okay I'm not going to try and turn this movement into the computers trying to take over the world. Really, I'm not. But it's difficult.
The first movement is all percussion until about halfway through. I like it, because it's full of sharp rhythmic drum sounds; Drum rolls, cymbols, something that's clicking(Maracas?). My point is that it's rhythmic, and therefore can keep my attention for a bit. Then comes a very steady tamtam and it continues in that vein for a bit before slowing down and quieting down to almost silence. That whole first section starts out loud and then kind of peters out at the end; it's a steady decline. After that is a pretty abrupt white noise entrance followed by some other unpitched electronic sounds, and then in comes the flute and the horns, and the voice with it's crazy lines that jump around. How the soprano was able to sing amidst all that madness, I don't know, but it does sound really cool. The vocal line is really fun to listen to, especially with the high flute and the electronic popping noises. In terms of a melody, the only real theme seems to be ridiculous jumps (the instruments do it some too, and the elctronic sounds slide up)
So in terms of emotion, all I'm going to say is that the soprano is lamenting being the last living human after computers have taken over the world.
Just in the first seconds of the second movement it had my attention because it involved strings sliding around in a way that wasn't quite dissonant, but was far from consonant and pretty. Wow, the second movement really packs a punch in a short time. There's that beginning violin bit that sounds a little like a warm up with some guitar(?) underneath, but in a good way (if that's even possible) then the brass is joining as is the flute, and I think I detect some glockenspiel along with plucked strings. There is a sense of melodic line that kind of drifts between parts, it just changes key between parts. Actually, there isn't really a key. Then suddenly the soprano is singing again with all kinds of fun electronic stuff going on around her. I especially like the electronic sound that slides up or down an octave. The movement confuses me, a lot, but I actually really like the individual lines.
The first thing I thought of when I heard the third movement was car horns. Car horns recorded in a random sequence. But it's not random at all. After the really loud part at the beginning, there's a lot of background sound with loud horn melodies occasionally coming to the foreground, and by horns I don't mean brass, I mean beeping sounds like car horns. I like that section. But then, inevitably, it has to immediately turn into the soprano singing and the whole movement changing (I'd like to point out that there's no real transition between parts of the movement, just like in the second movement. Just as suddenly as she comes in the brass and percussion (basically all of the other musicians) magically come in as well. It's like an entirely different movement. There's something vaguely circus-like about this, maybe it's the playful little lines that stick out in the voice or the flute. It also sounds vaguely like an opera orchestra warming up. The parts don't sound like they absolutely don't belong together, afterall, they are from the same opera, they're just not playing together. It's polyphony.... it's cacaphony.... but it's exciting. That transitions into electronic sound that is coherent. All of the parts are working together. I like the downward moving themes in any number of keys. It's fun.
My conclusion about the point of that movement? The two electronic sections were much more coherent than the section involving real instruments. It's the computers trying to brainwash us into giving them control... look, they're so orderly, and we're a mess!
The fourth movement begins with a sprightly string entrance. This movement is a fun mix of instrumental sounds, voice, and electronic sounds. It involves all of the instruments, I think. This movement is actually kind of tonal, it sounds like they're all playing happy things in the same key. And at about a minute fifty seconds the strings and brass actually start to play togethe, and it seems like homophony instead of polyponic madness, but it's not as happy anymore. This movement's nice because it is very tonal, and does seem pretty coherent except for that voice line (Man, I don't envy that soprano), there's also something really playful about this movement, maybe it's the sweet violin lines that are very tonal, or the playful flute, or even the high little electronic sounds. The bells towards the end add a special youth to it. That's it. It's youthful because of its energy.
Now back to interpretation (this is becoming way too fun). In this movement the computers try a different tack. They figure, if they can't win us over by showing that they're better than us, they'll convince us that they can work with us to create beautiful, fun things, like coherent music.
