MUSIC 443/743
SOUND STUDIO
THE VOICE IN COMPUTER MUSIC

MATTHEW BURTNER

University of Virginia
Department of Music
Virginia Center for Computer Music (VCCM)

 

COURSE OVERVIEW

MUSI 443/ MUSI 743, Sound Studio: The Voice in Computer Music (3 credits)
Maximum Enrollment 16

You must also register for the lab section of this class (0 credits but required).

Monday and Wednesday, 2:00-3:15 Rm. B012 and The VCCM Lab, Old Cabell Hall

Instructor: Matthew Burtner - mburtner@virginia.edu
office hours: Tuesday 2-5pm, OCH 201

Teaching Assistant: Damon Osgood - dosgood@earthlink.net
studio hours in the VCCM: Tuesday, 7-9pm

Studio Assistant: Natasha Rayment - njr5d@virginia.edu
studio hours in the VCCM: Tuesday, 2-5pm and by appointment (email for help)

Prerequisite: Music 439 or 339: Introduction to Computer Music

Overview: In Sound Studio, Students gain hands on experience with a range of computer music software and hardware. The theory, history and compositional applications of digital audio synthesis and advanced MIDI are explored with a concentration on creative uses of music technology. This project-based class will give students the opportunity to create original compositions or installation projects using new technologies.

Required materials: It will be useful for students to have a Digital Audio Tape (DAT) and CD-R

Course book: Readings will be from the Computer Music Tutorial by Curtis Roads, on reserve in the music library for this class.

REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING
SYLLABUS AND LISTENING LIST
1) Defining a "Voice" in Computer Music

Assignment 1: Define the voice for your project (does not need to be a human voice)

Listening: from the 1950s

Pierre Schaeffer
Symphony pour un homme seul (1950-53) for tape
in Pierre Schaeffer: L'oeuvre musicale (1998) CD 07283

Luciano Berio
Thema - Omaggio a Joyce (1958) for tape (voice of Cathy Berberian)
In Acousmatrix 7: Berio/Maderna (1990) CD 07733
2) Review of Recording, Soundfile Editing, and Multitrack Mixing
Assignment 2: Record at least 4 short, highly varied excerpts of your "voice". These will be the base samples you will use for the semester. Edit the recordings into short soundfiles and put them in your directory.

Listening: from the 1960s

Max Mathews
Bicycle Built for Two (1961) for computer
in Early Modulations: Vintage Volts, Burtner collection

James Tenney
Collage #1 (Blue Suede) (1961) for tape
in James Tenney: Selected Works, Burtner collection

Luciano Berio
Visage (1961) for tape (voice of Cathy Berberian)
In Acousmatrix 7: Berio/Maderna (1990) CD 07733

Milton Babbitt
Philomel (1963) for voice and tape
in Electro Acoustic Music: Classics (1990) CD 03776

Luigi Nono
A floresta e jovem e cheja de vida (1965-66) for soprano, three reciters, B-flat clarinet, copper plates and 8-channel tape
in Voices of Protest (2000) CD 08404

Alvin Lucier
North American Time Capsule 1967 (1967) for voices and Sylvania Electronic Systems Vocoder
In Extended Voices (1968) LP 183

Salvitore Martirano
L’s. G. A. (1968) for gas-masked politico, helium bomb and two- channel tape recorder
in The Composer in the Computer Age. V: a Salvatore Martirano retrospective (1995) CD 0580

3) Spectral Mutation and Cross Synthesis
Assignment 3: Experiment with Convolution, Spectral Mutation, Phase Vocoding, and Spectral Dynamics in SoundHack. Edit your results in order to keep only the most interesting parts of the soundfiles.

Listening: from the 1970s

Alvin Lucier
I Am Sitting in a Room (1970) for voice on tape
In I am sitting in a room (1990) CD 02994

Charles Dodge
Speech Songs (1972) for tape
in In celebration. Speech songs. The story of our lives / Dodge, Charles. (1976) LP 2126

Dexter Morril
Six Dark Questions (1979) for soprano and one loudspeaker
in Dexter Morrill: Works for Soprano CD 04545

Joan LaBarbara
Klee Alee (1979) for multitracked voice
in Joan LaBarbara: Sound Paintings. CD Burtner collection

4) Timbral MicroStructures

Assignment 4: Granulate your sounds using the assorted granular synthesis programs provided. Edit your results in order to keep only the most interesting parts of the soundfiles.

Listening: from the 1980s

Paul Lansky
Six Fantasies on a Poem by Thomas Campion (1982) for computer processed spoken voice
in Electronic Music of Paul Lansky (1994) CD 05100

Jean-Claude Risset
Sud (1985) for tape
in Jean-Claude Risset(1988) CD 05425

Hildegard Westerkamp
Cricket Voice (1987) for tape
in Transformations: Hildegard Westerkamp (1996) CD 06217

Judith Shatin
Three Summers Heat (1989) for voice and electronics
in Computer Music from the VCCM (1999) CD 08601
5) Signal Processing in SuperCollider
Assignment 5: Experiment with the example class SuperCollider programs.

Listening: from the 1990s

alcides lanza (with Meg Shepperd)
voo (1992) for voice and electronics
in Transmutations (1996) CD 06212

Gerard Pape
Two Electro-Acoustic Songs (1993) for soprano, flute and UPIC
in Gerard Pape: Electroacoustic Chamber Works (1998) CD 08377

Kaija Saariaho
Lohn (1996) for soprano voice and electronics
in Private gardens: Kaija Saariaho (1997) CD 09364

Matthew Burtner
Taruyamaarutet (1996) for soprano, marimba, bass clarinet, percussion and computer polyrhythmicon
in Matthew Burtner: Music for Voice, Burtner collection
6) Advanced MIDI Applications: Alternate Controllers for Signal Processing Using Max/MSP
Assignment 6: Decide how your composition will be presented. Will it have a live performer component? Will the electronics be played from a CD or will they be performed live by a performer using an alternate controller and computer? What instructions/score will be necessary for the performer? Write a short final project proposal (this is the assignment).

Listening: from the 2000s

Matthew Burtner
Animus/Anima (2000) for voice and electronics
in Matthew Burtner: Music for Voice, Burtner collection

Chris Burns
Strain (2000) for 4-channel tape
in ADAT, Chris Burns: Strain, Burtner collection

Chrysa Prestia
Gravitational Tapestry II (2001) for CD
in Chrysa Prestia, Gravitational Tapestry II, Burtner collection

Works from Music 435, Sound Studio

 

Copyright 2002, Matthew Burtner