Music for sextet and computer

Abstract

Music for Sextet and Computer (1993) (flute, bass clarinet, violin, cello, trombone, piano) was commissioned by the International Computer Music Association (ICMA) as part of their commissioning program for new works to be premiered each year during the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC), and was premiered at the 1993 ICMC in Tokyo. The signal processing and control programs were written by the composer and Miller Puckette---whose technical advice made this piece possible. The piece makes use of pitch, amplitude, and spectral tracking of the various instruments to control sampling (with emphasis on granular sampling), cross synthesis, and other more standard signal processing such as harmonizing, frequency shifting, spatialization, etc. The relationship between the electronics and the instrumental part ranges on a continuum between the poles of the transcendental (fused) and the formal (separate). In this continuum, the electronics give musical support to the instruments, and/or function independently. Meanwhile, working with computers keeps me questioning the line that separates music and special effects...