The comprehensive range of gestural categories described in the Matter-Energy continuum (Figure 2-2) is represented in Neon, a stereophonic acousmatic work, which contains both forward-moving and repetitive expressions of energy. The work features, in particular, sounds resulting from gesture-types that exist at opposite ends of the Matter-Energy continuum. The following discussion will explore the inclusive nature of the individual categories and will then turn to larger gestural contexts.
Salient forms
Although Neon embodies the gestural categories described in Figure 2-2, the strength of the piece lies in its extensive networks of forward-moving and repetitive sounds.
These sonic expressions include source recordings made in open air and indoors, as well as transformed, synthesised, and meta-sounds. The sounding gestures work together to impart a central theme: the elevation of a microcosm of non-sounding phenomena, consisting of contrasted thoughts and feelings we experience in the human consciousness to a macrocosm that is incarnated, and whose opposing forces are reconciled, through simultaneous strata of acousmatic sound. Key to this construction was a series of source recordings made on a deserted stretch of the North Sea coast in Belgium and on a Spanish plain, where it was possible to witness energetic expression of environmental proportions. These recordings featured what I experienced as the uninhabited expansiveness of nature, and they captured the magnitude of its opposing forces. The expansiveness of the settings and magnitude of opposition appeared to contrast with the human dimension of similar phenomena experienced at an ‘interior’
level. Sounding phenomena, created by the opposition of forces in the open air, consisted of violent surges of waves against a stone jetty, the repeated impacts of wind-whipped sail rigging against empty masts of sailboats in dry dock, and thunder as it rolled through the air above a flat terrain. Equally pertinent was the aftermath of environmental confrontations, comprising oppositions on a less forceful scale.
Recordings of these events featured the sound of hiss and gurgles intrinsic to waves and foam as they receded from hard, wet sand, the spluttering and cracking of water against water recoiling from collision with an immobile mass, or the patter of rain on foliage between thunderclaps. Finally, there were numerous instances of small-scale oppositions, such as the rustle made by sea reeds in a breeze. Figure 2-3 illustrates the salient sounding gestures in Neon, derived from, or inspired by, the wave form and behaviour related to other expressions of fluidity.
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Figure 2-3. Spectromorphological pertinences germane to expressions of fluidity in Neon
Having observed various expressions of fluidity in the form of sounding and non-sounding phenomena via different magnitudes of opposition in the open-air, I noticed the essential suppleness in the way energy unfolded. This resulted in innumerable hybridisations between forward-moving forms, such as the swirl of receding water, and repetitive (non-sounding) forms, such as fog. Additionally, each expression contained its own density that ranged from the opacity intrinsic to the breaking of a large wave to the translucency intrinsic to mist. Furthermore, any initial behaviour regarding movement or density could evolve into another behaviour.
During composition, it became apparent that the suppleness of the energy flow inherent in these various expressions served as a basis for gestural invention that involved source recordings of energy unfolding through the fluidity model, such as the hiss of sea foam, as well as other acoustic and synthetic material. Sound examples 2.2 – 2.15 illustrate a variety of forward-moving and repetitive sounding gestures that are either derived from source recordings made by the sea and inland, or are inspired by them, as well as by phenomena associated with the corresponding landscapes. Sound example 2.1 (audio compact disc 2, track 1) is an extract from Neon, (3’09” – 4’43”) a topology consisting, principally, of sound-shapes inspired by sounding and non-sounding forms of fluidity, e.g. fog, mist, spume, whirlpools, thunder, and ocean swells. Sound examples 2.2 – 2.15, which either occur in the extract or are the parent source-sounds of transformations audible in the extract, expose this approach.
Example 2.2 (track 2) is an ambiguous, sustained, low-pitched sound that is constructed on the interval of a perfect 4th (C3 to F3).62 The sound’s gentle swells are created by the slight, unsynchronised surges in amplitude of the two main spectra accentuating, alternatively, the C3 or F3. The spectral surges, which occur from 3’10” – 4’ in Neon, attempt to call to mind the vision of a swell on high seas in the ocean, and their asynchronous nature can be interpreted as a sounding analogue to the variable speeds of ocean currents.63 Examples 2.3 – 2.5 comprise a series of three high-pitched, sustained sounds. Example 2.3 (track 3) is a synthesized sound that contains both harmonic and inharmonic spectra. In example 2.4, (track 4) the sound was transformed, initially, with a chorus effect, which slightly attenuated the inharmonic spectra. The transformation was modified, again, by the addition of vibrato (in sound example 2.5, track 5), which created a quasi-cyclical sound. The three sounds were each extended, through layering, and were superimposed on each other in the order in
62 The pitch names in this dissertation are based on the scientific pitch notation system, which labels octaves with numbers starting with C1 for the lowest C on a full-sized keyboard (Connexions, 2010).