The voice was much more prominent in movement five in the first section. Again, there is stuff going on under the voice that sounds like a warm up or improvisation, but it's not quite as sprightly. The lines hold notes longer and don't move around quite as much. Then it abruptly changes into a percussion section. I suppose this is a nice change of pace from abruptly going into a voice section. It's also the exact opposite of the firt movement. There are a lot of drum rolls, the cymbol is used a fair amount, and so are the castanets, which really excites me for some reason. At around four minutes it really starts to slow down. Drum rolls become shorter and there are suddenly silences. And then it's over. A complete circle. It ends the way it started. Way cool.
Okay I'm not going to try and turn this movement into the computers trying to take over the world. Really, I'm not. But it's difficult.
Bernard Parmegiani's Danse
This piece is composed using solely the voice. I'm not sure whether it's because of the age and/or the media (Record) or because of manipulation, but it's very difficult to tell that this is all based off of a voice at all. It really has been manipulated to the point that it all sounds like computer music. Some of the vocal stuff has been reversed, and it sounds like it has been treated with a wahwah sort of effect in some places. Obviously Parmegiani also did a lot of pitch shifting. It's amazing how little it sounds like voice, especially on those long bass notes.
"Danse" was an interesting choice of title, because it doesn't really sound at all dance-like. It's very slow and low, and has no real sense of meter.
"Danse" was an interesting choice of title, because it doesn't really sound at all dance-like. It's very slow and low, and has no real sense of meter.
Ivo Malec's Dahovi
It's interesting that this piece was originally set as part of a film, because I think it would make more sense with pictures. There are definitely devided sections with different musical ideas, and visuals would help define them better.
It uses an interesting range of sound, including something that sounds vaguely like someone hitting a mallet on wood and things that sound a little like running. There's also an airy sound that sounds a little like breathing (which is what Dahovi means) Later some sort of gong sound comes in, followed by something that kind of steel drum like. Still underneath is that in and out of the breath, and when that in and out stops there's this anticipation (brought on by one held note on a slow crescendo) until it starts up again. Then there's a beating of something that sounds like a heartbeat getting louder and speeding up with the breath speeding up underneath.
It uses an interesting range of sound, including something that sounds vaguely like someone hitting a mallet on wood and things that sound a little like running. There's also an airy sound that sounds a little like breathing (which is what Dahovi means) Later some sort of gong sound comes in, followed by something that kind of steel drum like. Still underneath is that in and out of the breath, and when that in and out stops there's this anticipation (brought on by one held note on a slow crescendo) until it starts up again. Then there's a beating of something that sounds like a heartbeat getting louder and speeding up with the breath speeding up underneath.
Luc Ferrari's Tete et queue du dragon
I liked the title of this (head and tail of the dragon) because the song definitely has a very animalistic sound to me. The computer sounds are sometimes like an elephant trumpeting or stomping dragon feet (that low rumble off in the distance). In general it imitated a lot of animal sounds, or just had abrupt sounds that reminded me of an angry beast. Some sounds that caught my eye were these oriental sounding strings (think zither) which was immediately followed by an electronic sound that was strangely gutteral, like a snorting beast. There was a lot of juxtaposition of high sharp sounds against low boomy sounds, and made me think of noises the dragon might make over top of it stomping around angrily. Then there were different sounds in each ear. In one ear there was this keening sort of sound made by strings, and in the other there were those high, fast disjunct electronic sounds. It made me think of one of those Chronicles of Narnia books (I'm not sure which one, maybe The Dawn Treader) where the little boy sneaks into the dragon's cave and sifts through its treasure. Imagine what would happen if you were in the cave looking at all of the jewels and you could hear the dragon noisily stomping its way back in. It's kind of scary, but it's not scary like the Bayle piece. It doesn't disturb me, it's just kind of a nervous feeling.
Francois Bayle's L'oiseau-chanteur
The song title translates literally to "the bird singer," which makes sense considering all of the fluttery bird like sounds and whistles that are in the song. It also incorporates some brass, maybe a trumpet and something lower, what sounds to me like an oboe, and maybe a flute (I'm really quite terrible at guessing that type of thing) I also hear some bells and maybe a vibraphone, and something that could even be a harpsichord at some point. So the music uses a wide range of instruments.
