Imaginary realms

Imaginary realms is an enlargement of figurativisation insofar as it allows for

28 The term, ‘intrinsic-extrinsic threads’, was devised by Smalley to define attributes and relationships inherent to a piece of music and relationships or experiences that are external to the piece (Smalley. 1997: 110).

29 The concept of evocation is discussed in Chapter 4: Self-Orientation.

variations in figurativisation and, additionally, embraces other reception behaviours, notably fiction, fantasy, and surrealism, in which the listener exercises imagination as an end in itself. Listeners may respond to an acousmatic work by addressing the sound world, structure, or physiological sensations, emotions and thoughts using imaginative terms. Nevertheless, imaginary realms differs in that the images fabricated by the listening consciousness are not perceived to be inherent in the work nor in a culturally or universally appreciated or defined construction, although certain spectromorphological qualities apprehended during listening may influence the inception of the image and the manner in which it unfolds.³⁰ The strategy, imaginary realms, has its origin in Delalande’s figurativisation, a type of listening where form is perceived to unfold through narrativity, which additionally furnishes a basis for perceptual construction (Delalande, 1998: 52). A listener who adopts this behaviour is inclined to seek the figurative in the music and consider that various sounds imply something that moves, as if alive. The listener also searches for a contrast between sonic constructions that are associated with the living being and other elements that have a contextual objective (ibid.: 47).

Evidence of figurativisation appears among the responses from the listening experiment. This strategy is detected in a response from International School of Brussels Listener P who made the following observation about the second of the Deux aperçus du jardin qui s’éveille: “I think that this music is a tropical rainforest with many bird [sic], insects and creatures in it. The creatures are furry and have high-pitched voices. There are different noises made by these creatures in the forest”

(Anderson, 2001: 28). The text accompanies a drawing of a forest and animals. While it is possible the citation of birdcalls refers to source-bonded birdcalls audible in the work, the allusion to lively forest life demonstrates the creative powers of the listening consciousness. Another example, from Académie de Musique de Soignies Listener C who listened to The Gates of H, combines figurativisation and evaluation: “Too loud, we have the impression of being in a stomach – a sewer filled with screaming rats – well-researched sounds. Difficult to identify” (ibid.: 47). ³¹

From these findings, we can see that Delalande’s original concept can be expanded to account for a broader response to the acousmatic repertoire. Imaginary realms, therefore, comprises fantasy, defined as the fabrication of extravagant or visionary images (Oxford, 353: 1996). A drawing by International School of Brussels

30 This will be explored in Chapter 5: Imaginary Realms.

31 My translation of the response from Académie de Musique de Soignies Listener C: «Trop fort, on se croit dans un estomac – un égoût [sic] plein de rats qui crient – sons bien trouvés. Difficiles à identifier»,

Listener D, in response to the extract of The Gates of H, exemplifies fantasy. The drawing consists of a meteor, labelled “Past,” which is careening through space towards a planet on which the city, “Future,” is the sole element (Anderson, 2001: 48).

I consider surrealism, the irrational juxtaposition of images, as another constituent of imaginary realms. An example of surrealism can be seen in a series of three drawings, in reaction to Crystal Music, from International School of Brussels Listener E (ibid.: 36). In the tableau, the first drawing, on the top left, is of a cube, on which ‘sits’ a cemetery. A thunderstorm appears to ‘brew’ above the cemetery and an abyss and underground lake appear to exist below it. The second drawing, on the right, portrays a person suspended above flames, while the third drawing, on the bottom, depicts three people in proximity to a gong. Although the construction appears naive, the unification of such disparate scenes demonstrates the capacity of acousmatic music to elicit the imagination in a manner that is non sequitur.

Notable in all listening strategies, but perhaps most frequently observed in imaginary realms, are the subtly diverse ways the listening imagination may unfurl, instances of which may defy existing reception behaviour definitions. The point here is not to countermand the qualities inherent to Delalande’s figurativisation, but to loosen their bindings thus allowing for a broader interpretative scope of the creative powers engendered by the listening consciousness. This wider perspective of figurativisation can be viewed in the response to The Gates of H by International School of Brussels Listener N in the form of a drawing (ibid.: 45). Although the castle, sword, and shield seem to function as a decor for the person at the bottom of the tableau, the illustrations of the ghost and the machine gun firing at a target, in the middle and at the top of the tableau respectively, do not appear to function in the same decor. Further, if the ghost and machine gun are regarded as independent entities, they appear bereft of contexts and living beings. An example of a response, that appears to be rooted in the imaginary yet that lacks a visual element, is observed in the evaluation and creative thought about Crystal Music by Académie de Musique de Soignies Listener C: “It feels like we’re in space [,] good echoes [,] good” (ibid.: 39).³² Narrativity, often a vehicle for the description of form in imaginary realms, may be allied to a series of images conceived by, yet appearing “external” to, the listener. The form may also be interpreted as “[…]

the adventure which the listener has lived during listening […]” (Delalande, 1998: 50).

