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El Lado Femenino De Los Sonidos núm. 005 Revista de pensament musical any2009 El lado femenino de los sonidos > SOL REZZA “¿POD R ÍA S R EALIZA R UN EFECTO DE DIECI S ÉI S MINUTO S DE S ILENCIO ?” Productor de la BBC. Esta es una de esas historias que sólo quedan empolvándose en los archivos, de esas que no son muy conocidas. Esta es una historia de radio y mujeres, mujeres y radio. Año 1950 Europa se encontraba en plena depresión pos-guerra y a su vez estaba inmersa en una revolución cultural en las artes. Una de las cadenas de radio más importantes del mundo: la Sol Rezza Brithis Broadcasting Corporation, más conocida como la BBC de Londres, ante esta revolución y la demanda de su público decide renovar su aire con sonidos nuevos. En su programación incluye obras de dramaturgos de moda como Samuel Beckett cuyas obras exigen a la radiodifusora una nueva dimensión del sonido en radio; es así como en 1958 se crea el Radhiophonic workshop (Taller radiofónico) un lugar de creación de efectos de sonido, atmósferas y música de fondo para las nuevas obras que se transmitían por la radio. Desmond Briscoe1 fue nombrado gerente principal del estudio junto con; compositores, ingenieros de sonido y artistas dramáticos que estaban inspirados en la música concreta de Pierre 1. Desmond Briscoe: Compositor, ingeniero de sonido y co-fundador junto a Daphne Oram del Radiophonic Wokshop. www.webdemusica.org 1 núm. Sonograma 005 Revista de pensament musical any2009 Shaeffer 2y en la manipulación de cintas análogas. En este equipo de trabajo participaron 3 mujeres que hicieron que la música y las innovaciones técnicas del taller se convirtieran, hoy en día, en uno de los principales referentes de la música electrónica. La primera de ellas fue Daphne Oram, que a los 18 años comenzó a trabajar para la emisora. Compositora y técnico de sonido, realizó una campaña en la propia radio para que los equipos de sonido sean puestos a disposición de los artistas para desarrollar nuevas técnicas para el diseño de sonidos y música electrónica. Su principal interés fue desarrollar sonidos electrónicos (no hay que olvidar que las computadoras en ese entonces no era de uso común y que por lo tanto los sonidos electrónicos dependían de otras máquinas). Fue una de las principales impulsoras para que se abriera el taller y se convirtió en su primera directora. Sin embargo no se conformó con experimentar con efectos de sonido y música de fondo como la BBC quería y en 1959 instaló su propio estudio de grabación en donde continuó experimentando y desarrolló la técnica de creación de sonido electrónico llamada “Orgamics”3. La BBC no era tan abierta a la experimentación de Daphne tal es así que en una de sus obras la emisora a modo de excusa transmitió la siguiente advertencia: “Este programa es un experimento-una exploración. No es una obra maestra, pero tampoco es una obra menor. Creemos que vale la pena su radiodifusión como un intento serio para saber si podemos transmitir un nuevo tipo de experiencia emocional e intelectual por medio de lo que llamamos efectos radiofónicos”. En su estudio, Daphne Oram, siguió trabajando en composiciones para cine, televisión y conciertos electrónicos en vivo. Murió el 5 de enero de 2003. Rara vez se le atribuye el crédito verdadero que tuvo y tiene su trabajo, hasta hace poco tiempo la BBC atribuía el trabajo a Desmond Briscoe y Douglas Claverden como los principales fundadores del taller. Su nombre no figuraba en la historia de la radiodifusión británica ni en artículos relacionados con el Radiophonic workshop hasta despúes del año 2000. Despúes de su muerte su nombre ha comenzado ha salir a la luz junto con la importancia de su carrera. Pero mientras Daphen Oram se alejaba del taller en 1959, en 1960 otra mujer se incorporaba al grupo de trabajo; su nombre Maddalena Fagandini. 2. Pierre Shaeffer: pionero del género musical “música concreta” una forma de música experimental que tuvo sus inicios en Europa en los años 1900, compositor francés, radiodifusor, entre otras cosas. 3. Orgamics: Técnica en la que la imágenes dibujadas se transforman en sonidos. Se trata de un sistema de notación gráfica en la que se imponen los componentes necesarios tales como altura, duración,sobre la forma, el timbre para su representación en ondas de audio para generar sonidos electrónicos. 