I wasn't sure whether to think this was cute or to be disturbed. It's an odd mix of strange verging on downright creepy and sweet. Some of the bird-like trills and the oboe(?) lines are kind of playful and sweet, but there's the strange brass sliding that is kind of abrupt and off-putting. What's really awful is the laughter(actually another bird sound) that sounds more like an evil, demonic cackle. Creepy! and then some of the bird trills get a little shrill and rushed like they're startled and scared, and I start getting images in my head of some creepy guy attacking poor innocent songbirds. Again, creepy! But then there are long held-out brass notes that make it sound less menacing. Then there's some low droning something that sounds a little like an organ. That interplay between the clarinet(?) trills and the creepy laughter is seriously disturbing.
It's really beautifully written. The musical elements are so pretty, and when spliced together with the electronic sounds they create a definite storyline with a general tone of disturbance. This is another one that's not an easy listen.
I wasn't sure whether to think this was cute or to be disturbed. It's an odd mix of strange verging on downright creepy and sweet. Some of the bird-like trills and the oboe(?) lines are kind of playful and sweet, but there's the strange brass sliding that is kind of abrupt and off-putting. What's really awful is the laughter(actually another bird sound) that sounds more like an evil, demonic cackle. Creepy! and then some of the bird trills get a little shrill and rushed like they're startled and scared, and I start getting images in my head of some creepy guy attacking poor innocent songbirds. Again, creepy! But then there are long held-out brass notes that make it sound less menacing. Then there's some low droning something that sounds a little like an organ. That interplay between the clarinet(?) trills and the creepy laughter is seriously disturbing.
It's really beautifully written. The musical elements are so pretty, and when spliced together with the electronic sounds they create a definite storyline with a general tone of disturbance. This is another one that's not an easy listen.
Michel Philippot's Etude
This was kind of difficult to listen to because the distorted sounds were really jarring in some places, but it was definitely an interesting listen. It was way more musical than most of the musique concrete that I've listened to so far, which is definitely a nice change. It used some pretty familiar instruments in combination with some not so familiar sounds. It used a piano sound frequently, especially with bass sounds, and used all kinds of effects on it, changing the pitch part of the way through the sound, or reversing it, and some strings that were heavily distorted and became almost painful. There was also a gong used both forwards and backwards. The electronic pitched sound used was kind of squeaky, almost, it's really difficult to describe. And on top of so many of the sounds was this awful grating mechanical disrupting sound that I can't even begin to classify. All I know is that it was really overpowering and uncomfortable when it came in. I really did like the booming low piano lines though. I'm not really sure how exactly they were edited, but the slow movement up in pitch sounded really wild. I also really liked when something would be played in one speaker and then repeated in the other in this disorienting stereo canon.
This piece is definitely very musical, but it's also a very uncomfortable listen. I think that's part of the point.
This piece is definitely very musical, but it's also a very uncomfortable listen. I think that's part of the point.
Mache's Terre de feu, 2nd version
This is more musique concrete. It's different, however, because it uses completely unpitched sounds. They're difficult to place, but I'm going to try with at least some of them. The first rumbling could easily be a motor slowed down. Then there are some backwards sounds that I can't really figure out, and something that sounds like metal rattling, and something that sounds like a zipper. The rattling metal sounds a little like a cow bell and/or the little chimes on christmas ornaments, something that makes lots of noise but no real pitch. I also hear something that could be water tricking or bubbling, and maybe some water drops (this is about half way through) At about four minutes in I hear things that sound like something plucking metal, then some more moving water, which quickly turns into something kind of high pitched and shrill. It made me think of bats a little, of that shrill squeaking kind of sound. There's still no sense of tonality.
I think La terre de feu or the land of fire is not quite appropriate for the song. The song makes me think of water and rain or falling rocks (those tinkling bell sounds) like in an earthquake, but not of fire. I think I would need to hear really dramatic sounds like something reminscent of an explosion or lava or something to think of fire. And I still think part of it sounds like bats flying startled out of a cave. A cave! That's what these sounds are like! A dark, wet cave.
