Structuring processes in electroacoustic composition

      

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Barrett, N.L. (1997). Structuring processes in electroacoustic composition.

(Unpublished Doctoral thesis, City University London)

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33,y 202,iwo

Structuring Processes in

Electroacoustic Composition

Volume II:

Figures

Natasha Lee Barrett

Submission for Doctoral Degree

City University

Music Department

[image:3.595.67.507.165.682.2]

Contents

Figure

page

1.1 'Waterfall' (Lithograph by Escher 1961): example of a visual paradox

1.2 'Circle Limit IV' (woodcut print by 1960): example of a periodic drawing ii

1.3 Relationships between sound and space in terms of perceptual realism

Figure 1.4 Key

iv

1.4 'Earth Haze' analysis — levels of focus and related pitch extraction

1.5 Alternative listening strategies in the perception of form including pitch

considerations

vi

1.5.1 Alternative listening strategies in the perception of form

vii

1.6 Possible material relationships in 'Earth Haze'

viii

3.1 'Little Animals' graphic score

ix

3,2 Analysis of perceptual focus and time relationships in 'Racing Unseen'

3.3 The association of materials between the two movements

in 'Racing Unseen'

xi

3.4 Establishing a hierarchy of repetitive cycles: a hypothetical example

based on an approximation of material in 'Racing Unseen'

xii

4.1 Early stages of gesture and phrase expansion in 'Imago'

xiii

4.2 Association of materials in 'Surf'

xiv

[image:4.595.91.532.36.588.2]

Figure 1.1 'Waterfall', (Lithograph 1961, Escher 1989: plate 76)

Example of a visual paradox.

[image:5.595.88.550.83.561.2]

Figure 1.2 'Circle Limit IV', (woodcut print 1960, Escher 1989: plate 25).

Example of a periodic drawing.

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0'00 1'38 2'55 3'55 5'40 8'3 9'35 12'2 4 6

Motion of pitch group and plane.

Mcation of dense interval groups

Grouping based on micro-scale structures in pitch and tessitura.

Sound grouping based on micro-details without considering pitch.

Grouping based on macro-scale structures in pitch and tessitura.

Sound grouping based on macro-details without considering pitch.

Macro-scale time demarcations.

Gr. Gr '_'Gr. Gr. Gr. Gr. Gr.Gr. Gr.Gr. Gr. Pl. Gr.Gr. Gr. Pl.

Or. I

Gr. Gr. Gr. Pl. Gr.

Gr. PI

Gr. Pl.

Gr. 1341.

P1.

I

Dense Dense Dense Dense Dense Dense Dense KEY Gr. - Pitch group. Or. - Pitch group forming plane Pl. - Pitch plane.

- Grouping of similar material. 0'00 Assortment of maj and

min 3rds, min 2nds, aug and perfect 4ths; group narrow into a high plane of min 2nd intervals.

2'20 - 3'40

'Buck' noise-pitch contour, prominant maj / min 3rds groups and planes; sustained plane on Aoh ending at 320 with contour on maj/min 3rds, perfect/aug 4ths. Static plane on G/F()with G() modulation. Pitch group interruption at 5'00; resume G plane.

5'48

Interruption by noise gesture followed by repeating maj/ .min 2nd/3rd groups which

form linear planes, interrupted at 6'30 and modulation to B. 7'20 'Busk' pitch contour in

E minor, rests on F plane.

8'30 Mid-bass layered planes aug /perfect 4ths, min 3rds, maj 2nds

9'40 - 12'15

Sparce assortment of single note pitch planes, broken by noise. Increase in strength and density to rest at 11'30 on E plane. Ending 12'10 with an interrupting modulation.

y pitch groups 12'20 En.

broken by fast rise into busk contour in F minor. Rests on an oscillating plane of maj 3rds. 13'55Maj 6th and maj 3rd

groups articulated in plane 14'28

High plane of maj 2nds descend into a weave of different pitch planes, cadencing onto A/F, with A minor implications.

0'00 'Rocks' transform into 'synthetic' material, with 'synth breath'. Implication of a large space. 'Door creaks' distanced by reverb. 'Synthetic' character maintained along high register plane. 'Busk' material emerges to form a noise surge, which subsides into an active, iterative texture, culminating at 3'50 in 'footsteps'.