Yet, despite the surfeit of narrative qualities, listener responses may also be non-narrative. An instance of such a reaction, that is also an evaluation, exists in Académie

32 My translation of the response from Académie de Musique de Soignies Listener C: «On se croit dans l’espace [,]

bons échos [,] bien».

de Musique de Soignies Listener I’s account of The Gates of H: “Echo deformed by the walls of the cellar which brings a sensation that is sometimes mysterious [,] sometimes funny but not frightening” (Anderson, 2001: 47).³³

1.4.5 Space

Spatial parameters, known collectively as the “composed space” in an acousmatic composition, are innate to the multiple components of the sounding flow, since each sound comprises a spatial frame (Smalley, 1997: 122). Accordingly, space, the sole common denominator in all four listening strategies, is omnipresent in perceptual constructions whether overtly elucidated, or insinuated.³⁴ Listeners who elect to concentrate on sonic properties will frequently comment on the proximity of the composed space in the work in general or the proximities of individual sound events.

It is possible to observe spatial contexts interpolated in the remarks about sonic properties from City University Listener A to the second of the Deux aperçus du jardin qui s’éveille: “[…] Camera, concert hall, speech, strings, inside/outside references through simulation of spaces, birdsong […]” (Anderson, 2001: 21). A concert hall implies a limited space yet one of potentially considerable proportions. The expression, “inside/outside references through simulation of spaces”, refers to ersatz spatial contexts that aid in the categorization of ‘interior’ and ‘exterior’ sounds. The latter appear to be apprehended and grouped in function of their spatial qualities, and not their supposed sources.

If the composer considers all sonic traits as potential structural material for an acousmatic work, the spatial parameters relevant to each sound will also serve as structuring processes. As a result, listeners may consider the composed space in the work to be part of the form by referring to the immediacy of sound events in the context of a discussion about form. Indeed, listeners may apprehend the form of a work in terms of its spatial contexts and transformations. We discern an example from Académie de Musique de Soignies Listener H who addresses the structure perceived in the extract from Bois and retains an impression of the sounding flow on a physiological level: “At first we feel the manipulation which rises up little by little [.] We wait for an explosion but it falls back into a very recognisable sound that changes little by little and

33 My translation of the response from Académie de Musique de Soignies Listener I: «Echo déformé par les parois de la cave qui procure une sensation parfois misterieuse [sic] [,] parfois amusante mais pas effrayante».

34 In Chapter 6, I investigate how space contributes to sonic properties, structural attributes, self-orientation, and imaginary realms.

diminishes” (ibid.: 29).³⁵ Indigenous to the terms ‘explosion’ and ‘collapse’ is the conception of violent spatial change. Whereas the spectromorphological metamorphosis of the sounding flow is most likely to be the true factor, the sound events leading to the anticipated ‘explosion’ and actual ‘collapse’ are, nonetheless, apprehended and explained with spatial terminology.

The listener may respond dramatically or dispassionately to the composed space in an acousmatic work, its apprehension translated into physiological sensations, emotions, or evaluations that are impregnated with spatial contexts or vice versa. In this circumstance, listeners may often consider the composed space in the work to be an extension or constriction of their personal space. Perceptions akin to these tend to engender remarks such as “I feel attacked by the sound” or “I feel like I am floating” in addition to more neutral observations of the perceived space. An example of the latter manifests itself in the account by City University Listener F in response to Bois, the structure of which is perceived and organised following spatial variations: “[…] door opens, extended world of closed spaces, claustrophobic, homing in on details, space also widens, textures lose real-world references, fades […]” (ibid.: 31).

Fictive scenes that are contrived by the listening consciousness often reveal an extraordinarily accurate translation of the composed space in an acousmatic piece.

Listeners may conjure scenarios that take place in extreme spatial or atmospheric conditions, notably underwater, underground, or in outer space but also frequently in standardised spatial circumstances such as indoors or the out-of-doors. The context for the fictitious anecdote is often a metaphor for the general spatial framework of the piece; still listener interpretations of the spatial positions and trajectories of the work’s individual sounds may influence the breadth of the ‘imagined’ activity within its corresponding spatial structure.