I think La terre de feu or the land of fire is not quite appropriate for the song. The song makes me think of water and rain or falling rocks (those tinkling bell sounds) like in an earthquake, but not of fire. I think I would need to hear really dramatic sounds like something reminscent of an explosion or lava or something to think of fire. And I still think part of it sounds like bats flying startled out of a cave. A cave! That's what these sounds are like! A dark, wet cave.
Pierre Schaeffer (something with a title that's messed up)
This is musique concrete (obviously, since he invented it) in it's purest form. It uses a bunch of non-musical sounds to make music, using only the basic taperecorder of the time. Outside of the record noise, the piece has a lot of really interesting sounds. There's a sound somewhere in the middle that reminds me very distinctly of a motorcycle driving past, but I also hear something that sounds like a jet engine, and they could easily be the same sound with the speed changed or altered in some other way. I also hear some high pitched electronic sounds that could easily be sine waves because of how piercing they are. Also there are things that sound like bells. I'm not sure if this is right, but I hear sounds panning between the two speakers in kind of a sweep that makes it sound like the sound is moving in front of your face from one side to the other. I could almost visualize it moving.
It was a curious little piece, but I couldn't really gather any sort of mood from it. Again, it seemed more experimental than musical.
It was a curious little piece, but I couldn't really gather any sort of mood from it. Again, it seemed more experimental than musical.
Alice Shields' The Transformation of Ani
When I was reading about this one, I was convinced it would be interesting, because it was the first piece playing mostly with the voice, and also because it was text from the Egyptian Book of the Dead. It was intriguing. It begins with percussion, which for the most part sounds unedited except for some clicks and added electronic sounds that become more prominent later. It also uses what must be a vibraphone. After listening through the whole song I was very confused. I thought there was supposed to be voice??? The CD insert said that there was voice against percussion and musical electronic phrases. I got the latter, but no voice. It was certainly other-worldy, like it was supposed to be, but I'm still confused as to why there is no voice reciting anything. Did they mean the voice was being replaced by the the percussion and electronic sound? If so, it's much less exctiting. It's still interesting, sure. The vibraphone notes played quickly and the rapid percussion runs (trills? What do you call one drum played rapidly?) were pretty pleasing to the ear, and certainly interesting, but where's the voice?!
Mario Davidovsky's Synchronisms no. 5
I like that I'm finally getting to listen to something with a real melodic line again. This is kind of great for a lot of reasons. First, I absolutely love the transitions between booming bass and higher lines in the beginning. Second, the occasional switch back and forth between speakers is definitely an attention grabber. I also love how the song changes themes but they all seem to be coherent and there aren't huge gaps between them, meaning it moves enough not to hear me. They're real themes too. The first one, of course is that back and forth between the high and low, then there's the back and forth between the speakers, and then back to high and low, and then there's this urgent wee-ooh sound. After another low section comes the high fast section, and then a low fast section which ends it. The ending that kind of dies off like that makes me want to hear more. Why was that so much cooler than some of the other stuff, and why was it so short?
Ussachevsky's Two sketches for a computer piece
I really liked this one because of the interesting little melodic themes. This one was also created using GROOVE, and has two distinct musical themes (hence the name "two sketches"). The first one has some sounds that seem to be imitating strings, some that seem to be imitating piano and some that might be imitating organ, I'm not really sure. It's trying to sound a little like instruments, but not too much like instruments. It has these long organ(?) sounds followed by some short abrupt violin sounds and the occasional piano chord. It's edgy and offputting, and I kind of like it a lot.
The second sketch is much more electronic sounding. It has some booming kind of sound in the bass, and then lots of little high pitched blips. The low booms sound a little like giant footsteps or something. This makes me again think of some sort of outerspace movie...
The second sketch is much more electronic sounding. It has some booming kind of sound in the bass, and then lots of little high pitched blips. The low booms sound a little like giant footsteps or something. This makes me again think of some sort of outerspace movie...