Implication of a large space. Resonant 'water' with 'rock' gesture injections. 'Crash' and 'synth breath' material die into a quiet 'synthetic' plane.

5'40 Very quiet speech.

5'48 Rhythmic interaction of 'rock', 'crash' and 'synth.'. Accumulates into a large attack material which subsides.

7111 Loud 'crash' and 'busk' material fragment into iterative texture and sweeping gestures, which fade to reveal material at 8'30 8'30 Short overlap of 'synthetic'

material and previous texture. Implications of large space. Vague 'rain' and 'bell' sounds accumulate into 9'40 9'35 Enclosed space with

'crunch' sounds.

10'14Loud 'crash' and 'rock' injections transform into repeating gestures with rhythmic coincidence. 11'19 Subside into ambiguous spatial

implications, iteration and sudden cut.

12'20 Sparse material with rear 'crash', 'busk', 'rock' and 'synth' sounds accumulate 13'12 into loud 'busk' material.

Rhythmic accumulation and 'rock' gesture injections. 14'00

Decreasing 'rock' and 'crash' material. Implications of an increasing space with mainly synthetic material, descending to close.

15'30

000 High and low pitch layers.. 1'00 Midrange gesture and

ascent to high register plane.

1'38 High register plane.

2'30 Plane broken by noise material; descent through midrange 3'00 pitch progression;

cadential-type culmination at 3'00. Midrange tessitura 400 Midrange resonant 'footsteps'

followed by midrange plane at 410.

5'10 Quiet midrange pitch gesture; pitch plane modulation. 548 Oscillating linear plane broken by noise-gestures; move to low-mid plane at 640.

7'24 Dense noise-pitch contour; fall to quiet low-mid plane. Continuous descent of layered planes towards a 'passive' low register plane at 830.

9'5 Interruption by noise sounds. 9'50 High-mid plane move to

low register at 10'40. Increased plane layering results in rich pitch implications; long duration of major / minor mode modulations in low-mid pitch ranges. 1270 Spectrally thin pitch

implications sustained 13'00 from previous section. Sudden rise into noise material with pitch descent; oscillating, sustained planes, broken with injections. Woven pitch planes Quiet, p pitch linear egroups. and

14'28 plane weave

ar p in high-mid planes. Culminates on end perfect cadence.

0'00 'Rock' and dense 'synthetic' gestural material.

1138 'Synthetic' material rise to high register plane. 2'30 Noisy 'busk' material 2'55 emerges and then falls to

a textural plane, ending in silence.

Sparse gestures injecting into a static plane. Resonant 'water' sound and implication of distant sound-world. 5'20 Thin material

5'48 Large 'rock' attack followed by rhythmic loops, and a fast disintegration into a mixture of material, then 7'11 accumulating at 7'11

'Crunch' and 'busk' noise gestures fall into 'wood' and 'rock' repetitive texture. Fast fade towards 8'30. 8'30 Slow moving synthetic

material.

9'35

'Crash' loud source. Surface rhythmic features fall away to end, losing spatial implications.

10'14

12'20 Spectrally thin material accumulates towards 13'00. 1343° Dense layers of 'busk' and

'synthetic' material. Relaxation into gentle material.

Quiet accumulation of 14'28

[image:9.842.125.821.33.520.2]

synthetic gestures, subside to end. 15'30 4'20

1

3'55 2'10 3'55 15'30 /

Figure 1.5 Alternative Listening Strategies in the Perception of Form

Including Pitch Consideration.

3'55

Sparse gestures injecting

into a static plane. Resonant

'water' sound and implication

of distant sound-world.

r 5'20 Thin material

5'48

_{Large 'rock' attack}

_followed

by rhythmic loops, and a

fast disintegration into a

mixture of material, then

accumulating

at 711

7'11

'Crunch' and 'busk' noise

gestures fall into 'wood' and

'rock' repetitive texture.

Fast fade towards 8'30.

8'30 Slow moving synthetic

material.

9'35

'Crash' loud source.

10 1 14 Surface rhythmic features

fall away to end, losing spatial

implications.

Sound grouping based on

micro-details without considering pitch.

Sound grouping based on

mnitro-details without considering pitch.

Macro-scale time

demarcations.

