31 research outputs found
Contemporary trends in the use of space in electroacoustic music.
This paper describes a survey of contemporary approaches towards the use of spatial design in electroacoustic music, focusing on the type of spatial systems used by a sample of composers and the way they conceive the use of space in their music. Comparing the results with information gathered from seventeen articles by composers written on the topic in 1997, it is shown that composers nowadays are more used to working with different types of spatialisation systems than before. There is also a considerable increase in the use of surround 5.1 as well as four- and eight-channel systems and a decrease in the use of stereo. The compared results also show that, in general, composers nowadays seem to be less concerned with performance and interpretation issues as well as technical aspects of spatialisation. Further studies could consider a more detailed investigation of how the new spatialisation tools have shaped the aesthetical character of the music composed in recent years
Composition portfolio
This portfolio includes four electronic pieces as well as three works especially devised for dance and theatre. The electronic music compositions Plastiches, Clangor, Showtime! and Ciguri investigate different approaches to the use of space and temporal structures. The works Dance studies Nos. 1 &2 were created as collaborations with choreographers and explore aspects of the relationship between music and contemporary dance. The large-scale dance-theatre work To have done with the judgment ofArtaud explores different aspects of experimental music and contemporary dance and is related to the later works of Antonin Artaud
DOT-WINGED CRAKE PORZANA SPILOPTERA (RALLIDAE; DURNFORD, 1877) IN CHILE: NEW RECORDS AND A REVIEW OF THE STATUS OF PACIFIC POPULATIONS
We report new records of the Dot-winged Crake Porzana spiloptera in southern Chile, an almost unknown species distributed mainly in Argentina and recently discovered in Chile. The occasional capture of a juvenile of the species at Cruces River wetland (39°S), and the analysis of sound recordings obtained to explore the acoustic attributes of urban wetland soundscapes, made it possible to discuss the status of the Pacific populations of the species. The new records show that P. spiloptera has a resident status and suggest that the presence of the species in Chile went historically unnoticed, and that it has been confused with the Black Rail Laterallus jamaicensis. Comprehensive surveys and dedicated research that provide fundamental biological aspects such as the current distribution, population abundance, habitat requirements, and main threats for these secretive rails are urgently needed for their conservation
Mobile sound sources in two music theatre works:2010 International Computer Music Conference - New York
This article describes the use of different types of tools for the spatialisation of sound in the context of two music theatre projects. In the first part of the article the different types of sonic relationships explored in the projects are outlined, considering a global framework where the voices of performers, transformed sounds and mobile sources can effectively be integrated on stage. In the second part of the article the specific spatial design developed for the two projects is explained in detail, focussing on the advantages and limitations of synchronised and non-synchronised mobile sound sources. The role of mobile technology as a driving force for audience engagement and the interaction with performers in the creative process is discussed considering future developments of the project in the form of a wireless body-worn speaker system
Teocalli
This piece is roughly inspired by the short story The night face up by Julio CortĂĄzar in which a man driving a motorbike is involved in an accident and ends up in the hospital. In the middle of his hazy fever, he dreams he is a fugitive trying to hide from the Aztec Indians, who are active in their annual man hunt for the ritual human sacrifice. The short story alternates between the hazy environment of the hospital and the intense environment of the jungle and the sacrifice temple 'Teocalli'. The composition borrows from the story the idea of parallel narrative structures using as source material various percussion rhythms recorded in the streets of Mexico City, field recordings and interviews with Zapoteco Indians in various locations in Mexico. This work was conceived and composed while working as a composer in residence at the Visby International Centre for Composers in Sweden. The piece is dedicated to Xicotencatl Martinez-Ruiz and all the Mexican friends that helped me to collect the field recordings and interviews for this piece
Sarnath
This piece was created as part of the project The Buddhaâs Footprint using field recordings from Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India. The field recordings, made by Francis Booth, include bells, drums and chants from the places where the Buddha lived and taught. The composition explores the use of textures and rhythmic passages to create different types of sonic environments linked to intense and subtle states of mind experienced through meditation practice