Ussachevsky's Computer piece no. 1
This is very different from Ussachevsky's earlier work. Again, because of advances in technology, the sound has changed drastically. This is also a complete change in methods. For this recording Ussachevsky used Max Mathews GROOVE program. This is all computer produced sound, not tape recordings that have been meddled with.
The music begins with a high pitched piercing sound that slowly gets lower. You can actually hear some noticeable shifts (like someone pressing the knob a little too hard so it doesn't sound as gradual.). This happens again and is followed by some other sounds going in and out and more of that creepy baby laugh sounding noise (I don't know why it makes me think of that, it could just as easily be a rubber sound or something) and it just kind of peters off in that way. I think this particular piece was again just experimenting with the technology, seeing what sounds could be produced. It's really bizarre, but there's not as much of a range of sound as some of the other pieces.
The music begins with a high pitched piercing sound that slowly gets lower. You can actually hear some noticeable shifts (like someone pressing the knob a little too hard so it doesn't sound as gradual.). This happens again and is followed by some other sounds going in and out and more of that creepy baby laugh sounding noise (I don't know why it makes me think of that, it could just as easily be a rubber sound or something) and it just kind of peters off in that way. I think this particular piece was again just experimenting with the technology, seeing what sounds could be produced. It's really bizarre, but there's not as much of a range of sound as some of the other pieces.
Bulent Arel's Stereo electronic music no. 2
This piece definitely stretches the limits of what I would consider music. It is all electronic sounds, and they're certainly cool, but for a fourteen minute piece there is very little sense of continuity. For about the first six minutes there is nothing even resembling a melody or a steady beat or even a theme. It seems like different types of experimentation with electronic sounds in a way that's vaguely musical (and I wouldn't even say that until about a minute in) It has long piercing notes interjected by various crashes and pings and other electronic sounds. Then there's a section at about three minutes and thirty seconds that seems like a lot of random sounds that start to build up. It reminds me somewhat of the noises in a video game. At around six minutes and thirty seconds a synthesized string part comes in and then there's a lot of low rumbling against high flutey tones. The rest of the song continues on in that vein... I honestly don't know what to say. To go back on an earlier statement it is musical ( well, it goes back and forth between being music and random noise), it's just not pleasing to the ear as a unit.
Pril Smiley's Kolyosa
This piece seems to be all about contrast. There are sounds that are very close up, like the insect-like clicking, and sounds that are further away, like some of the pitched synthesized sounds. Two types of sounds dominate, quick, high pitched sounds (like those clicks and some other pitched sounds) and long low sounds that seem to kind of drone in and out. Also, Smiley has sounds move back and forth between the speakers (especially in the beginning), making the listener feel kind of off balance.
I found it really interesting that Smiley said that Kolyosa was the russian word for wheels. I can't really hear that in a literal sense, so I reinterpreted. So many of the musical elements of this piece sound like animal noises (mostly insect noises) or other natural sounds to me. I kept hearing things like feelers being scraped together, a frog croaking, or water dripping down, and I thought that the wheel could be like the life cycle or something, but I still felt too much of an ebb and flow (It built up a lot at the end) so a constant turning didn't make sense. Then I thought that maybe it could be like a wheel picking up speed going down a hill, energy building until it hit level ground again and slowed.
I found it really interesting that Smiley said that Kolyosa was the russian word for wheels. I can't really hear that in a literal sense, so I reinterpreted. So many of the musical elements of this piece sound like animal noises (mostly insect noises) or other natural sounds to me. I kept hearing things like feelers being scraped together, a frog croaking, or water dripping down, and I thought that the wheel could be like the life cycle or something, but I still felt too much of an ebb and flow (It built up a lot at the end) so a constant turning didn't make sense. Then I thought that maybe it could be like a wheel picking up speed going down a hill, energy building until it hit level ground again and slowed.
Vladimir Ussachevsky's Piece for tape recorders
This piece was created just four years after Sonic Contours, but there's still what sounds like a massive leap in technology (maybe Ussachevsky just understood the technology better?) It's done in the musique concrete style, meaning it uses sounds borrowed from different places to create music. To be honest, I had no idea what most of these sounds were because they were altered so much that it was impossible to tell, except for the piano. There's something that could be some sort of gong, but I'm not sure, and something that sounds a little like accordion, too. I'm also curious about the booming, it sounds a little like a jet engine. There's also a sound about halfway through that seems like wind howling but could easily be something else.