0'00

000 'Rocks' transform into

'synthetic' material, with

'synth breath'. Implication

of a large space. Door

creaks' distanced by reverb.

'Synthetic' character

maintained along high

register plane.

• 000 Rock, and dense 'synthetic'

gestural material.

1'38 'Synthetic' material rise

to high register plane.

1138

2'10 'Busk' material emerges

to form a noise surge,

which subsides into an

active, iterative texture,

culminating at 3'50 in

'footsteps'.

2'30 Noisy 'busk' material

2155 emerges and then falls to

a textural plane, ending in

silence.

' 2'55

3'55

_{Implication of a large space.}

3'55

Resonant 'water' with 'rock'

gesture injections. 'Crash'

and 'synth breath' material

die into a quiet 'synthetic'

plane.

Very quiet speech

Rhythmic interaction of 'rock',

'crash' and 'synth.'. Accumulates

into a large attack material

which subsides.

7111 Loud 'crash' and 'busk' material

fragment into iterative texture

and sweeping gestures, which

fade to reveal material at 8'30

8'30 Short overlap of 'synthetic'

material and previous texture.

Implications of large space.

Vague 'rain' and 'bell' sounds

accumulate into 9'40

9'35 Enclosed space with

'crunch' sounds.

10' "Loud 'crash' and 'rock' injections

transform into repeating gestures

with rhythmic coincidence.

11'19 Subside into ambiguous spatial

implications, iteration and

sudden cut.

5'48

5'40

9'35

8'3

12'20 Sparse material with rear

'crash', 'busk', 'rock' and

'synth' sounds accumulate

13'12

into loud

'busk' material.

Rhythmic accumulation

and 'rock' gesture injections.

14'00

Decreasing 'rock' and 'crash'

material. Implications of an

increasing space with mainly

synthetic material,

descending

to close.

15'30

1220 Spectrally thin material

accumulates towards 13'00.

13'00 Dense layers of 'busk' and

'synthetic' material.

Relaxation into gentle

material.

1428 Quiet accumulation of

synthetic gestures, subside

to end.

15'30

: 12'2

[image:10.595.105.526.74.743.2]

/ 15'30 /

5'40

Fig. 1.51 Alternative Listening Strategies in the Perception of Form

1

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10'00

12'00

13'00

14'00

Environmental

sound material,

repeating noise

gestures, and

noise-based layer

Sustained layer Heavy, repeating,

moving to minor metal sounding

mode preparation attack sequences.

for next material

: (0'00-3'30 real-time)

•

Continuous flow of material

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0

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Quiet 'metal rolls' and

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Thick deep

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Tiny chime

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and pitched vocal qualities metal resonant texture

gestures

Environmental

sound material,

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gestures

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(6'27

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(1'00-3'12 real-time)

Continuous flow of material

Clear repetition

moving into

sustained, 'deep'

pitch texture

Quiet material

soon consumed

by rising attack

sequences

KEY

I

Association with movement one

forming a false end to movement two

Section 1

Main sections identified

in figure 3.2

Experienced association

)11111n of material between the

two movements

Continuity of material

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

(3'30-7'34 in real-time)

Fragmented and changing segments of material

High 'metal' fragments and

low church bells moving into

granulated bell texture and

focusing to the single bell chime

(7'34-10'10 in real-time)

Section 1 I

Section 2

Section 3

Ae

Broken, dynamic segments

Initially experienced cis 3'30 - 9'08 in relation to movement 1

(3'12-7'40 in real-time)

Contrast of sustained and fragmented material

Quiet pitch material, increasing vocal qualities,

growing into a thick dynamic texture,

metal resonance, many layers,

and subsiding to end.

[image:14.842.72.800.70.532.2]

(7'40-10'10 in real-time)

I After 1 minute I

Short cycles

Long cycles/

1 second cycles

30 second cycles

I After 4 minutes I

Short cycles

1 second cycles

6 second cycles

MIIIMM1

30 second cycles

60 second cycles

3 minute cycle

Long cycles

I After 10 minutes'

Short cycles

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30 second cycles

60 second cycles

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[image:15.595.108.545.67.771.2]

Long cycles

Figure 3.4 Establishing a hierarchy of repetitive cycles:

a hypothetical example based on an

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