DVD Program Notes

Disc One, Part One: Wide and sounds associated with Latin Ameri- The macro-, meso-, and micro-event Far—Robert Gluck, Tae Hong can dance forms. In the opening spaces generated by the application Park, Lonce Wyse, Curators movement, I wanted the hints of pase form a continuous hierarchical struc- doble to imitate the aggressive kicks ture which is transformed in real- and flicks of the feet, and the flaring time by changing parameters that gestures in circular spatial move- range between deterministic behav- ments, dramatically driving forward ior to stochastic disorder. The calcu- Curators’ Note toward blunt stops, to represent the lated meso-event structure has been lunges and poses so typical of Argen- transcribed for two percussion instru- For this issue of Computer Music tinian tango. The second movement, ments, tambour en bois and Turkish Journal, we have curated a collection more intimate in character, is the bender, performed by Roland Auzet. of electroacoustic music works reso- most abstract of the four miniatures, This performance is then fed back as nant with the theme “Wide and Far.” because many of the sounds do not live audio to the Cosmos application, It was our goal to showcase global di- retain their identity. Sounds are grad- creating a ghost image between the versity and works by composers born ually layered upon one another to percussion score and electronic or active in regions beyond Europe form crescendos that erupt into new sounds. This ghost is rendered within and North America. We sought to in- sound worlds. macro- and micro-event spaces. The clude, albeit not exclusively, music integration of the layers of percussion from emerging regions and cultures, Manuella Blackburn earned a Mas- in the meso-structure, between regions where electroacoustic music ter’s degree with Distinction in macro- and meso-spaces of synthetic has been somewhat underrepresented electroacoustic music at the Univer- sounds, provides an organic interac- in the repertoire, and also composi- sity of Manchester (UK) in 2006, tion and integrity among the four- tions that represented an engagement where she was awarded the Peter J. channel surround projection. The with a composer’s culture or identity. Leonard Composition Prize. She has work received its world premiere at The works selected represent compo- since begun a PhD at the University Is Sanat Hall in Istanbul in 2005, and sitions created since 1 January 2000, of Manchester, studying under David it was subsequently performed at the and span the traditional “tape music” Berezan. Her acousmatic work International Computer Music Con- genre, live electronic performance Causal Impacts won First Prize in ference 2006, in New Orleans, with traditional acoustical instru- the 7th Musica Viva Electroacoustic Louisiana, USA. ments, and multimedia, including Competition 2006 in Portugal and video, dance, or robotics. We hope was a Finalist in the 2006 Bourges In- Sinan Bokesoy, born in Turkey, com- that you will enjoy these wonderful ternational Electroacoustic Music pleted a degree in electronics and pieces. and Sonic Arts Competition. Sonidos communication engineering at Istan- Bailables won the Public Prize in the bul Technical University. He has also 2006 Concurso Internacional de studied classical music composition 1. Sonidos Bailables [Sounds to Composicai eletroacoustica and piano. In the late 1990s, a devel- dance to]—Manuella (CEMJKO) in Brazil. Her work has oping interest in electronic music led Blackburn (Music) been published on the Pueblo Nuevo Mr. Bokesoy to study on his own and Chilean net label, and also short- compose his first tape music pieces. This group of four acousmatic minia- listed for the media showcase in the He participated in the yearlong course tures grew out of research and find- current Noise Arts Festival taking at the Centre for the Composition of ings I presented in a January 2006 place around the UK. Music “Iannis Xenakis” (CCMIX), paper concerning the incorporation of Paris, in 2001, and subsequently has Latin American influences in electro- become active internationally as a re- acoustic music. What remained with 2. Imprints—Sinan Bokesoy searcher and composer. His papers me from this study was the idea of (Music) have been published or presented in the “cultural sound object,” which I Computer Music Journal, Digital incorporated within these minia- Imprints is the first compositional re- Audio Effects (DAFX) 2004–2006, tures. I composed the work in 5.1 sult of my algorithmic sound- ICMC 2005–2006, and Journées surround-sound format to enhance synthesis application Cosmos, a d’Informatique Musicale (JIM) 2003– the energy naturally possessed by complex event-generation system. 2005, and his compositions have

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Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/comj.2007.31.4.102 by guest on 30 September 2021 been performed at CCMIX, Groupe Schick, Vibeke Sorensen, and Hos- rotation techniques to achieve visual de Recherches Musicales (GRM), sein Omoumi. His music is played coherence. The scenes are organized New Interfaces for Musical Expres- internationally and he is one of the to represent the life and death of sion (NIME) 2004, ICMC 2005–2006, founders and directors of Kereshmeh flowers, signifying the endless cycle and elsewhere. In 2005, Mr. Bokesoy Records and Persian Arts Society. of birth, age, illness, and the death of began a collaboration with Roland Mr. Yadegari currently heads the all creatures. In the music, sound Auzet, composing for presentations Sound Design program at the Theatre samples of water droplets, a tradi- across France. His recent research has and Dance department at the Univer- tional Chinese bamboo flute, and a focused on self-evolutionary macro- sity of California at San Diego. Chinese zither are processed using sound structures. He will complete convolution and granular synthesis Yolande Snaith is a choreographer of his PhD in 2007, under the direction to create a dreamy ambiance, to sym- several internationally performed of Horacio Vaggione. bolize fleeting and illusionary life. award-winning works. Yolande Snaith Also, pentatonic scales are used to Theatredance has won the Prix create the mysterious impression of D’auteur du Conseil Generale de la 3. Garden of Lila—Shahrokh oriental religion and philosophical Seine-Saint-Denise for No Respite thinking. Yadegari (Music); Yolande (1992) and Blind Faith (1998). She has Snaith (Dance); Tara Knight choreographed more than fifteen full- Chien-Wen Cheng received his Mas- (Animation) length works and created the chore- ters Degree in Music Composition ography for Stanley Kubrick’s film, and Theory from the National Chau- The dance performance Garden of Eyes Wide Shut. Ms. Snaith is cur- Tung University in Taiwan and is Lila, based on my musical composi- rently on the faculty of Theatre and currently a doctoral candidate in Mu- tion Migration, is a poetic journey Dance at the University of California sic Composition at the University of through the emotional, imaginative, at San Diego. and philosophical terrain of writer North Texas, where his teachers have Forough Farrokhzad. One of only a Tara Knight is a filmmaker, anima- included Andrew May, Cindy McTee, handful of women who gained renown tor, and projection designer. She has Phil Winsor, and Joseph Rovan. He during the past 2,500 years of Persian worked on films by Oscar award- has won numerous awards for his literary history, Farrokhzad gave winning animator Faith Hubley, in- acoustic music in Taiwan including voice to women in a society strug- cluding Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the Fine Arts Creation Award (2003, gling with change, and her later po- and the forthcoming feature, Tactic 2006), the 3rd Percussion Music etry began to address broader issues Toe. Ms. Knight has directed several Composing Competition (2005), 2004 of human rights and the environ- short films and is currently a lecturer Taiwanese Young Composers Master- ment. Inspired by her work, Garden for the Theatre and Dance Depart- pieces Competition, 2002 orchestral of Lila interweaves music, dance, and ment, and the Digital Literacy Coor- competition in the Tune in to Tai- animated moving backdrops to evolve dinator for Sixth College, at the wan—Taiwan Composers Series, and a poetic language of movement, ges- University of California at San Diego. the 2000 Hakka Vocal Music Compo- ture, rhythm, spatial configurations, sition Contest. His electroacoustic and theatrical imagery. The excerpt pieces have also been performed at included documents a section be- 4. Samsara—Chien-Wen Cheng Bourges Synthèse Festival, Society for tween moments of spoken poetry. (Music/Video) Electro-Acoustic Music of the United Migration is a recorded structured States (SEAMUS), ICMC, Bellingham improvisation joining the realms of Samsara means “cycle of existence” Electronic Arts Festival (BEAF), Santa Persian traditional music and elec- in Buddhism, a tradition in which life Fe Festival of Electro-Acoustic Mu- tronic music. It is a mixture of virtu- is viewed as but an illusion (maya), sic, Spark Festival (Minnesota), Pri- osic violin playing (performed by and the material world is a place frag- mavera en La Habana (Cuba), and Keyavash Nourai) and complex live mented and constantly changing Most Significant Bytes (Ohio). His electronic processing. through the repeated processes of for- tape music works Under the Sea and mation, existence, destruction, and Samadhi won the first prize in the Shahrokh Yadegari, composer, pro- emptiness. In the accompanying National On-line Arts Creativity ducer, and sound designer, has collab- video, footage of flowers is repeated Competition in Taiwan (2005 and orated with Peter Sellars, Steven using distortion, repositioning, and 2006, respectively). His current

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Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/comj.2007.31.4.102 by guest on 30 September 2021 studies include intermedia and real- electroacoustic composition at Aris- new form of visual art exploring the time interactive music composition. totle University of Thessaloniki and permanence of lines on paper in the serves as President of the Hellenic impermanence of projection. At the Electroacoustic Music Composers end of the original epic, Gilgamesh 5. Shatter Cone—Panayiotis Association (HELMCA). His achieve- stands before the gates of Uruk, ad- Kokoras (Music) ments include commissions from miring the greatness of his city. In IRCAM (Paris), Fromm Music Foun- the artists’ version, a new tablet is The title Shatter Cone refers to a dation (Harvard University), MATA introduced, representing the culture conical fragment of rock with stria- (New York), and more than 27 dis- that now inhabits the land that was tions radiating from the apex, formed tinctions and prizes at international Uruk. And with Gilgamesh, we look from the high pressure of volcanism competitions, including: Pierre upon the fate of that land. Iraq Re- or meteorite impact. The term also Schaeffer 2005 (Italy); Musica Viva visited also “looks back” to an earlier refers to the way the sound of the vio- 2002, 2005 (Portugal); Gaudeamus composition, The sky over Baghdad lin is formed into sonic structures 2003, 2004 (The Netherlands); is illuminated, premiered at Juilliard, from the impact of bow pressure, Bourges Residence Prize 2004 New York, on 22 March 2003, two speed, and position on the strings in (France); Insulae Electronicae 2003 days after the American invasion of combination with register. Multifac- (Italy); Jurgenson Competition 2003 Iraq. Now, three years later, we watch eted abstract sonic structures reveal (Russia); and Seoul International from a distance the “democracy” that their morphoplastic qualities through Competition 2003 (Korea). His works was brought to the Iraqi people. continually transforming the sound are regularly performed at interna- of the violin. Like a moving sculp- tional festivals and concerts through- Kinan Azmeh, clarinetist and com- ture, Shatter Cone reveals its facets out Europe, Asia, and North America poser, was born in Damascus, Syria, through sonic shadows, illusions, and his music is included on 14 CD in 1976. He was the first Arab musi- wrappings, and refractions of itself. compilations by Miso Musica, Sonic cian to win the first prize at the Every abstract sound structure has Arts Network/Canadian Electro- Nicolay Rubinstein International its own unique place and moment acoustic Community, Independent Competition in Moscow, Russia, in within the musical space. The pre- Opposition Records, ICMC 2004, 1997. Mr. Azmeh is a graduate of Juil- recorded material comes only from LOSS, Host Artists Group, Musica liard, and the Higher Institute of violin sounds, meticulously trans- Nova, and others. Music and the Faculty of Electrical formed to keep the gestural and spec- Engineering in Damascus, Syria. He tral data