UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA GRADUATE COLLEGE A PERFORMER’S GUIDE TO ADAM CUTHBÉRT’S WORKS FOR SOLO TRUMPET AND ABLETON SOFTWARE A DOCUMENT SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS By BENJAMIN L. HAY Norman, Oklahoma 2019 A PERFORMER’S GUIDE TO ADAM CUTHBÉRT’S WORKS FOR SOLO TRUMPET AND ABLETON SOFTWARE A DOCUMENT APPROVED FOR THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC BY Dr. Karl Sievers, Chair Dr. Irvin Wagner Dr. Marvin Lamb Dr. Matthew Stock Dr. Kurt Gramoll © Copyright by Benjamin Hay 2019 All Rights Reserved. Acknowledgements Thanks to Adam Cuthbért, whose generosity enabled this project to reach fruition, and whose music has inspired me to become a better artist, performer, and academic. To John Adler, Samuel Wells, Christopher Degado, and Elizabeth Jurd: thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge, to the great benefit of this endeavor. Thank you to my committee members Marvin Lamb, Matthew Stock, Irvin Wagner, and Kurt Gramoll. Your guidance, patience, and professionalism have been a model that I hope to imitate throughout my career. A special thank you to my advisor, committee chair, mentor, and trumpet teacher, Karl Sievers. Your influence on my life has been substantial, and I will continue to aspire to be the person that you believe I can be. I cannot thank you enough. To John Marchiando, Jacob Walburn, Andrew Cheetham, and William Ballenger: thank you for all of the guidance in trumpet and life. You have made more of a difference in my life than you can ever imagine. To my wife and best friend, Rachel: “thank you” will never be enough. Without your inexhaustible support, this project would not have been possible. Finally, to my family: Thank you for everything. I will be eternally grateful. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………..iv List of Tables………………………………………………………………………...…vii List of Figures…………………………………………………………………...…….viii Abstract………………………………………………………………………..………..ix Chapter 1: Introduction Purpose of the Study……………………………………………………………..1 Scope and Limitations of the Study……………………………………………...8 Survey of Related Literature…………………………………………………….9 Chapter 2: Historical Context Overview……………………………………………………………………….12 Early Innovations in Electronic Sound…………………………………………12 Advent of Magnetic Tape………………………………………………………14 Synthesizers and Digital Sound………………………………………………...22 Personal Computers, Laptops, and Digital Audio Workstations……………….27 Chapter 3: Discussion of Technology Overview……………………………………………………………………….30 Hardware……………………………………………………………………….30 Software………………………………………………………………………...34 Completing the Performance Setup…………………………………………….38 Chapter 4: Analysis of Works Overview……………………………………………………………………….49 v scarlet rising moon (2008)……………………………………………………..45 rikai (2009)……………………………………………………………………..49 no hipster hats (2011)…………………………………………………………..54 sonata for trumpet and launchpad……………………………………………..58 Chapter 5: Interview Summaries Overview……………………………………………………………………….73 Performers……………………………………………………………………...73 Adam Cuthbért…………………………………………………………………78 Chapter 6: Conclusions………………………………………………………………...84 References……………………………………………………………………………..88 Appendix A: Performer Interviews John Adler……………………………………………………………………...90 Christopher Degado…………………………………………………………...108 Elizabeth Jurd…………………………………………………………………126 Samuel Wells………………………………………………………………….139 Appendix B: Interviews with Adam Cuthbért Interview #1…………………………………………………………………...155 Interview #2…………………………………………………………………...191 Appendix C: IRB Outcome Letter……………………………………...……………..232 vi List of Tables Table 1………………………………………………………………………………….48 Table 2………………………………………………………………………………52-53 Table 3………………………………………………………………………………56-57 Table 4a……………………………………………………………………………..67-68 Table 4b……………………………………………………………………………..69-70 Table 4c……………………………………………………………………………..71-72 vii List of Figures Figure 1.0………………………………………………………………………………...7 Figure 2.0……………………………………………………………………………….21 Figure 3.0……………………………………………………………………………….36 Figure 3.1……………………………………………………………………………….36 Figure 4.0……………………………………………………………………………….41 Figure 4.1……………………………………………………………………………….41 Figure 4.2……………………………………………………………………………….42 Figure 4.3……………………………………………………………………………….42 Figure 4.4……………………………………………………………………………….44 Figure 4.5……………………………………………………………………………….46 Figure 4.6……………………………………………………………………………….51 Figure 4.7……………………………………………………………………………….55 Figure 4.8……………………………………………………………………………….60 Figure 4.9……………………………………………………………………………….61 Figure 4.10…………………………………………………………………………..