The piano line is fun and kind of wild, because it's sped up to the point that it almost doesn't sound like a piano anymore. It's kind of cute and playful. Other than that line, though, I'm not even sure I'd call this music, it's just so out there. It doesn't have a real melody or any sort of rhythmic regularity. I might just consider this experiments with sound.
The piano line is fun and kind of wild, because it's sped up to the point that it almost doesn't sound like a piano anymore. It's kind of cute and playful. Other than that line, though, I'm not even sure I'd call this music, it's just so out there. It doesn't have a real melody or any sort of rhythmic regularity. I might just consider this experiments with sound.
Otto Luening's Moonflight
Luening must have really liked his flute, because years later, when this was created, he was still using all flute for his recordings (at least I think it's all flute...) In this piece he uses some very similar elements to his earlier works. He still uses lots of layers of flute tracks, and has the difficult melody line over lots of held out harmonic background sort of stuff, but it sounds different somehow.
The difference is in sophistication of the technology. It's very obvious that this recording was done 16 years after the others, because Luening was able to do things with his music that were more complex. There were more sounds (probably meaning more tracks) and more reverb, but it sounded cleaner. The different tracks all blended together smoothly, and this allowed him to do some more complicated things. Also he incorporated some different colors with different flute lines, different tones. That was really nice. It was also great to be able to hear a melody line very clearly over the other lines while still being able to make those lines out clearly. This recording was haunting and beautiful. It's amazing what a difference advances in technology can make.
The difference is in sophistication of the technology. It's very obvious that this recording was done 16 years after the others, because Luening was able to do things with his music that were more complex. There were more sounds (probably meaning more tracks) and more reverb, but it sounded cleaner. The different tracks all blended together smoothly, and this allowed him to do some more complicated things. Also he incorporated some different colors with different flute lines, different tones. That was really nice. It was also great to be able to hear a melody line very clearly over the other lines while still being able to make those lines out clearly. This recording was haunting and beautiful. It's amazing what a difference advances in technology can make.
Luening and Ussachevsky's Incantation
This piece was really wild! It starts out with a low rumbling sound, and then these crazy flute lines come in. I'm not even really sure how they did it, but it sounds like there are flute runs up and down the scale (more like a slide) that are way too fast to be possible normally. They overlap recordings of the smae flute sounds (or maybe just use a lot of reverb?) to create this electronic sound with the flute runs. It sounds like the computer music from some science fiction film or something. Then the voice comes in, slowed down a ton so you get this interesting low scoop up. Even with all the reverb on the voice lines, it feels like the words are just beyond comprehension, like maybe if I listened a little harder I could understand it. This really kept my attention. Then A really strong piano chord comes in, followed by what I'm going to assume is more crazy flute lines. Underneath of that is an interesting voice line that's been altered and sounds like a weird moaning. After this flute mixes with piano for a bit before ot kind of dies out.
This piece is such an interesting mix because of the two different styles of its composers. Ussachevsky liked to cut and splice tape and play with borrowed sound, and Luening liked to play his flute and just add recordings and speed up and slow down. Putting the two together created something unique and exciting
This piece is such an interesting mix because of the two different styles of its composers. Ussachevsky liked to cut and splice tape and play with borrowed sound, and Luening liked to play his flute and just add recordings and speed up and slow down. Putting the two together created something unique and exciting
Otto Luening's Fantasy in space
This piece sounds a little like a flute quartet in some places, because it was created using four separate flute recordings played together. I actually really like this one, because, while not being bright and cheerful, it doesn't creep me out or make me think of The Shining like some of the others do. I especially like the beginning with one line playing and the others responding, followed by the momentary canon. The top flute line is kind of fun because of the playful trills and runs. That took some serious technical skill. I also enjoy how it has a very straight unaltered line while there are these weird echoey chords underneath of it. I also really enjoy how a few times the top line will hold out and all of the lines will be making a consonant chord, but then something will change and it will all be dissonant again. I think what's so exciting about this piece is that it keeps your attention without having to be grating or uncomfortable. It's an interesting listen.