of the original sound while is currently completing a doctoral de- losing reference to the original. The 6. Iraq Re-visited, from the gree at City University of New York, aim is to enhance the violin’s sound Gilgamesh Project—Kinan studying with Charles Neidich. Mr. profile and give a sense of continuity. Azmeh (Music/Video) Azmeh has appeared as soloist and For the creation and production of composer worldwide, including at the work I used GNU Public Licence The current unrest in the seat of the Tchaikovsky Grand Hall in Moscow, programs running on a Linux-based world’s oldest civilization inspired us Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall platform. The work was realized at to explore the world’s most ancient in New York, Royal Albert Hall in the studios of the Department of Mu- epic, that of Gilgamesh, a lush story London, Teatro Colon in Buenos sic Technology and Acoustics at the rich in meaning, romance, and hu- Aires, The Kennedy Center in Wash- Technological and Educational Insti- mor. We have chosen to explore this ington, D.C., and at the opening con- tute of Crete, and at my home studio. narrative using music and painting in cert of the Damascus Opera House. This composition was commissioned tandem. The musical element is a Recordings include two albums with by the 2004 MATA Festival to be per- composition for clarinet and elec- his Arabic-Jazz group HEWAR, and formed by Mari Kimura. tronics (using Max/MSP software as a soundtracks for film and dance. He compositional extension), inspired by has shared the stage with Mari Panayiotis Kokoras (Greece, 1974) the artist’s projected illustrations. Kimura, Marcel Khalife, Daniel completed his PhD at the University The goal was to bring the ancient Barenboim, Elliott Sharp, Katia of York (UK). He returned to Greece story to the present using new musi- Tchemberdji, Kani Karaca and in September 2003, where he teaches cal forms and means, and through a Kevork Mourad. Compositions in-

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Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/comj.2007.31.4.102 by guest on 30 September 2021 clude works for film, live visual arts, sic for Jordon Belson’s video Bardo. played an essential role in HK’s eco- solo instruments, orchestra, chamber She has received two Composer’s nomic development. In this sense, music, and electronics. Grants and an Interdisciplinary Arts London used to harbour HK. Mean- Grant from the National Endowment while, it was through HK and its har- for the Arts, and video grants from bors that UK knocked out the door of 7. System Test (fire and ice)— the Mellon Foundation and the West- the Qing Dynasty in China and Maggi Payne (Music/Video/ ern States Regional Media Arts Fel- strengthened its global economical Choreography/Design) lowships Program. She has had three power in the 19th century. Ten years honorary mentions from Bourges, ago, HK once again became part of This work, which primarily uses my one from Prix Ars Electronica, and China, and China, in turn, has recordings of Jacob’s ladders, ice has placed in the Barlow and “Luigi emerged as a significant global eco- melting, and papers sliding against Russolo” per giovani compositor di nomic power, influencing the econ- each other as the sources, is a rather Musica Elettroacoustica competi- omy of the UK. To some extent now, dramatic piece. I attribute this qual- tions. She was Artist-in-Residence at HK, as part of a stronger China, har- ity to the dynamic/dramatic charac- the Exploratorium in San Francisco, bors London. When I was walking ter of the Jacob’s ladder. There is such designing and building a flame around the Victoria Harbour area, fas- a powerful intensity in the dis- speaker installation in collaboration cinated by the mixed port and urban charges, accompanied by wonderful with Nick Bertoni. Her works are sound, I felt the haunt of transform- sizzling, hissing, crackling sounds, available on Starkland, Lovely Music, ing history. Thus, by combining field and powerful low frequencies; danger Music and Arts, Centaur, MMC, recording with synthesized sound, I is always present. The sources are CRI, Digital Narcis, Frog Peak, tried to describe a dreamy and convolved, stretched, granulated, Asphodel, and/OAR, Ubuibi, and blurred sound picture, letting the equalized, and further processed Mills College labels. feelings walk through the history. many times over, then whirled into this intense piece. The visual com- Zafka (Zhang Anding) was born in ponent for this work uses four 8. When HK Harbours London— Hunan, China, in 1979. He is now a electrolumuniscent-wired “imagers” Zafka (a.k.a. Zhang Anding) hyperactive member of the Chinese in a very dark presentation space (Music) sound art/experimental music scene. (Danae Robinett, Natalie Greene, In 1998, Zafka, as a guitarist, started Yolanda Simmons, and Maggi Payne). This work was produced for Awaken- the experimental noise/improvisa- The video, music, basic choreogra- ing Battersea, a sound project com- tion band Prague Spring in Shanghai. phy, and costume design were all missioned by China Power Station, The band was renamed Prague and in created by Maggi Payne. Part I, an exhibition of Chinese con- 2002 shifted its style toward post- temporary art and architecture organ- rock. With two highly praised al- Maggi Payne is Co-Director of the ized by the Serpentine Gallery, bums, Prague now is among the top Center for Contemporary Music at London, UK. The exhibition opened post-rock bands in China. Zafka be- Mills College, where she teaches in October 2006 at the Battersea gan composing in Guangzhou in recording engineering, composition, Power Station in London. Most of the 2004. After releasing an electronica and electronic music. She also free- sound materials in this work were EP in 2005, Zafka launched the lances as a recording engineer, editor, recorded during a trip to Hong Kong 21floor project with local sound and and historical remastering engineer. (HK) in June 2006, especially from vision artists, and released the sound She frequently incorporates visuals in HK’s Victoria Harbour area. The word art album <12 Hours: Sound Actions her work, including electronically “harbor” can mean not only “port,” for Your Secret Lover>. In 2006, Zafka generated, abstract, nature-video but “place of refuge, comfort, and se- worked with Cao Fei on What Are works, and dance. Since the early curity.” Economically, a harbor, due You Doing Here, a project for the 1980s she has collaborated with to exports and imports, constitutes Siemens Arts Program, for which he video artist Ed Tannenbaum in his one of the most important bases of a composed the soundtracks. In July Technological Feets performances. strong economy. HK’s economy took 2006, Zafka moved to Beijing. With Ms. Payne composes music for dance, off due to international trading at the his new A Lower Summer and The theatre, and video, including the mu- port, and the United Kingdom (UK) Lowest Summer projects, focused on