63 Sound example 2.2 can be heard in context in sound example 2.1, from 1” to 51”.
which they were made. The result, in Neon from 3’10” to 4’, demonstrates a subtle spectromorphological shift away from a diffuse, repetitive sounding gesture towards one that is focused spectrally and spatially.64 Through its quasi-cyclical behaviour, which occurs over the background of the original non-cyclical sound, the latter part of this superimposed spectromorphology, at 3’23”, is poised to become forward-moving.
However, the quasi-cyclical behaviour is preceded, at 3’20”, by elastic sounds, example 2.6 (track 6).65 The elastic sounds have their roots in a recording of a metal whisk, which was twirled around the inside surface of a metal cylinder, that was filtered twice and then fragmented. It is notable that the elastic sounds, regardless of their ‘inexhaustible’ energy, impede the forward-moving behaviour as it develops in the quasi-cyclical spectromorphology by virtue of their non-evolving nature.
Nevertheless, in two ambiguous, sustained, pitched sounds, example 2.7 (track 7), which also appears at 3’23”, and example 2.8 (track 8), which occurs at 3’37”, the spectral ‘pulses’ of which recall the ‘swells’ inherent in sound 2.2, renew the gentle forward-moving thrust by virtue of their cyclical quality albeit at a faster pace.66
The sound world becomes more insistent through the repetition, at higher levels of volume, of these ongoing sounding gestures, each with its distinct tempo and pitch plane, but large-scale events soon disrupt the sounding flow. Distant thunder, sound 2.9 (track 9), which is noticeable at 3’42”, billows forward toward the listener at 3’59”.
Its unpredictable behaviour, rough contour, and opacity obscure the rhythmic context established by the preceding material. In sound example 2.10 (track 10), a metal ball is heard rolling in an enamel container. Through several stages of transformation, including filtering and the addition of reverberation, this source recording becomes a meta-sound. A meta-sound is a form that is constructed, and unfolds, on an enormous scale. It is inspired by the enthusiasm for the source-bonded sounding gesture but is not a mere amplification. The meta-rotation at 4’11”, derived from sound example 2.10, cleaves the sound world with a force equivalent to the thunderclaps that precede and follow it. A second meta-rotation follows in the wake of the first at 4’15”. This hybridised sound is derived from a studio-based recording, sound 2.11 (track 11), where the tuning pegs inside a grand piano are scraped. Sound example 2.12 (track 12), the transformed result, is softer, yet more expansive than the first meta-rotation. It unfolds in a leisurely fashion, allowing time for the listener to contemplate its notched,
64 Sound examples 2.3 – 2.5 can be heard in context in example 2.1, from 1” to 1’02”.
65 An elastic sound is a repetitive sound-object that contains fluctuating, spectrally transparent, filigrees, which appear, contract and dissolve, often rapidly, into the larger context of the sounding flow giving the impression that the sound-object is able to perpetuate its shape spontaneously after the appearance and disappearance of these micro events.
66 Sound examples 2.6 – 2.8 can be heard in context in sound example 2.1, at 12”, 15”, and 29” respectively.
spiral contour, as well as preserving the space for the thunder and ensuing source-bonded rain to dissipate.67 The sound world closes with rough source-bonded iterations in the form of a downpour, example 2.13 (track 13), and synthetic high-pitched iterations, example 2.14 (track 14), both of which are ‘repetitive’ references to the notched character of the second meta-rotation. A pitched, sustained synthetic sound, example 2.15 (track 15) occurs at the closure of this section. During mixing, the synthesized sound was superimposed on itself, deliberately out of phase, and was reshaped into one final semi-rotation at 4’34” – 4’41”.68 I found it necessary to rework the sound’s original form in the larger context of the piece in order for it to serve as a bridge between sections. In this way, it acquired a slightly circular motion that echoed the behaviour of the two meta-rotations, while its high-pitched, sustained character ushered in a new sound world. The creation of new gestures or the modification of existing gestures – via the enhancement or attenuation of spectromorphological qualities inherent in sounds within the larger context of superimposition – changes or hybridises the energy flow of the work. I undertake this compositional activity frequently, in view of aesthetic and compositional goals.
