Editorial

Ballast Reduction and the Audio Arts

by Gerald Hartnett

Artists' Articles

Merapi: A Composition for Gamelan and Computer-Generated Tape

by LYDIA AYERS

ABSTRACT: After introducing the Indonesian source of inspiration behind Merapi, a composition for gamelan and computer-generated tape, the author discusses the tuning system for the pitches and the gong partials and explains the algorithmic process used to compose the piece. She concludes with a description of Merapi.

A Personal Approach to Contemporary Jazz: Works for Saxophone and Computer-Controlled Electronics

by NEIL LEONARD III

ABSTRACT: Jazz is often at its best when stretched to incorporate elements that might at first seem foreign or even suspect. It is now clear that computers, critical doubts notwithstanding, provide an important way to extend jazz improvisation and compositional resources. This article discusses how the author's roots in the jazz tradition inform his work using saxophone and computer-controlled electronics. He examines two such works, which draw on diverse traditions and make use of computers to allow jazz to speak in new and different tongues.

Technical Articles

Thresholds of Confidence: An Analysis of Statistical Methods for Composition: Part 2: Applications

by CHARLES AMES

ABSTRACT: This is Part 2 of a two-part analysis of serialism, randomness and statistical feedback. Part 1 developed the theoretical basis, which the present article applies to seven compositional scenarios. Scenarios 1--3 cover discrete distributions in static contexts and deem methods effective when they are able to utilize the least-weighted state at least once. Scenarios 4 and 5 cover continuous distributions, again in static contexts. These scenarios measure effectiveness by comparing the expected mean and variance with the statistics obtained from populations. Scenario 6 covers discrete distributions with evolving weights, with effectiveness being gauged through the number of samples required to establish a trend. Scenario 7 covers conditional distributions through the paradigm of the Markov chain. Here a realization is deemed effective if it represents the least-weighted transition at least once.

Automated Composition from Computer Models of Biological Behavior

by STEPHEN BROOKS and BRIAN J. ROSS

ABSTRACT: The authors discuss two computer-generated compositions that model biological behavior using MWSCCS process algebra. Process algebra is used to model concurrent systems, of which music is a good example. The first composition discussed, Ant Music, is a musical interpretation of Tofts's formal simulation of insect behavior. The second composition, Zoion, is a musical rendition of the breeding and evolution of families of musical creatures.

Getting a Grip on Alternate Controllers: Addressing the Variability of Gestural Expression in Musical Instrument Design

by AXEL MULDER

ABSTRACT: Existing musical instrument designs require the performer to adapt to the instrument rather than stretching the parameters of the instrument to make it adaptable to the needs or preferences of the performer. The author proposes a new approach to musical instrument design that addresses the variability and extent of gestural expression and movement capabilities of individual performers. The role of representation of musical performance in optimizing performer-instrument compatibility is discussed. The author then focuses on musical performance involving use of the human hand. Forms of hand movements are examined and separated into two types. This analysis leads to the definition of GRIP instruments, which allow a performer to reconfigure the instrument to accommodate his or her gestural preferences and/or capabilities.

Theoretical Perspective

The History of Electronic Music as a Reflection of Structural Paradigms

by JOEL CHADABE

ABSTRACT: The author proposes that new and similar paradigms appear in all fields simultaneously. He posits that the two most important developments in the history of electronic music were (1) the opening up of music to all sounds and (2) the development of interactive instruments. He discusses the first development at length, suggesting ways in which it reflected general paradigm shifts in other fields. He then points to ways in which the second development may also reflect broad paradigm shifts, and concludes by speculating about the direction that such paradigmatic changes may be taking in our time.