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Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/comj.2007.31.4.102 by guest on 30 September 2021 combining soundscape, noise, slow- been collaborating with and men- one told me that the government had core, with improvised sound, Zafka tored in the art of building robotic renovated the place, replacing all the has performed at 2 Kolegas and D-22, musical instruments by Trimpin and dysfunctional old gear with some- two of the most important Chinese Eric Singer. Mr. Kapur is currently a thing new. This piece is the result of new-music venues in Beijing. PhD student at the University of Vic- those November recording sessions toria under the mentorship of George (probably the last recordings ever Tzanetakis and Andrew Schloss, made in the old studios). Using these 9. Digital Sankirna—Ajay Kapur working toward an Interdisciplinary sounds, with computer processing, I (Music) degree in Music, Computer Science, tell a part of the story of these ma- Electrical Engineering, Mechanical chines that were once state-of-the- This work is an acoustic exploration Engineering, and Psychology, with a art technology, but over time became of computer music, using traditional focus on Intelligent Music and Media obsolete, useless, just abandoned sitar and Indian folk drums combined Technology. He is also founder of the machinery. with sensor technology, music infor- KarmetiK Underground, a live mation retrieval techniques, and ro- electroacoustic tribal dance music Charbel Haber (Beirut, Lebanon, botics. How does one make a band (www.karmetik.com/). 1978) started his musical adventure computer improvise with a human? in 1996 post-war Lebanon with the This piece shows initial experiments Beiruti post-punk foursome Scram- toward answering this question. 10. Abandoned Machinery— bled Eggs. He is co-founder of the Sankirna is a Hindi word meaning Charbel Haber (Music) Lebanese experimental music record “hybrid,” in reference to raga music. label Those Kids Must Choke, and a This work is a hybrid of acoustic- In November 2002, thanks to an ini- participant in the Lebanese Associa- and computer-based Indian classical tiative of the French Cultural Center tion for Free Improvised Music MILL. music performed by a human sitar and The Lebanese Ministry of Cul- In his work, prepared electric guitar player and a custom-built robotic ture, I was granted access to the and prepared piano are used within Indian drummer, MahaDeviBot. Sen- buildings of the state-owned radio free improvisation, modern composi- sors on the Electronic Sitar hyper- station Radio Liban. A relic of 1960s tion, and computer generated music. instrument gather gestural data from and 1970s pre-civil war Lebanon, the Mr. Haber has collaborated with the human performance, aiding the station is a truly magical place, filled Gene Coleman, Michael Zerang , control of rhythm parameters for the with melancholy and ghost radio Stephane Reeves, Mazen Kerbaj, and MahaDeviBot. The robotic design was waves of what used to be called the Tadahiko Yokogawa. created in collaboration with Eric Switzerland of the Middle East. I was Singer, Director of League of Elec- granted access to Studio B for two tronic Music Urban Robots (LEMUR), days. A huge recording room with an 11. flow—Mike Vernusky and the famous sound sculptor enchanting natural panning, center (Music), Scott Nyerges Trimpin (Seattle, Washington). staged by an old German grand piano (Video) that must have been there for at least Ajay Kapur (www.ajaykapur.com/) the past 40 years. Right next to it, a flow is one half of a four-part sequence graduated with a BSE Computer Sci- big control room was filled with on the theme of water. Meditating ence degree from Princeton Univer- 1960s-era mixing tables, looking upon the seasonal flow of water, our sity in 2002 under the mentorship of more like the inside of a spaceship earth’s lifeblood: A visceral response Perry Cook. He studied tabla and than a recording studio. I spent the to the rush of springtime, when all of sitar in Mumbai, India, at the Alla two days stuffing the piano with all the world reawakens and blooms and Rakha Institute of Music and The kind of things (from little motor en- vibrates with sexual energy, and of Ustad Siraj Khan Institute of Sitar. gines, ping pong balls, and screw- summertime, when the environment Mr. Kapur has been playing percus- drivers, to actually installing an slowly settles into a rhythm of sion instruments for 19 years while acoustic guitar onto the insides of growth and maturity. The music is studying world rhythms, composi- that poor piano), and of course constructed predominantly from tion, Indian classical theory, and recording every little sound that tam-tam and classical guitar. These computer-based music theory. He has came out of it. Two years later, some- sounds were manipulated using

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Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/comj.2007.31.4.102 by guest on 30 September 2021 granular processing to evoke a con- piece captures the intimate and fes- spondential realms as unintended stantly evolving, yet fixed, texture. tive mood of the two players. responses to exo-conscious prompters The video was made with 16-mm and delineating identities, both cultural 35-mm painted filmstrips that were Joo Won Park (Korea, 1980) is a com- and personal. Post-generative analy- digitally manipulated. Live footage is poser of music within several musi- ses and conclusions supplant inspira- also presented as a contrast to these cal genres. His music and audio tion(s) in a manner parallel to that of images. applications have been shown at the destination’s presupposition of depar- Florida Electro-Acoustic Music Festi- ture, thereby dictating a methodology Mike Vernusky holds degrees from val, Society for Electro-Acoustic Mu- of inceptive impulse, impromptu the University of Texas at Austin and sic in the United States Conference, execution, and