listening diary

Listening DiaryStudio Composition 1121233782

Studio Composition Listening Diary

Vocalise – Trevor Wishart (1991)

The most striking first feature about this piece is the rather disturbing and unsettling ‘alien like’ vocals heard. This single vocal part grows in the first minute, creating a feeling of confusion and unsettling nature. Breath noises are audible throughout the piece which suggests that a human has recorded this. Background noise such as street traffic and people coughing could lead the listener to believe that this has been recorded in a public place. As the piece progresses, different techniques are used to create certain emotions and effects; these are created just using vocal cords and different nuances of the mouth.

As far as added effects are concerned, it is easy to hear that no obvious effects or processes have been added to any part of this piece; for example panning or reverb. However, it does sound as if the different sections of the piece have been recorded separately and then placed together. There is indeed a possibility as well that the background noises have been added at a later stage, with the main vocal part being recorded in a studio. One can also assume that the main vocal part of the piece is performed by a male due to the sonority and deepness of the voice. It becomes apparent at the end of the recording on the CD that this piece was indeed performed live, creating a very interesting performance.

(231)

VOX 5 – Trevor Wishart (1986)

An obvious effect that the listener is instantly drawn to in this piece is the extensive use of stereo panning. This creates a good sense of space and is certainly interesting to listen to. The main resources of the piece are vocals. Various effects have been added to the voice featured in this piece, including panning and pitch/frequency shifting. I particularly enjoy the way the piece builds in a sort of arc format, starting off fairly quiet at the beginning of the piece, but becoming increasingly frantic with more and more layered effects being added to the piece. A noticeable feature of the piece is the lack of reverb, hence making the piece feel very ‘dry’. In my opinion, I believe the piece as whole would benefit from reverb. However, Wishart may have intended for the piece to be particularly ‘echoless’. Some sounds can be heard to be elongated and stretched. It is also noticeable that some sort of distortion effect has been used as well.

The piece in general gives an uneasy feeling as it is unpredictable and includes sounds that the listener is not used to. This, in essence, could be the purpose of the piece. The vocal part has been layered on top of multiple other parts with effects being used to create a sense of interest and variety. Overall, the piece is effective due to the use of panning and processed effects.

(236)


Hot Air – Jonty Harrison (1995)

The piece first starts with an outside and nature feel, however soon is disturbed by a quick panning effect on an unrecognizable sound. A wind like sound effect can be heard in the background at all times, but becomes distorted within the first 2 minutes of the piece. The deep sonority and pitch of this sound, in my opinion, is extremely effective at creating a sense of atmosphere. A particular effect that is also effective is the ‘glass like’ panning effect; almost sounding like a bottle being rolled along the ground. This sound has been processed using distorting and a band pass effect. This glass effect occurs throughout the piece, and could be described as a reoccurring ‘motif’.

The piece creates a sense of vast atmosphere, leaving the listener feeling as if they are in the middle of nowhere surrounded by nothing and emptiness. The sounds Harrison uses throughout the piece are effectively processed to create this feeling. The title is very fitting with the music found within the piece and the glass like effect as mention before could be interpreted as a hot spark or something of a similar nature. Reverb is used throughout the piece to, again, create this sense of vastness and emptiness. The piece could be said to be easy to listen to as there are no surprises or unexpected parts to the piece, unlike those found in VOX 5 by Wishart.

(236)

Divinités Paisibles – Pierre Henry (1962)

This piece utilizes low sonorities and sounds very effectively. The first thing the listener notices is the ‘waves’ of sound creating a slow rocking back a forth motion. This piece is eerily empty, almost as if one is standing inside a warehouse or swimming deep within the ocean. It can be heard that distortion effects are used on the higher ‘pitched’ sounds. This is increasingly effective due to panning backwards and forwards. Reverb is used extensively throughout the piece; this adds to the emptiness of the piece. Henry manages to create an atmospheric and ‘watery feel’ to the piece by processing the sounds in a fashion that creates a rocking feeling.

Considering the piece was composed in a time where computers were essentially nonexistent when the time that this piece was devised, it can be said that the effects and processes applied to the sounds found within the piece are very intuitive and are ahead of the pieces time. This adds to the ‘sci-fi’ sounds that the piece emulates. If one closes their eyes and listens to the piece, a new world can be discovered and it is possible to completely empty your mind whilst listening to this piece. This is particularly astounding and this effect can often not be recreated in other Electroacoustic pieces of music that are jittery and unpredictable. Overall, I feel this piece is enlightening to listen to.

(232)


Novars – Francis Dhomont (1989)

The listener’s attention is instantly captured with a falling sound that is processed with a lot of reverb. This enables the sound to ring on and lead to the next part of the piece. Unmeasured klangs and bangs are effective as flange has been added to them. A high tremolo sound almost sounds as if it has been distorted; but still incredibly effective. The piece remains like this for a couple of minutes, weaving in and out of these ‘flangey’ bangs and crashes. A new section occurs after this, utilizing effects such as panning to create spatial awareness for the listener. This sounds like splashing and sloshing of water, which is accompanied by the high tremolo sound making appearances every so often. The piece builds and builds throughout this, creating an unnerving feeling.

An almost tonal section occurs near the end of the piece with what can only be described as a bubbling of sounds followed by a low gong-like effect. The variety of the piece keeps the listener interested, but the piece also involves reoccurring themes to ensure that this happens as well. ‘Other World’ sounds are used to again add to this unnerving effect. Most of the sounds featured in this piece are long sustained sounds that once hit usually ring on for a fair while. It is interesting to hear that a choir is briefly introduced near to the end of the piece. The piece maintains an ‘eerie’ feel throughout its duration, and maintains a sense of heaviness in the texture.

(254)

listening diary

Documents