….64 Figure 4.11……………………………………………………………………………...64 Figure 4.12……………………………………………………………………………...66 viii Abstract Adam Cuthbért has established himself as a composer worthy of study through his prolific interactions with a wide range of performers and organizations of national and international renown. High profile groups such as the Friction String Quartet, Third Coast Percussion, and Bang on a Can All Stars have performed his works, and the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and National Public Radio have reviewed his compositional output. Also a trumpeter, Cuthbért has composed four works for solo trumpet and Ableton Live software, with the most significant of these works being an interactive sonata over 35 minutes in length. However, the unique nature of these works provides challenges for an interested performer. This will address Cuthbért’s works through providing a historic context for the pieces, an in depth guide to the physical setup as well as the software used in performance, analysis of the works themselves, and interviews with several performer of these works in addition to an interview with the composer. Analysis will include pedagogical and technical demands for the performer as well as musical analysis using Brian Fennelly’s XYE system of analysis of sound in order to garner an understanding of the structure of these works. ix Chapter 1: Introduction Purpose of the Study Music composed for solo trumpet and electronically generated sound is a somewhat narrow genre that exists largely within the confines of academia. Pieces written in this way are commonly referred to as works for “trumpet and electronics”. For the remainder of the document, the phrase “trumpet and electronics” will refer to those works. Works for solo wind instruments and electronically generated sound have had several phases of popularity since their conception in the mid-twentieth century. Within the repertoire for solo trumpet and electronics, the vast majority of the pieces written from the 1960s to the present involve fixed media of some nature.1 Pieces that utilize live sound manipulation or that require performers to interact with software in live performance are rare for trumpet, but the creative output of adventurous composers has begun to actively expand this corner of trumpet literature. A prime example of this expansion can be found in the catalog of composer Adam Cuthbért. Cuthbért (b. 1988) has established himself as a composer worthy of study through his prolific interactions with a wide range of performers and organizations of national and international renown. He is a New York based composer, sound designer, and record label co-owner who works extensively with music for acoustic instruments and electronically generated sound. His music has been performed broadly in both academic institutions and other performance venues such as at the Center for New Music (San Francisco, CA), Kingston University (London), and Massachusetts Museum 1 Barth, Michael Edwin. “Music for Solo Trumpet and Electronics: A Repertoire Study” (Toronto: University of Toronto, 2011). 1 of Contemporary Art. Prestigious new music ensembles such as Friction Quartet, Third Coast Percussion, and Bang on A Can have also performed Cuthbért ‘s music, and numerous media outlets such as the New York Times,2 National Public Radio,3 and the San Francisco Chronicle have reviewed his work4. Cuthbért’s biography will be addressed in detail in Chapter 5 and Appendix A. While his body of work includes compositions for a large variety of acoustic instruments and ensembles with electronic sound, the trumpet seems to hold a prominent position in his output, and for good reason: Cuthbért studied trumpet during his undergraduate degree at Grand Valley State University. Cuthbért has written four complete works and one incomplete work for trumpet and Ableton software, all of which require the performer to interact with Ableton and Launchpad (the most popular physical interface designed for use with Ableton software). The largest of these works is the substantial sonata for trumpet and launchpad (2013), which is in three movements and requires a minimum of 35 minutes to perform. These works rely on the use of Ableton software, both in live performance and in their composition. Ableton is a popular music production software, frequently used by commercial musicians and DJs for sound design and live performance. Cuthbért’s title for his sonata alludes to Launchpad, which is the most popular physical interface for Ableton in live performance but does not create musical information independently 2 La Rocca, Claudia, “Movements on a Scale That’s Cozy: ‘Chamber Works I: Intimate Daces for a Small Space,” New York Times, May 14, 2014, accessed February 8, 2018, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/15/arts/dance/chamber-works-i-intimate-dances-for-a-small- space.html. 3 Huizenga, Tom, “Review: GVSU New Music Ensemble, RETURN,” National Public Radio, October 19, 2017, accessed February 8, 2018, https://www.npr.org/2017/10/19/558363708/first-listen-gvsu-new-