retrospective concep- Mercyhurst College. He currently Society of Composers Inc. National tualization. Thematic-conceptual serves as Director of Digital Arts for Conference, Seoul International allusions include: road. drone. Quiet Design Records. The company Computer Music Festival, and Inter- SilkRoute. intonarumori. Samothra- recently released Resonance: Steel national Computer Music Confer- cianwings. MarinettilistenstoGa- Pan in the 21st Century, the world’s ence. His articles have been published gaku. car. music:Cargaku. transit. first all-electronic steel pan CD. He in Electronic Musician and The recit. (inalphabeticalorder) audio. has also released a full-length CD of Csound Book. He is currently work- auto. automotopoeia Autopia. strike. his electronic and acoustic works. ing toward his PhD in composition at carburetor. string. dance. strum. Mr. Vernusky won the Grand Prize at the University of Florida, where he is deplete. supple. distance. takeout. the 2004 Digital Arts Awards in studying with James Paul Sain, Paul drive. time. Germany. trance. Holly- Tokyo, Japan. More information/ Richards, and Paul Koonce. He gradu- wood. vibrato. HWY10. video. Inland- music can be found at the composer’s ated from the Berklee College of Mu- Empire. voice. instant. Yugoslavia. Web sites (www.alasseis.com/ and sic majoring in Music Synthesis and Italy. JAM. strike. joy. string. L.A. www.quietdesign.us/). Contemporary Writing/Production, strum. life. supple. LostHighway. under the direction of Richard takeout. mime. time. motion. trance. Boulanger. Mr. Park serves as an asso- motor. vibrato. movement. video. 12. KutMalKut—Joo Won Park ciate director of the Florida Electro- PiHuang. voice. radio. Yugoslavia. (Music) acoustic Music Festival, and teaches reel. strike. repeat. string. ripple. undergraduate and graduate music strum. rodeo. supple. run-in. takeout. KutMalKut is based on a traditional courses as a teaching assistant. His sing. time. Singapore. trance. still. Korean word game for children called music is available on the ICMC 2004 vibrato. video. voice. Yugoslavia. kut-mal-it-ki. In this game, each DVD and at Spectrum Press player takes turn to say a word that (www.spectrumpress.com/). Hoh Chung Shih (Singapore) has been starts with the ending syllable of the a featured artist on National Public opponent’s word. For example, if Radio programs throughout the USA. Player 1 says mo-ki (mosquito), 13. Cargaku—Hoh Chung His group MLuM is a Long Beach, Player 2 has to reply with a word that Shih/MLuM (Music/Video) California-based conceptual mock- starts with syllable ki, such as ki-cha pop and performance art ensemble, (train) or ki-un (energy). As the game Demonstrating a type of extreme im- comprising multi-national artists. It progresses, chains of sonically related provisation in which the conceptual has presented works in subterranean words can flow for a long time, re- properties of resulting materials su- and experimental music concerts and vealing unique characteristics of the percede any musical or sonic aspects, sound art events throughout South- Korean language. The composition the score of Cargaku embodies a sub- ern California. With an intercultural enhances the experience of this game terranean aesthetic. This approach and inter-media aesthetic and praxis by adding concrete and abstract highlights automatistic procedures, that can be described as Weltradau sounds that represent words used by non-reliant structures, and anti- (World Noise), MLuM takes and the players (the sound of a flying formulative processes. As performers makes the “best” out of the “worst” mosquito could be linked with a train extemporize to video, sound events, (and vice versa) that various music(s), sound, or with a sound that repre- suggesting subconscious and arche- images, performance practices, and sents energy). At the same time, the typal equivalents, arise from corre- sounds have to offer. Organic and in-

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Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/comj.2007.31.4.102 by guest on 30 September 2021 organic processes, gong-chime cul- Burtner, and Judith Shatin. His stud- University of Weingarten/Wuerttberg tures, ethnoise, and sound mauls (as ies in piano began in Slovakia and (1984–1988), and composition at the opposed to mere sound bites) are continued in the USA with Alena Hochschule für Musik, Cologne, among its inspiration(s) and refer- Komorasova, Peter Cerman, Baycka with Johannes Fritsch (1988–1995). ences. MLuM is (in alphabetical or- Voronietsky, Phillip Silver, Kemal Besides the creation of open musical der): Hoh Chung Shih—guqin, piano Gekic, and Jose Lopez. Mr. Kojs is forms for various ensembles, often harp, sound and text (Singapore); currently a PhD candidate in Compo- interdisciplinary, he focuses on de- Snezana Petrovic and Vid Petrovic— sition and Music Technologies at the veloping (sound-) installations, some video (Yugoslavia); Michael Raco- University of Virginia, where he stud- in connection with digital media. His Rands—electric bass, sound (USA); ies with Judith Shatin. search for hidden aspects of everyday and Marco Schindelmann—voice, tools results, when finding the right sound and text (EU/USA). More in- manner of misuse, in sounds and mu- formation can be found on the 15. bandoneonbook—Hans sical structures. This also extends to group’s Web site (www.mlum.com/). Wilhelm Koch (Music) the use of computers as musical in- struments in a rather physical man- bandoneonbook (2003) builds upon a ner. His artistic work has brought 14. Air for fujara and very special design-flaw that Apple him to many countries in Europe, electronics—Juraj Kojs Computer introduced with the Tita- Japan, and the USA. He has been col- (Music) nium Powerbook series in 2001. The laborating with numerous artists, built-in microphone, sitting in the among them Sam Ashley, Peter Air is a composition scored for physi- corpus directly next to the left loud- Behrendsen, Jens Brand, Thomas cal and virtual fujaras. The composi- speaker, merrily feeds back as soon as Lehn, Manuel Mota, Harald Muenz, tion presents a communication one tries to use both simultaneously. Simon Nabatov, Joker Nies, Josef between the ancient bass pipe instru- bandoneonbook uses that feedback Novotny, Ben Patterson, Ernesto ment and its digitally modeled as a sound source and makes it Rodriguez, Chao-Ming Tung, replica. The virtual fujara designed playable with the help of a Max Michael