2 www.webdemusica.org núm. Sonograma 005 Revista de pensament musical any2009 Si uno busca su nombre por Internet lo que encuentra es una pequeña referencia a su trabajo en el taller de la BBC y a un trabajo realizado con el productor de los Beatles George Martin. Sin embargo el trabajo de Magdalena es mucho más extenso y abarca desde jingles para radio hasta producciones para televisión. No contamos con referencias de esta mujer que continúa en el anonimato. ¿qué habrá pasado?... “NUNCA UNA MÁQUINA , P O R P E R FECTA QUE S EA , R EM P LAZA R Á A UN A P E rs ONA GENIAL ” André Jolivet “NUNCA UNA P E rs ONA GENIAL , P O R EXCE P CIONAL QUE S EA , P OD R Á R EM P LAZA R A UNA MÁQUINA ELECT R ÓNICA ” Pierre Barbaud A mediados de los años 50` surge otro estilo de composición musical en el que las máquinas electrónicas cumplen un papel fundamental. No se trata de una moda, sino de un nuevo modo de composición en donde el pensamiento matemático y su influencia, en la composición musical, permitieron nuevas formas musicales basadas en las leyes matemáticas. El promotor de la música algorítmica4 es Pierre Barbaud. Pero escuchemos qué pasa con la radio y este nuevo horizonte.... En 1960 se incorpora al Taller de Radiophonic Workshop Delia Derbyshire de 23 años , licenciada en matemáticas y música, entra a la BBC de Londres como aprendiz de gerente; sin embargo sus dotes musicales la llevan a ser partícipe del Taller5 en donde figura como “personal temporal adjunto” durante años y a pesar de ser la suplente del “Principal encargado” en más de una ocasión. Delia comenzó a experimentar, tanto para la radio de la BBC como para las distintas series televisivas, nuevas formas sonoras basadas en fuentes enteramente electrónicas. En poco tiempo dió a conocer piezas como la música que acompañó la serie Doctor Who una de las más famosas de la televisión Británica. Es en este momento que el Radiophonic Workshop entra en lo que se denomina, hasta el 4. Música creada a partir de algoritmos matemáticos. 5. Cuando hablamos de “Taller” nos referimos al Radiophonic Workshop de la BBC de Londres 3 www.webdemusica.org núm. Sonograma 005 Revista de pensament musical any2009 día de hoy, su época dorada. Lamentablemente los primeros trabajos de Delia Derbyshire se mantienen en el anonimato y son firmados y adjudicados únicamente a la BBC, sin mencionar a la autora, es por esto que durante mucho tiempo el trabajo de esta extraordinaria artista queda en las sombras. Los instrumentos de trabajo... La Sala 11; era un cuarto perteneciente al Taller del Radiophonic Workshop donde las mujeres que trabajaban allí se ocupaban de recuperar y reclamar cintas magnetofónicas. En ese momento las cintas magnetofónicas eran consideradas peligrosos factores de incendio, por lo que el cuerpo de bomberos realizaba rondas donde retiraban las cintas. De la sala 11 se pasó a la sala 12 donde por primera vez se contó con grabadoras de carrete abierto sincronizadas a control remoto, este avance cambió la forma de trabajo ya que antes cada grabadora funcionaba con velocidades distintas, sólo se contaba con una regla de plástico de 12 pulgadas y un metro de madera para poder cortar las cintas, no había sincronización en absoluto. Si quieres puedes ver un video en esta dirección para darte una mejor idea de lo que 4 www.webdemusica.org núm. Sonograma 005 Revista de pensament musical any2009 estamos hablando: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDX_CS3NsTk También estaba la BTR/2 (ver foto arriba). Un Ferrograph con altavoz interno (Ver foto abajo),un órgano Hammond y un piano vertical entre otras máquinas. En el Taller se dijo que la música de Delia era demasiado lasciva para los 11 de vida del taller radiofónico y demasiado sofisticada para el público de la BBC, sin embargo Delia Derbyshire encontró otros espacios donde poder seguir experimentando entre ellos, el teatro y el cine. Delia Derbyshire ganó el reconocimiento, por piezas tan ingeniosas como “Great zoos of the world” (Grandes zoologicos del mundo) donde la pieza que presentaba el programa televisivo estaba compuesta únicamente con sonidos de animales. Sus obras de las décadas del 60 y 70 se siguen utilizando hoy en día tanto en la televisión como en la radio, y es musa inspiradoras de grandes grupos de música electrónica y experimental como Alphex Twin y The Chemical Brodhers. SOL REZZA , 2009 BI B LIOG R AFÍA : La Música contemporánea – Biblioteca Salvat de grande temas. Inetrview “radiophonic Ladies”- Jo Hutton. Delia Derbyshire an audiological chronology. BBC radiophonic workshop – Ray Blanco ENLACE S : http://www.ferrograph.info/pages/who_used_ferrographs.htm http://www.delia-derbyshire.org/ 5 www.webdemusica.org núm. Sonograma 005 Revista de pensament musical any2009 http://web.archive.org/web/20060517133312/ http://www.sonicartsnetwork.org/ARTICLES/ARTICLE2000JoHutton.html http://www.daphneoram.org/ http://www.radio-arte.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BC_Radiophonic_Workshop http://www.sara.uea.ac.uk 6 www.webdemusica.org.
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