musique concréte listening:

Poéme Electronique by Edgard Varese

Site of premiere at Philips Pavilion, Brussels World Fair 1958

(excerpt)

What images did Poéme Electronique suggest to you?

Were there any sounds that you found to be repeated at different points in the

composition? Did you perceive a structure?

Here is a pile of sounding objects...

• How would you organize these sounds into categories?

doumbek (drum), soprano recorder, accordion, bongo, alto recorder, melodica, rattle, bell string, skillet, toy piano, paper, soda cans, kalimba

some possible groupings of sounds for contrast: -metal/wood-pitched/indefinite pitch-short/long-winds/percussion• Let’s improvise a piece for 2 - 4 groups of sounds, lasting about 2 minutes. Focus on contrasts between the groups.

[record for later audio manipulation.]

Improvisation modules:

1. passing short sounds in a circle

2. blending similar sounds

3. direct splicing of 2 contrasting sounds

(e.g. short & loud vs. long & soft)

4. [upon signal from conductor] play at half

speed what was just played before

5. crossfade 2 groups of sounds

Improvisation modules:

1. passing short sounds in a circle

2. blending similar sounds

3. direct splicing of 2 contrasting sounds

(e.g. short & loud vs. long & soft)

4. [upon signal from conductor] play at half

speed what was just played before

5. crossfade 2 groups of sounds

demo:

1. Review the Arrangement area, mixer functions - track volume, solo, mute, EQ, inserts

2. Automating effects

3. Altering pitch and rhythm- using Pitch Shifter insert, warping with Flex Tool

4. Screen sets; Sample Editor window

5. Composition techniques - splicing sounds; blending sounds; stratified layering; transitions; playing with time (reverse,

slow it down, speed it up).

composition plan:

-2 primary sound sources: violin & cymbal

SAMPLES:A) bowed cymbal, to blend with sustained harmonics on violinB) light use of drumstick on violin strings, fingerboardC) scratch tone on violin to transition into indefinite pitched noiseD) fingertip rhythms on cymbal, mixed with pizzicato violinE) oppositional contrasts, polarities, emphasizing differencesF) morphing between the two instruments

FORM: begin with soft dynamics - introduce interjections/tension, accelerate contrasts (cutting up sounds) - shift to sense of open expanse & multiple layers - evaporate into the stratosphere

journal #1:Creative goals, obstacles, and

observations on the experience of creating Project 1 (submitted via email, with link to page where I can listen on soundcloud.com)