Vorfeld, and Bettina Wenzel. by Stefania Serafin extends the fre- patch: two parallel filter-lines, con- He currently teaches composition quency range, amplitude envelope trolled by the keyboard, allow for an and experimental sound practices at contour and duration, and timbre of almost independent two-voice the California Institute of the Arts. the physical instrument. The model polyphony while opening and closing More information can be found on further facilitates circular breathing, the lid influences the dynamics and the composer’s Web site (www an effect that is impossible to achieve the timbral quality of the sound. The .hans-w-koch.net/). on the physical fujara. The composi- resulting instrument isn’t perhaps tion elaborates on breathing and best for making people dance the overblowing patterns of various dura- tango, but it has a rather intimate tions, shapes, and intensities. Pitch sound, suited for soft and etheric mo- material of Air is derived from Slovak ments. In the later aluminum series Disc One, Part Two: Sound folk music. Formally, the composi- of Powerbook computers, Apple cor- Examples tion follows the trajectory from the rected the microphone-placement. idiomatic sounds of the physical Although it is still possible to have This section of the disc features fujara to the sounds produced by ex- that feedback, controlling the volume sound examples to accompany arti- tended performance techniques and with the lid has become almost im- cles appearing in Volume 31 of the sonorities of the physical model. possible. This piece is part of my cur- Journal. Where examples contain rent research in hardware-specific more than one element in succes- Juraj Kojs (1976) was born and raised aspects of Powerbooks, which can sion, each individual element has in Slovakia. He is a composer, pi- pass as musical instrument qualities. been encoded as a separate chapter, anist, and educator. He has studied so one may navigate forward and composition with Beth Wiemann, Hans W. Koch (Heidenheim/Brenz, backward through the examples us- Kristine Burns, Orlando Jacinto Gar- Germany, 1962) studied music, his- ing the Next and Previous Chapter cia, Fredrick Kaufman, Matthew tory, and physics at the Pedagogical buttons on any DVD player or remote

108 Computer Music Journal

Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/comj.2007.31.4.102 by guest on 30 September 2021 control. Alternatively, the examples quartet were composed by Ex- generated sounds. During the will automatically play in sequence periments in Musical Intelli- latter third of the 20th century, with a short pause between each. gence: Vivaldi (“Virgo” from Alexander Graham Cairns- The Zodiac); Bach (fugue from Smith developed a theory on the The Well Programmed Clavier); origin of life based on crystals, 1. Sound Examples to Mozart (from a string quartet); the only other self-replicating Accompany the Article and Bach/Barber (a composite of substance in the known uni- “Creating Sonic Spaces: An Bach and Barber style). I began verse. Mr. Cairns-Smith’s re- Interview with Natasha Experiments in Musical Intelli- search and various books on the gence in 1981 as an attempt to subject, although not currently a Barrett” by Felipe Otondo create new instances of music in part of life-origin’s dogma, is (Volume 31, Number 2) my style. With a lack of quan- generally well received by the tifiable definitions of style, I scientific community. What I These tracks have been encoded for concentrated on the commonal- find most intriguing about his surround-sound from stereo versions ties in the works of certain com- theory is that it assumes that of the excerpts provided by the com- posers, commonalties I call life originated from non-organic poser. Disc One, Part Four, includes signatures. By 1987 Experiments matter as a natural consequence the same excerpts as quadraphonic in Musical Intelligence (Emmy) of universal processes rather audio files provided by the composer. had produced works arguably in than as a special case (e.g., light- 1. Fetters (2002): extract 0'00"— the styles of J. S. Bach and Wolf- ning striking the primordial 3'06". Fetters is released on gang Mozart, among others. soup). This process underscores, Kraftfelt CD (2005), Aurora Further experimentation with as I profoundly believe, that we ACD5037. pattern matching, certain natu- belong to the earth and are 2. Exploratio Invisibilis (2003): ex- ral language processes, and ob- doomed to extinction if we do tract 19'12"—24'49". Exploratio ject orientation allowed for more not embrace and maintain its Invisibilis is released on Kraft- extensive output both in terms natural resources. Endangered felt CD (2005), Aurora of work length and complexity as species, in this case then, means ACD5037. well as stylistic diversity. Exper- the entire organic and inorganic 3. Trade Winds (2006): extract iments in Musical Intelligence universe. Endangered Species, 15'18"—19'07". Trade Winds to subsequently produced new the music, was created algorith- be released on CD in 2007 by works in the styles of composers mically and based on various Aurora. as contrasting as Igor Stravinsky, proportions in certain crystals as 4. Microclimates III-VI (16- Palestrina, and Scott Joplin. described by Mr. Cairns-Smith. channel ambisonics sound in- These works have been dis- Endangered Species takes two stallation, 2007): three-minute cussed and, in part, reproduced forms: computer-generated sound, extract from Microclimate V: in my books Computers and Mu- and computer-generated sound “Water Fall.” sical Style (1991), Experiments with chamber orchestra. In the in Musical Intelligence (1996), chamber orchestra version, the and The Algorithmic Composer computer-generated sound con- 2. Sound Examples to (2000) published by A-R Edi- tributions are substantially longer tions, Madison, Wisconsin; and but play a more subservient role Accompany the Article Virtual Music (2001) and Com- to the instruments in the cham- “Composing with Algorithms: puter Models of Musical Cre- ber orchestra. In the version of An Interview with David ativity (2005), both published by Endangered Species heard here, Cope” by Keith Muscutt The MIT Press. Emmy’s music is the computer-generated sounds (Volume 31, Number 3) published by Spectrum Press represent the entire work and (www.spectrumpress.com), and thus incorporate many of the in- 1. Experiments in Musical Intelli- recorded on Centaur Records. strumental parts from the other gence Sampler. The four short 2. Endangered Species (2003) for version. I do not prefer one ver- works presented here for string chamber ensemble or computer- sion over the other, but choose