Otto Luening's Invention in twelve tones
This is another shorter flute piece by Luening, but it's different from Low speed in some ways. The first really noticeable thing is the high reverberated melody line. It has some effect on it (I guess it's just reverb) that makes it kind of disconnected even though there's always sound. It also jumps around a lot on a twelve tone scale, making it really disjunct and kind of eerie sounding (especially when the high line just starts coming in). The lower lines are kind of slow and have a bit of a wah wah feeling sometimes (was he playing around with volumes?) and the higher line is kind of ornamented and jumps around. The flute sounds out of tune somehow, like there's more than one track and they're not quite in tune with eachother. The highest notes are also quite shrill. I'm not really sure what I thought of this one.
Otto Luening's Low Speed
This piece is significantly different from the last. Most obviously, it's not using piano sounds at all. It's also about four minutes shorter, meaning it doesn't have the emotional range of Sonic Contours. It's actually quite neat. The sound is what sounds like a wind instrument, some sort of pipe. It's actually flute improvization that has been transposed up a fifth and down an octave and had reverb added. It creates this wavering sound that really reminds me of whale song (mostly because of those crazy offset sounds) right up until the end where the flute starts holding out long notes. The piece doesn't seem to have too much of a sense of change or movement. It does grow right at the beginning, but then it kind of stays the same just using that same offset reverb feel right until the end when it changes to long notes. My conclusion: It has plenty of interesting sounds, but is not terribly exciting music.
Vladimir Ussachevsky's Sonic Contours
The piece begins with a bass sound vaguely like a sonic boom. Then you hear the piano come in in chords, and then there's another boom. The song continues with the piano slowly coming in more and more, with what sounds like some cutting and splicing to create some really abrupt stops and what sounds like some reversals. There is another piano sound underneath that is powerful, long, and low. Next is a section with a lot going on with lots of different higher piano sounds that are all echoing. The bass drone sound is gone at this point. The echoing piano parts then slow down and become more sparse. A new line comes in with what sounds like a back and forth between a half-step in the piano. Then this synthesized creepy baby laugh kind of sound comes in with a reverb on it with some basic little piano runs (also reverberated) underneath. Slowly a high pitch comes in, and then the piano turns into sort of a canon. The lines of the canon are repeated and then repeated a few more times up an octave. It goes in between being really dense and busy and letting sound die out.
This piece is interesting because it draws out a lot of different emotions. It is at some points very jarring and dissonant, and other points it can feel down right creepy. The beginning is very dramatic with its booming bass drones and the very disjunct piano line that also feels kind of rushed. Than the big slow sounds (kind of like organ at about 1:45) come in as kind of a transition to this first section without any of the bass and with lots of higher themes. There's kind of a high whistling sound in the background that creates tension. The lines slow down until the half-steps and the weird laughter comes in. This section is creepy in a way I can't decribe... for some reason it makes me think of The Shining After that section is another section with a lot of reverberating piano, but this is a lot more consonant, and even though the sound jumps around in registers a lot, it has lots of scales that paint warmer, brighter colors. The ending is bright and almost sweet.
This piece is interesting because it draws out a lot of different emotions. It is at some points very jarring and dissonant, and other points it can feel down right creepy. The beginning is very dramatic with its booming bass drones and the very disjunct piano line that also feels kind of rushed. Than the big slow sounds (kind of like organ at about 1:45) come in as kind of a transition to this first section without any of the bass and with lots of higher themes. There's kind of a high whistling sound in the background that creates tension. The lines slow down until the half-steps and the weird laughter comes in. This section is creepy in a way I can't decribe... for some reason it makes me think of The Shining After that section is another section with a lot of reverberating piano, but this is a lot more consonant, and even though the sound jumps around in registers a lot, it has lots of scales that paint warmer, brighter colors. The ending is bright and almost sweet.
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