Analysis, Reconstruction, and Performance of Interactive Electroacoustic Works for Clarinet and Obsolete Technology: Selected Works by Musgrave, Pennycook, Kramer, and Lippe.
ABSTRACT
Performers interested in presenting interactive electroacoustic works face serious obstacles when the required equipment or technology becomes obsolete or unavailable. Transcription to updated technology provides at best a temporary solution. Detailed and device–independent documentation of interactive electronic systems used in older works can guide new performance realizations using available equipment. Such documentation should itself be formatted in a way that does not depend on specific electronic devices for interpretation or retrieval. Therefore, this paper proposes a model for the documentation and preservation of interactive electroacoustic music systems in which all synthesis and audio signal processing algorithms, control functions, and human-machine interactions are described in machine-neutral terms, using a combination of text, mathematics, and schematic diagrams.
As an example of such documentation, the technical requirements for four works are analyzed and described: Thea Musgrave’s Narcissus (1987), for clarinet in B-flat and digital delay, Bruce Pennycook’s Praescio IV (1990) for clarinet and interactive MIDI system, Jonathan Kramer’s Renascence (1974) for clarinet, tape, and tape delay system, and Cort Lippe’s Music for Clarinet and ISPW (1992). New performance realizations of two of these works, Musgrave’s Narcissus and Pennycook’s Praescio IV are described and presented as part of the accompanying lecture-recital.
Here is the complete text of my DMA Document (dissertation) from 2004, University of Arizona, School of Music and Dance (Tucson, AZ, USA).
- Proposal for Lecture-Recital Document
- 00-FRONT MATTER – title pages, acknowledgements, etc.
- 01-INTENT AND SCOPE OF THIS STUDY
- 02-OVERVIEW OF INTERACTIVE ELECTROACOUSTIC MUSIC PERFORMANCE PRACTICE: TOOLS, TECHNIQUES, AND TERMINOLOGY
- 03-INTERACTIVE ELECTROACOUSTIC MUSIC AND THE PROBLEM OF TECHNOLOGICAL OBSOLESCENCE
- 04-FOUR INTERACTIVE ELECTROACOUSTIC WORKS FOR CLARINET AND OBSOLETE TECHNOLOGY: AN OVERVIEW
- 05-ANALYSIS OF INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGY IN THEA MUSGRAVE’S NARCISSUS, FOR CLARINET IN B-FLAT AND DIGITAL DELAY
- 06-ANALYSIS OF TECHNOLOGY COMPONENTS: BRUCE PENNYCOOK’S PRAESCIO IV, FOR EXTENDED CLARINET AND INTERACTIVE SYSTEM (1990)
- 07- ANALYSIS OF TECHNOLOGY COMPONENTS IN JONATHAN KRAMER’S RENASCENCE (1974) FOR B-FLAT CLARINET, TAPE DELAY SYSTEM, AND PRERECORDED TAPE
- 08-ANALYSIS OF TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS: CORT LIPPE’S MUSIC FOR CLARINET AND ISPW (1992)
- 09-PERFORMANCE REALIZATION OF THEA MUSGRAVE’S NARCISSUS – reconstruction of Narcissus using Max/MSP (2004)
- 10-PERFORMANCE REALIZATION OF BRUCE PENNYCOOK’S PRAESCIO IV – reconstruction using Max/MSP (2004)
- 11-PROJECT SUMMARY
- 12-FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR THIS RESEARCH
- 13-Appendix-A – SELECTED LIST OF WORKS FOR SOLO CLARINET AND INTERACTIVE ELECTRONICS
- 14-Appendix-B – EVENT LIST FOR BRUCE PENNYCOOK’S PRAESCIO IV
- 15-Appendix-C – SPECIFICATIONS AND BLOCK DIAGRAMS FOR SIGNAL PROCESSING MODULES AND SYSTEM CONTROL ALGORITHMS USED IN CORT LIPPE’S MUSIC FOR CLARINET AND ISPW
- 16-Appendix-D – KEY TO SYSTEM VARIABLES USED IN MUSIC FOR CLARINET AND ISPW 17-REFERENCES
- 17-REFERENCES