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Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/comj.2007.31.4.102 by guest on 30 September 2021 which one to perform based en- ware in order to be played back on a Disc Two, Part One: Video tirely on the forces available. four-channel sound system. Example

1. Soundfiles to Accompany the Disc One, Part Three: Studio Article “Creating Sonic Spaces: 1. Video Example to Accompany Reports An Interview with Natasha the Articles “Stria: Lines to Its Barrett” by Felipe Otondo Reconstruction” by John The 2007 DVD, Disc One, launches a (Volume 31, Number 2) Chowning, and “Surface new feature that will continue annu- Tensions: Dynamics of Stria” ally as suitable submissions are re- See also the non-quadraphonic ver- by Kevin Dahan (Volume 31, sions of these excerpts in Disc One, ceived. The aim is to present short, Number 3) self-produced video features on re- Part Two. In the quadraphonic files’ names below, F = front, R = rear, L = search and creative work being car- The audio for this video example has left, and R = right. ried out at a particular facility. been encoded for surround-sound 1. Fetters (2002): extract 0'00"— from the reconstructed quadraphonic 3'06". Hybrid spatialization us- audio files provided by the composer. 1. Center for the Performing Arts ing ambisonics and amplitude Disc Two, Part Two, includes both and Technology, University of panning over multiple loud- the reconstructed and original Michigan, Ann Arbor, speakers. Fetters-quad-FL.aif; quadraphonic audio files provided by Michigan, USA. Fetters-quad-FR.aif; Fetters- the composer. quad-RL.aif; Fetters-quad-RR.aif. John Chowning’s composition This studio report from the Center 2. Exploratio Invisibilis (2003): ex- Stria was commissioned by l’Institut for the Performing Arts and Technol- tract 19'12"—24'49". Ambisonics. de Recherche et Coordination Acous- ogy at the University of Michigan Ex_Inv-quad-1912-2449-FL.aif; tique/Musique (IRCAM) for its first features an historical overview of Ex_Inv-quad-1912-2449-FR.aif; major concert series, “Perspectives of curriculum development from the Ex_Inv-quad-1912-2449-RL.aif; the 20th Century,” and first per- founding of the Center in 1986 to the Ex_Inv-quad-1912-2449-RR.aif. formed in Paris on 13 October 1977. present. Interviews with faculty, 3. Trade Winds (2006): extract But parts of the original source code staff, and students highlight current 15'18"—19'07". Amplitude pan- were lost, and it was written in now- research initiatives in audio engineer- ning over multiple loudspeakers obsolete computer languages (SAIL, ing, music composition, instrument in two layers: one layer over MUSIC 10). Furthermore, the audio design, intermedia, and performance eight channels, one layer over quality of the original is lower than art. Featured facilities include the four channels. The two layers what is possible today, and the previ- Audio Studio, the Video Studio, and were then remixed to quad. ously released CD version departed the Music Technology Lab. Trade_winds_extract-quad-FL.aif; in places from the composer’s inten- Trade_winds_extract-quad-FR.aif; tions. These factors motivated the re- Trade_winds_extract-quad-RL.aif; construction of Stria. Matteo Trade_winds_extract-quad-RR.aif. Meneghini’s technical analysis in 4. Microclimates III-VI (16-channel 2002 served as a background for the Disc One, Part Four: Additional ambisonics sound installation, reconstruction, along with Laura Zat- Materials 2007): three-minute extract from tra’s subsequent tracing of Stria’s his- Microclimate V: “Water Fall.” tory and the process by which the The 2007 DVD, Disc One, includes a Two omni hydrophones and two piece was assembled. Olivier Bau- DVD-ROM section. To access the cardioid condenser microphones douin and Kevin Dahan each studied material contained there, the reader re-spatialized in ambisonics. the original source code and audio in will need to place the DVD into a Water-Fall-extract-FL.aif; consultation with the composer, re- suitable disc drive on a computer. Water-Fall-extract-FR.aif; sulting in new versions of the source The soundfiles need to be imported Water-Fall-extract-RL.aif; code and new, high-quality sound into suitable multi-track audio soft- Water-Fall-extract-RR.aif. files. (See these four researchers’ ar-

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Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/comj.2007.31.4.102 by guest on 30 September 2021 ticles in CMJ 31:3.) Archival material suitable multi-track audio software to enable various details to be relating to Stria, and its reconstruc- in order to be played back on a four- displayed with optimal clarity. tion, are included on the DVD-ROM channel sound system. StriaScoreRec43blk.xls; FcRec43- portion of this disc. black.png; EventsRec43-black.png; The quadraphonic audio rendered SidebandsRec43-black.png; by Kevin Dahan’s code was used as 1. Documentation and RecursionsRec43-black.png; the soundtrack of this video example, Soundfiles to Accompany the StriaScoreRec43wht.xls; after conversion to AAC format for Articles “Stria: Lines to Its FcRec43-white.png; DVD surround-sound playback. This Reconstruction” by John EventsRec43-white.png; Side- soundtrack presents the complete bandsRec43-white.png; Recur- Chowning, “An Analysis of composition, in the form currently sionsRec43-white.png. preferred by the composer. The origi- the Compositional Techniques 4. Charts: StriaEventsRec43.xls— nal audio files, and the reconstructed in John Chowning’s Stria” by event blocks plotted from audio files, are included on the DVD- Matteo Meneghini, “The reconstruction data; jc-p- ROM portion of the disc. Assembling of Stria by John REV1978Schema6.pdf—flow The video accompanying the mu- Chowning: A Philological chart of reverberator used in sic is an animated spectral represen- Investigation” by Laura reconstruction. tation of Stria created at the Zattra, “Surface Tensions: 5. Code (Kevin Dahan): LICENSE; composer’s request by Ge Wang, Dynamics of Stria” by Kevin README; stria.glade; Ananya Misra, and Perry Cook (Pro- Dahan, and “A Reconstruction stria.gladep; stria.rb. fessor of Computer Science and Mu- of Stria” by Olivier Baudouin 6. Csound_source (Kevin Dahan): sic) at Princeton University. This stria.orc; stria.sco; (all in