classical electronic music

Free Music Friday: Anablog has posted free MP3s of a vintage electronic music album, The 1970 Dartmouth Electronic Music Competition.

You can preview one of the tracks below, Richard Allan Robinson’s Ambience:

 

 Ambience: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The source material for Ambience was produced on an “instrument” consisting of three electric bass guitar strings strung lengthwise across a long board, with a bridge and a small magnetic guitar pickup at each end. Two modes of sound production were used. One, in which transversely placed metal pipes were rolled up and down the length of the strings, of multiple glissandi. A second, predominant texture was produced by causing a number lengths to “oscillate” or rock across the strings (rather than to roll lengthwise).

This basic recorded material was then extensively transformed electronically by filtering, heterodyning, ring modulation, speed changes, etc., an 6′ finally an overall structure was composed of variously complex superimpositions and juxtapositions of the two basic textural types. A light controlled channel-speaker distributing device used in the original qaudrasonic version further emphasizes this textural contrast in that gliding textures have a predominantly circling movement around the listening area, while the more active, rhythmic textures move disjunctly.

The intention of the piece, originally conceived for performance with the Atlanta Contemporary Dance Group, is to create an impression of actually being swept up in a familiar yet mysterious sound-atmosphere or ambience – perhaps somewhat like the experience of driving alone in a car at night – a sense of increasing absorption and identity with the surrounding sounds – the motor, rushing air, tires on pavement, vibrations, etc. –

Read more…

Synesthesia Recordings has announced a Call for electroacoustic works – 2009.

All presented music works should fit one of the following categories:

• Works for recorded media alone
• Works for recorded media and instrumental solo

Works should be produced using any conceivable analog device processing tools (pedals, no input mixers, analog synthesizers, custom built devices).

The use of computer or any digital device (except a DAW for the tracking/mixing) is not allowed. The use of working techniques and hardware should be documented with a detailed document in PDF format to be included within the work submission.

The deadline for submissions is the 31st October 2009. Read more…

Peter Tod Lewis, Director of the University of Iowa Electronic Music Studios from 1968-1980, created an audio introduction to the Moog synthesizer in 1979. 

The multi-part series provides a perspective from the past on the synthesizer and its role in classical electronic music studio. 

Here are links to each of the segments in the series:

• Intro to the Studios.mp3
• Intro to the Moog.mp3
• Oscillator Waveshapes.mp3
• Oscillator Pitch Control.mp3
• White Noise.mp3
• Keyboard Control.mp3
• Subaudio Oscillator Control.mp3
• Combination Tones.mp3
• Filters.mp3
• Filtered Noise.mp3
• Filtered Music.mp3
• Filter Control.mp3
• Amplitude Control.mp3
• Amplitude Envelopes.mp3
• Timbre Envelopes.mp3
• Amp/Timbre Envelopes.mp3
• Envelope Follower.mp3
• Sequencer.mp3
• Conclusion.mp3

Somewhat OT: This horribly dated “educational” video reveals the shocking fact that “female deviation in normal sexual behavior greatly exceeds the male!”

It also kicks off with some ultra-cheesy old-school electronic music. If you know anything about this series or the music, let me know in the comments!

Electronic music pioneer Herb Deutsch has released a new retrospective CD, From Moog To Mac, that includes historical gems such as Jazz Images, the first piece of music ever composed using a Moog synthesizer and The Abominatron, a tape recording from August, 1964 in which Bob Moog talks and plays as he describes his progress on the first prototype synthesizer prior to shipping it to Herb.

Here’s a track listing:

• A Christmas Carol – Composed in 1963 as a message to President Kennedy about the Birmingham church bombings. The night after Bob Moog heard this piece in concert, he and Herb discussed getting together to create a new electronic instrument.
• The Abominatron – The historic tape recording wherein Bob Moog discusses and plays the first prototype synthesizer. It’s worth the price just to hear this excerpt. Bob’s personality shows thru in this fascinating piece.
• Jazz Images, A Worksong and Blues – The first piece of music composed on a Moog!
• Prologue To King Richard III – 1971 piece for Minimoog, trumpet and voice.
• A Little Night Music, The Ithaca Journal, Aug 6, 1965 – Headlines, Comics News Articles and Moog. From the historic 1965 Moog Music Workshop in Trumansburg, NY.
• Longing – For Piano and Theremin.
• Circling (But You Did Not Know) – For Piano and Theremin.
• Abyss – Featuring Soprano and Piccolo, from the CD “WOMAN IN DARKNESS”
• Sleight Of Hand (Mister Magic Man) – 1989, from the CD “WOMAN IN DARKNESS”.
• Fantasy on “Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child” – For saxophone and electronics. Moves from plaintive spiritual melody to jazz improvisation.

The CD is available at the Moog Music site.