Special Section: Leon Theremin, Pioneer of Electronic Art

Introduction

Light and Shadows of a Great Life: In Commemoration of the One-Hundredth Anniversary of the Birth of Leon Theremin, Pioneer of Electronic Art

by Bulat Galeyev

Document

The Design of a Musical Instrument Based on Cathode Relays

by LEON THEREMIN

Artist's Article

My Experience with the Theremin

by LYDIA KAVINA

ABSTRACT: The author, the great-niece of Leon Theremin, inventor of the instrument of the same name, recounts her memories of Theremin and explains how he taught her to play the instrument at an early age. On the basis of her experience as a professional performer, she discusses various aspects of the instrument and its use, touching on the unique construction of the theremin and the qualities of its voice; its place in classical, electronic and popular music; methods of teaching and playing the instrument; and the current revival of interest in the theremin.

Historical Perspective

The Theremin and Its Inventor in Twentieth-Century Russia

by NATALIA NESTURKH

ABSTRACT: The author, Leon Theremin's niece, discusses the development and use of the theremin in Russia. Following Theremin's invention of the instrument in 1920, the theremin enjoyed a brief period of rapid development that was soon hindered by the changing political climate in the Soviet Union, where Theremin himself was imprisoned and sequestered for over 20 years. However, both Theremin and his followers continued to experiment, teach and perform with the instrument throughout the greater part of the century. With the advent of perestroika came renewed interest in the theremin and in electronic music in general, a trend that has continued to date.

Music/Science Forum

The Electronic Music School Studio at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory of St. Petersburg

by ALEXANDER S. BELONENKO

Melody-Drawing Transformation

by BULAT M. GALEYEV

The Theremin Enthusiasts Club International

by DAN GILLARD

The Theremin in the United Kingdom

by ANTHONY J. HENK

The Electroacoustic Music Studio of Yekaterinburg

by TATIANA KOMAROVA

The Graphovox System of Musical Transformation

by LYDIA LITYAGINA and NIKOLAI NAUMOV

Followers of Termen from Siberia

by ALEXANDER P. MENTYUKOV

The Theremin Center for Electroacoustic Music

by ANDRE SMIRNOV

Optical Theater

by SERGEI M. ZORIN

Reviews

Jason Barile, K. Kurlenya, Yuri V. Linnik, Matthias Sauer

Bibliographies

Theremin Studies: Russian Bibliography (in English)

Theremin Studies: Russian Bibliography (in Russian)

International Theremin Resources

Theremin Discography

CD Companion

Introduction

The Lyre's Island: Some Australian Music, Sound Art and Design

by DOUGLAS KAHN

Artist's Article

Speaking Pantomimes: Notes on The Calling to Come

by PAUL CARTER

ABSTRACT: The Calling to Come, a stereo-mix sound installation commissioned by the Museum of Sydney, represents an innovative approach to the performance of primary historical sources. The script, derived from the William Dawes language notebooks (1790--1792), explores the ambiguities of cross-cultural communication under colonialism. The work exploits the echoic mimicry characteristic of such situations. The technique of scripting, style of direction and use of environmental sound in The Calling to Come are described and located theoretically and biographically in terms of sound artist Paul Carter's previous work. The political implications of the work and public reaction to the installation are briefly summarized.

Technical Article

Towards the Design of a Real-Time Interactive Performance Sound System

by RAINER LINZ

ABSTRACT: The author discusses a real-time interactive sound system designed for the performance artist Stelarc. The sound system creates sound intrinsic to the body's movement in space and is intended to augment Stelarc's software-driven muscle-stimulator system, which allows direct control of his body movement. A description of system-hardware requirements and general design principles, an overview of sensors and transducers, and a discussion of software requirements, control routines and sound design principles are included.

Document

Free Music

by PERCY ALDREDGE GRAINGER

Contributors' Notes

SHERRE DELYS, FRANCES DYSON, JOYCE HINTERDING, JODI ROSE

Artists' Statements

The Electric Swaying Orchestra: A Music Machine with Certain Creative Powers

by PETER BOSCH and SIMONE SIMONS

Toward the Integrated Support of Computer Graphics and Computer Music Creativity

by DAVID ROSSITER

Reviews

MARC BATTIER

1996 Index