Volume 31, Number 3). work was carried out using sndpeek StriaScoreRec43Formated.rtf. software developed at Princeton’s Stria Soundfiles. Unpublished sources relating to Stria. Sound Lab (Perry Cook, Director). (These quadraphonic files’ names All of the unpublished documents, Further information about this soft- use the convention F = front, R = rear, original and copies, in both paper and ware is found at the Sound Lab’s Web L = left, and R = right.) digital forms, are in the collection site (soundlab.cs.princeton.edu/). John Chowning Papers, Stanford Uni- This version of Stria had its pre- 1. John Chowning. Digital sound- versity Archives. miere at the International Computer files made from the original Music Conference in Copenhagen, four-channel, half-inch tape that 7. John Chowning. Manuscripts: jc- Denmark, on 27 August 2007. was re-assembled the day fol- m-Calcs74.pdf—Calculations of lowing the first performance: frequency modulation sidebands Stria-FL.aiff; Stria-FR.aiff; Stria- based on carrier/modulation RL.aiff; Stria-RR.aiff. frequency ratios of powers of 2. Kevin Dahan. Reconstructed Φ Golden Ratio (Berlin); Disc Two, Part Two: Additional digital soundfiles from computer jc-m-DiskLog.pdf—Soundfiles Materials code and Csound sources: stria- that that were written onto disk rec43-FL.wav; stria-rec43- pack Music6, which was loaded The 2007 DVD, Disc Two, includes a FR.wav; stria-rec43-RL.wav; onto unit drive u2. END, HARM DVD-ROM section. To access the stria-rec43-RR.wav. and LEV500 were written onto material contained there, the reader c.(?) unit drive u1. The sound- Stria Reconstruction Program. will need to place the DVD into a files were recorded onto three suitable disc drive on a computer. 3. Scores—Graphical scores pro- half-inch tapes, using a Scully The documents are in a variety of for- duced by John Chowning from four-channel recorder. The final mats—e.g., Adobe Portable Docu- Kevin Dahan’s stria.sco file us- assembling of Stria was accom- ment Format (PDF), Microsoft Excel ing Microsoft Excel 2004 for plished at IRCAM where there (XLS), Portable Network Graphics Macintosh. These images are were numerous Ampex four- (PNG)—all of which can be opened rendered twice, once with black channel recorders (Stanford); with readily available software. The background and a second time jc-m-PhiSbnds'74.pdf—Gen- soundfiles need to be imported into with white background, in order eralization from jc-m-Calcs74

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Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/comj.2007.31.4.102 by guest on 30 September 2021 showing the sideband compo- events within a section. The pro- output was identical to that of nents that are also powers of Φ gram then wrote three files: (1) A T0.SCR. (Berlin); jc-m-Plan2ndHalf.pdf— time-ordered SCR file with the 9. Roberto Doati. (rd) rd-p-Analysis Original plan for the second synthesis data for each of the el- of Stria by John Chowning.pdf— part of Stria, from Golden Sec- ements in an event; (2) A REP Roberto Doati’s analysis of tion (610 sec) to end (987 sec), file that was a record of the data Stria from 1988, with refer- with sections and events based typed at the terminal for the sec- ences to Toby Mountain’s “A upon numbers from the tion; and (3) A MEM file, which Notational Representation of Fibonacci series (Stanford); included the prompts for the John Chowning’s Stria” and a jc-m-PlanLarge.pdf—Plan show- data typed at the terminal. copy of the original four- ing build-up of density by means These three files provided the channel tape provided by John of overlapping events approach- data for the reconstruction of Chowning. ing the Golden Section. Of the Stria. NotesInstRevScr: 10. Tod Machover. mt-p- seven sections the second was jc-p-Note1977.pdf—The pro- MachoverDescription of JC’s- discarded following the premiere gram notes that were sent by Work.pdf—“The Realization of (Stanford); jc-m-StriaSecsSR.pdf— telegraph to Brigitte Marger [at Stria: The Development of Hu- Note showing sampling rate for IRCAM] on 5 October 1977; man Singing Voice Synthesis each of the six sections. The jc-p-REV1978Schema6.pdf— using Frequency Modulation.” lower sampling rate was used to Diagram showing assumed form This document is the only reduce computation time in sec- of reverberator used in recon- record of Stria found at IRCAM. tions having lower ambitus struction of Stria (J. Chowning, 11. Toby Mountain Manu- (Stanford); jc-m-TapeLog.pdf— June 2007); jc-p-CPC4.INS.pdf— scripts. Notes-1980: Note showing contents of three Another form of the reverberator jc-m-NotesForTM.pdf—Notes analog tapes that were taken to which, with the above and the provided by John Chowning to IRCAM for final assembling SCR file, provided the clues to Toby Mountain in 1980 (Stan- (Stanford). reconstructing the original; ford); tm-m-Sketches for the 8. John Chowning. Print jc-p-CPC4.INS(2).pdf—A file Analysis of Stria.pdf—Analysis NotesCodeData. COMP.SAI: containing a form of the rever- by Toby Mountain showing jc-p-COMP.SAI(1978).pdf—The berator instrument, but not ex- build-up of events to climax program written in SAIL (Stanford actly what was used in Stria; (Berkeley). Analysis-1981: Artificial Intelligence Language) jc-p-m-CPC4.INS(3).pdf—A file tm-m-A Notational Represen- by Mr. Chowning with which containing the instrument for tation of John Chowning’s Stria was composed. Graphs: MUSIC10 that with the SCR Stria.pdf—Transcription to jc-p-StriaSonogram.pdf— files produced the SND files. common music notation Sonogram of original from four- This is an early form that has an and tuning (Berkeley); channel tape (digitized). error in the code: P25 and P26 tm-m-StriaAnalysis—Notes MEMfiles: jc-p-T0.MEM.pdf; should be P14 and P15. The used by Toby Mountain in jc-p-T286.MEM.pdf; drawings are the only extant analysis as part of his PhD ex- jc-p-T466.MEM.pdf; record of the functions used in amination (Berkeley). Note: the jc-p-T610.MEM.pdf; Stria; jc-p-T0SCR.pdf—The only documents from Toby Moun- jc-p-T754G.MEM.pdf; extant SCR file, which was criti- tain can be downloaded as jc-p-END.MEM.pdf. The cal in the re-creation of the JPEG files from the author’s COMP.SAI program received in- COMP.SAI program in a modern Web site (www.holycross.edu/ put data typed at a time-share computer language. The re- departments/music/tmountai/ terminal that specified the creation was validated when its digitalmedia_files.htm).

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