STRUCTURAL AND PLAYBACK ISSUES IN CURRENT ELECTROACOUSTIC MUSIC

BY ALICE SHIELDS
ON JUNE 9, 2016

I’ve composed works using electroacoustic technologies since 1963, and I want to share with you over the next several weeks some of my thoughts about the current state of the medium. Since I am trained as a Western classical composer, my comments will be from that perspective.

1. Structural Issues in Current Electroacoustic Music

The first subject about which I’d like to share my thoughts with you is the issue of structure in current electroacoustic music. I serve on the board of The Association for the Promotion of New Music (APNM). We at APNM will soon be issuing a call for composers to submit their work for an electroacoustic concert in Spring 2017. We intend to award the performances to electroacoustic compositions of structural clarity and elegance.

Why electroacoustic music focusing on structural clarity? Because, in our opinion, many current electroacoustic works are weakened by not having clear structure. Even if some may be promising in other ways, we believe many current electroacoustic works suffer from an overall sameness of events throughout the duration of the piece.

MANY CURRENT ELECTROACOUSTIC WORKS ARE WEAKENED BY NOT HAVING CLEAR STRUCTURE.

If what I am describing is true, then why is this happening, and why now? In the following I’ll consider a number of possible reasons. I’ll start with some thoughts about what might be the smallest structural unit in music, and I will focus most of this discussion on structural issues involving timbre.

James Phelps

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Jun 9, 2016, 9:41:38 PM6/9/16

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Yes. Then spit most of it back out.

With respect.

From: Kevin Austin <kevin....@videotron.ca>
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Sent: Thursday, June 9, 2016 1:52 PM
Subject: [cec-c] Alice Shields writes on: STRUCTURAL AND PLAYBACK ISSUES IN CURRENT ELECTROACOUSTIC MUSIC

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Kevin Austin

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Jun 9, 2016, 9:56:39 PM6/9/16

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I am often reminded that Saint-Saëns is reported to have walked out of the first performance of the Bolero in 1928, at the modulation, so disgusted was he at the mindless repetition.

There is one major flaw in the anecdote, it is that Camille St-Saens died in 1921.

Ah well. It’s a good story anyway.

Kevin

On 2016, Jun 9, at 9:41 PM, 'James Phelps' via CEC-Conference <cec-con...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Yes. Then spit most of it back out.

With respect.

From: Kevin Austin <kevin....@videotron.ca>
To: cec-con...@googlegroups.com
Cc: ACMA <acm...@list.waikato.ac.nz>; electroa...@lists.concordia.ca
Sent: Thursday, June 9, 2016 1:52 PM

Subject: [cec-c] Alice Shields writes on: STRUCTURAL AND PLAYBACK ISSUES IN CURRENT ELECTROACOUSTIC MUSIC

James Phelps

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Jun 9, 2016, 10:27:31 PM6/9/16

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"We hold these truths to be self-evident .... " :)

From: Kevin Austin <kevin....@videotron.ca>
To: cec-con...@googlegroups.com

Sent: Thursday, June 9, 2016 8:56 PM
Subject: Re: [cec-c] Alice Shields writes on: STRUCTURAL AND PLAYBACK ISSUES IN CURRENT ELECTROACOUSTIC MUSIC

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