Extensive topologies
Although extensive topologies exist in numerous forms, I shall address the environment due to its prominent role in Neon. A environment, like a meta-sound, is inspired by an enthusiasm for source recordings, which drives its construction. However, this kind of topology is also the fruit of interest and eagerness which extend beyond the source recordings to embrace sounding and non-sounding phenomena associated with the source sounds’ corresponding landscape. In an acousmatic work, this type of inspiration can translate into the meta-environment, which can be defined as consisting of multiple layers of source-bonded, hybridised, ambiguous, and, occasionally, synthetic sounding gestures that have certain shared spectromorphological characteristics. In order to retain characteristics among diverse sound groups, I examined spectral content separately from morphology, and focused on these components independently as each was significant in establishing links between the source sounds and their respective transformations. Most sound material for Neon, including the elements for its meta-environments, was thus constructed using methods that either preserved, built upon or were inspired by the spectral or morphological
67 Sound example 2.9, the meta-rotation derived from sound example 2.10, and sound example 2.12 can be heard in context in sound example 2.1, at 41”, 1’02”, and 1’06” respectively.
68 Sound example 2.15 can be heard in context in sound example 2.1, from 1’17” to 1’32”.
qualities of the initial recordings.
The first method consisted of the union of source-bonded and non-source-bonded spectra with hybridised or ambiguous morphologies. The second method focused on the union of source-bonded or hybridised morphologies with different spectra. The third concentrated on sound synthesis, where source-bonded morphology was mimicked and/or extended, and source-bonded spectra were re-created or rarefied.
These processes generated a network of spectromorphological links that stretched from the source-bonded sound to its ambiguous counterpart, thereby broadening the source sounds’ original significance to include material that would otherwise, on its own, have had little in common with the original recordings. Links to real world sounds existed through the common denominators of the spectra and morphologies that they provided, and which, in part, were preserved, reproduced or extended. This is different than if the listener were thrust into a completely ambiguous sound world. When apprehended, a meta-environment can therefore alter the listener’s perception of reality without plunging him/her into the non-real imagery often associated with remote surrogacy.69 Such a perceptual shift happens because the distinction is blurred between sounds that are apprehended as source-bonded, those that seem to be source-bonded, those that are hybridised, ambiguous, or synthesised, and the sounds’ actual origins. The scope of the source-bonded sounding gesture is, consequently, elevated or magnified, and its meaning is changed. Meta-environments operate as hyper-realities, and in Neon serve as a fulcrum for the listening imagination to shift from reality to abstraction or vice-versa. They are portals.
Sound example 2.16 (track 16) is an extract from Neon, (1’30” – 3’10”) a meta-environment that comprises two sections. Within the first section (0” – 51”), the sound world unfolds, develops, and thickens. At 52”, the beginning of the second section, the meta-environment attains sufficient momentum and density in order to sustain itself.
Inspired by the initial recordings of the North Sea, I created many hybridised, ambiguous, and synthetic sounding gestures for this topology using spectral or morphological denominators of crashing waves as a guide. The result included transformations of the recordings of the waves from a morphological perspective as well as sounding gestures that were based on abstractions of the morphologies, the fabrication of which frequently depended on other source recordings or sound synthesis as a point of departure. I also created sounding gestures that were inspired by the
69 ‘Remote surrogacy’, a term devised by Smalley, is his final and most distant level of gestural surrogacy. It concerns sounding gestures, the sources or causes of which, are unknown or unrecognisable and are inferred (Smalley, 1997: 112).
noise-based spectra inherent in the sounds of the crashing waves, either by transforming existing spectra or by creating sounds that were based on abstractions of the waves’ spectral identities.
The North Sea recordings were, thus, gradually extended from their original spectromorphological guise to include new territory. The new sound material was an organic extension of the original sounding landscape and was pivotal in the sonic incarnation of non-sounding phenomena associated with the landscape. Non-sounding phenomena often have a tangible shape, and can involve a distinct trajectory of motion, witnessed as petals falling from a flower, billowing clouds, or a person waving, yet they can be tangible and motionless, like a sculpture or a painting. They can also be the consequence of generalised physical activity, unfolding into invisible, diffuse, and seemingly motionless atmospheric states such as humidity and temperature.
Additionally, non-sounding phenomena can include constructs borne from the faculties of the human mind, comprising fictional literary references like William Blake’s Tyger,70 movements in the fine arts such as Dadaism, or emotions akin to sorrow.71
From this vantage, I created the sounding analogues for mist, spume, foam, underwater sea currents, and the seabed in addition to using source recordings.
