James Dillon Introitus (1989–90) 6Vln, 2Vla, 2Vc, 2Db, Tape and Live Electronics duration: 28 minutes Published by Edition Peters (EP7408) First performance: May 1990, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris Ensemble Intercontemporain, IRCAM technicians, conducted by Peter Eötvös Commissioned by IRCAM River: [ME, (O) Fr. riviere] “a copious stream or flow of something (e.g. water flowing in a channel towards the sea or ocean).” “one who rives who tears apart, who severs, divides or cleaves, to split by means of shock, violent impact or pressure.” [Shorter Oxford Dictionary] Introitus is the eighth in a series of nine works begun in 1982 with the generic title of Nine Rivers. Each of the nine works represents an evolving and interlocking set of orchestrations, where the conceptual basis for scaling, pattern and transformation are derived from a conflation of the title river as both flow and disruption Introitus is organised as a palimpsest of three superposed layers: 1) Twelve strings (6 vlns, 2 vlas, 2 v’celli and 2 C’bass) 2) Computer-generated tape 3) Live electronics (sound transformation and spatialisation) These interdependent strata function not simply to perform a coherent unity a symbiosis but cite their own deconstruction. Introitus within the context of Nine Rivers may be viewed as an estuary (L. aestuare, to surge, foam as the tide), a tidal delirium opened up by the employment of computer technology. 1 ) The twelve strings are subdivided into 3 groups Peters Edition Limited Hinrichsen House 10-12 Baches Street London N1 6DN Tel: 020 7553 4030 Fax: 020 7490 4921 e-mail: [email protected] internet: www.editionpeters.com James Dillon 4 vlns; string quartet; and vla, v’cello, 2 c’ bass Musical material in part either echoes events from previous Nine Rivers works or in common with previous works is constructed around an interaction of prototypical patterns, spirals, branching and meanders, (with turbulence – see below) these patterns are identified in morphology theory as lying at the basis of most natural formations. However, the topologies of these patterns in Introitus are redefined as they are plotted along an axis which situates their position somewhere between ‘continuity’ and ‘discontinuity’ – as ‘flow’ or ‘disruption’ – the axis here exists as a set of rules for the union or division of musical material. 2) The tape part consists of four interlaced ‘critical sound groups’ organised as follows: a) Violin, viola and v’cello samples were recorded at IRCAM and classified into generic taxonomies, according to frequency, attack / decay transients, duration and stability. These were then ordered according to scale which assigned values for pitch, duration and three timbral co-ordinates (Weasel, Winsberg), velocity, spectral flux and brightness. These sound samples are converted into text files for the computer to read and form a reservoir of string sonority from which a large series of complex sound textures are generated. This generation is developed through the iteration of a Feigenbaum algorithm which circumscribes the conceptualities forcontinuity and discontinuity. Driven at slow speeds this algorithm generates smooth and laminar textures but as the speed is increased these textures divide and break into increasingly turbulent states – the fourth prototypical pattern – an escalating cascade of period doublings therefore metamorphose and propagate the initial periodicities into complex narrative webs of sound – reticulative states. b) A set of pre-recorded natural ‘sound-objects’ from various sources were chosen for both their sonic potential as deconstructs and their symbolic references – here representing the four elements of earth, air, fire and water. These sound objects were also translated into text files for the digital mix program and are filtered and transformed through a concatenation of ‘stretches’ and ‘folds’, emulating so called ‘Smal’s folding’ which Peters Edition Limited Hinrichsen House 10-12 Baches Street London N1 6DN Tel: 020 7553 4030 Fax: 020 7490 4921 e-mail: [email protected] internet: www.editionpeters.com James Dillon poise their structure somewhere between laminate and turbulent states. As objet sonore these function as ‘windows’ or translucent spots within the (above) ‘string maelstrom’. c) Periodicity rates (444 in all) extracted from a 1988 print out from Jodrell Bank of the known (to astrophysics) pulsars – a celestial source of radiation emitted in brief (0.03 second to 0.4 seconds) regular pulses – these periodic signals were then assigned to a distinctly terrestrial sound source, an isolated set of 444 ‘cicada’ pulses – a single sound sample of a Mediterranean cicada song was dissected with the use of a computer analysis program and provided the series of individual pulses. d) A superposition (as moiré pattern) of a series of synthetically generated harmony and inharmonic spectra – banks of oscillators deliriously articulated in a feedback loop of turbulent flow – a spectrum of spectra. The tape was created by employing both IRCAM ‘analysis’ and ‘mix’ programs in combination with a set of specifically created programs for the generation of turbulence. These programs were implemented on the Vax 780 in tandem with the Max / Patcher environment operated on a Mac II. 3) The live electronics introduce a further level of vestigial control and function to confront the idea of ‘symbiosis’, both an overall divisive and unifying force, any dialectic between the two former strata is circumscribed by either a controlled capriciousness or orgiastic blessing. Complex forms of patterning intermittencies, bifurcations etc. (Feigenbaum’s magic numbers) creating turbulence also at this level which is employed to control the live mixing, transformation and diffusion of layers 1 and 2 and maintaining a density of construction to the final moment of performance. An attempt to circumvent any notions of electroacoustic ‘rouge’ – and rediscover the displacements involved in the ‘live electronic hybrid’ is perhaps also an attempt to reinvoke some traumwild. The live electronics employs the Matrix 32 a device developed at IRCAM for the control of audio-signal routing. The live transformation of sound is controlled by the Max / Patcher Peters Edition Limited Hinrichsen House 10-12 Baches Street London N1 6DN Tel: 020 7553 4030 Fax: 020 7490 4921 e-mail: [email protected] internet: www.editionpeters.com James Dillon environment on a Mac II, which allows for an extremely rich and complex networking of interactions and is routed through MIDI effects systems. Introitus was commissioned by IRCAM, Paris; the first performances took place during May 1990 in the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris and were given by the Ensemble InterContemporain conducted by Peter Eotvos. Introitus was composed for the 65th birthday of Pierre Boulez to whom it is dedicated. Peters Edition Limited Hinrichsen House 10-12 Baches Street London N1 6DN Tel: 020 7553 4030 Fax: 020 7490 4921 e-mail: [email protected] internet: www.editionpeters.com.