The sound material for this meta-environment is thus wide-ranging and is, to a great extent, audible between 1’30” and 3’10”. However, discussion will centre on the most pertinent gestures and their resulting aural traces. Sound examples 2.17 – 2.20 are derived from or inspired by recordings of the North Sea. Example 2.17 (track 17) features the calm sea, a prototype for sound transformation and synthesis. Noticeable in example 2.18 (track 18), a filtered recording of the sea, are the crépitements, swirling hiss, and noise-based yet ‘diaphanous spray’ present in the upper spectral register of the wave sounds.72 In 2.19 (track 19), the sea recording is severely restricted with a band-pass filter, attenuating the capricious quality of the upper spectral register, leaving as a sole trace the movement of the larger sound mass, produced by the ebb and flow of the waves on the beach. Conversely, the transformational process for sound 2.20 (track 20) accentuates the upper spectral register of the sound of water as it impacts on a hard surface, which yields a microcosm of crépitements. The source for this sound example is rainfall, hence its wide-angle stereo field and steady state.
The distillation processes applied to the North Sea recordings generated
70 (Blake, 1995: 33-34).
71 Non-sounding phenomena are innumerable and, therefore, cannot be addressed, adequately, in this dissertation.
72 Crépitement: A term widely used in the French electroacoustic aesthetic to denote different types of crackling sounds. I prefer this term because it is more inclusive of different types of crackling sounds than its English equivalent.
opportunities for further sound exploration. As hybridised sounding gestures were created via filtering, other source recordings that embodied similar types of energy were introduced in the transformational process. It thus became possible to highlight and develop spectromorphological components of the sea sounds by artificial means, with the goal of extending their breadth and ultimately, that of the listening experience.
Sound examples 2.21 – 2.31, fruits of this strategy, are created primarily from studio-based recordings. These sounds are studio-based on extrapolations of the spectrally transparent, quickly evolving, and often iterative morphologies present in the surface layer of seawater. They also comprise aural constructions that endeavour to represent non-sounding, sub-surface strata of seawater and the seabed as well as foam, spume and mist. (See Figure 2-4 for an illustration of these sounding gestures).
Sound 2.21 (track 21), derived from a studio-based recording of the manipulation of a slinky, consists of a series of micro events comprising metallic crépitements and impacts. Example 2.22 (track 22) originates from the sample of the sound of friction created by rubbing glass on glass. Clustered transpositions of the sample produced a brief aural swath of tiny, repeated glass shards. In 2.23 (track 23), the glassy friction is time-stretched into a smooth, undulating, ambiguous form, while in 2.24 (track 24), the same sound sample is played at a lower pitch, which highlights its more granular interior. Example 2.25 (track 25) is made from the recording of a stone scraped over a flat wooden surface. The sound is hewn by filtering, yet its prickly character is evident in this meta-environment, illustrated in Figure 2-4.
Figure 2-4. Morphological score of Neon from 1’30” to 3’10”
Examples 2.26 – 2.28 illustrate the lower end of the spectral register. Sound 2.26 (track 26) is a low, smooth, ambiguous, but acoustically boundless roar, created by the downward transposition and filtering of the sea recording. Sound 2.27 (track 27), originating from a studio-based recording of the rubbing of metal against metal, is a low-pitched, friction-based sound created through transposition and time-stretching.
Although reversed, it shares several spectromorphological attributes with the sea sounds by virtue of its granular texture contained in an evolving, yet cyclical, form.
Sound example 2.28 (track 28) probes the bottom of the spectral register in the meta-environment.
Dispersed among these strata is sound 2.29 (track 29), a source-bonded recording of swirling marbles and sand in a plastic container (see the red gesture in Figure 2-4). The sound’s swirling character recalls the fluidity energy model. Sand, in the bottom of the container, adds grittiness, suggesting the noise spectra inherent in the sound of the sea, and the occasional pitched cracks refer, obliquely, to the high-pitched inharmonic canopy, found in the sea recording, albeit condensed in the form of minute spectral spikes. Sound example 2.30 (track 30) is synthetic and its discreet presence facilitates the evolution of other sounding gestures by virtue of its seamless
‘cylindrical’ motion (see the brown gesture in Figure 2-4). The meta-environment is shorn off, at 3’07”, by a brief crash (the fuchsia gesture in Figure 2-4), example 2.31 (track 31), created with the Syter.73
73 Syter, an acronym for SYstème TEmps Réel, is a digital audio system for sound synthesis, analysis, and transformation by computer. It was conceived by Jean-François Allouis, [1978] and developed by the Institut
73 Syter, an acronym for SYstème TEmps Réel, is a digital audio system for sound synthesis, analysis, and transformation by computer. It was conceived by Jean-François Allouis, [1978] and developed by the Institut