FRANK STEMPER, COMPOSER
Electric Music No.1 (1979)
Moog Synthesizer on Magnetic Tape [2 mins.]
Realized at the Electronic Music Studio, University of California at Berkeley
Premiered 5 April 2014
"Inside Outside" Chamber Music of Frank Stemper
Outside the Box New Music Festival, SIU Carbondale, Illinois
Opus 5 —A.S.C.A.P. work I.D
Premiered 5 April 2014
"Inside Outside" Chamber Music of Frank Stemper
Outside the Box New Music Festival, SIU Carbondale, Illinois
Opus 5 —A.S.C.A.P. work I.D
PROGRAM NOTES:
This short statement was created using the original techniques that were pioneered by composers such as Bulent Arel, Milton Babbitt, and Mario Davidovsky. Individual oscillators were combined to create individual sounds, also known as FM Synthesis, FM = frequency modulation. Those sound waves ranged from very pure (sine - no overtones) to very coarse (square - many obtuse overtones), all were extremely vibrant and created the foundation for many early (1950s) electronic music compositions. Although I created/composed/realized ELECTRIC MUSIC NO. 1 on a Moog synthesizer, there were several hybrids of the same idea. Those sounds: were created one sound at a time; recorded on magnetic tape; manipulated in various ways electronically and often physically, altering the original sound; the tape was then cut into pieces, length determined rhythm, the angle of the cut determined attack and envelope as well as a variety of articulations; the bits and lengths of tape were then spliced together, often combined, re-recorded, using white paper tape for silence; it would not be unusual to cut a 10 foot length of 1/4 inch magnetic tape on a diagonal and splicing it to an oppositely cut piece of paper 1/4 inch tape in order to build a crescendo! In the end, all these bits and pieces combined to create a timeline of sound i.e., a musical composition. This method was called “tape technique,” and was time consuming. Although this piece, Electric Music No. 1, is very short, the works by the composers listed above are often lengthy, serious works of music, and — represent an astounding use of these tape techniques, both in mastery of the technique and dedicated time.
These techniques eventually lead to easier and easier ways to build these electronic compositions. The Moog itself was modified to allow the composer to create several sounds at once: 2, 4, 16 – called a “Sequence.” Then came the Buchla and other machinery that eased the process. Sampling opened an entirely new universe of sound both expanding “Musique Concréte,” and opening the door for synthesis and MIDI. In the early 1980’s the Fairlight streamlined the process so concisely that it replaced the entire I.R.C.A.M. (Paris) and Columbia-Princeton (New York) electronic laboratories. The invention of the integrated computer chip then re-invented the field again, allowing for the personal computer, allowing for the home music studio, and, now, all these things can be done by anyone on a smart-phones, never having to enter the concrete world of sound, never to be relegated to vinyl, cassette, CD, DVD, or carrier pigeon. As the drunk in the coffee shop, in Hitchcock’s THE BIRDS, “It’s the end of the world!”
This little ‘tune,’ ELECTRIC MUSIC NO. 1, makes a statement of some sort. It’s up to you to infer it’s meaning.
This short statement was created using the original techniques that were pioneered by composers such as Bulent Arel, Milton Babbitt, and Mario Davidovsky. Individual oscillators were combined to create individual sounds, also known as FM Synthesis, FM = frequency modulation. Those sound waves ranged from very pure (sine - no overtones) to very coarse (square - many obtuse overtones), all were extremely vibrant and created the foundation for many early (1950s) electronic music compositions. Although I created/composed/realized ELECTRIC MUSIC NO. 1 on a Moog synthesizer, there were several hybrids of the same idea. Those sounds: were created one sound at a time; recorded on magnetic tape; manipulated in various ways electronically and often physically, altering the original sound; the tape was then cut into pieces, length determined rhythm, the angle of the cut determined attack and envelope as well as a variety of articulations; the bits and lengths of tape were then spliced together, often combined, re-recorded, using white paper tape for silence; it would not be unusual to cut a 10 foot length of 1/4 inch magnetic tape on a diagonal and splicing it to an oppositely cut piece of paper 1/4 inch tape in order to build a crescendo! In the end, all these bits and pieces combined to create a timeline of sound i.e., a musical composition. This method was called “tape technique,” and was time consuming. Although this piece, Electric Music No. 1, is very short, the works by the composers listed above are often lengthy, serious works of music, and — represent an astounding use of these tape techniques, both in mastery of the technique and dedicated time.
These techniques eventually lead to easier and easier ways to build these electronic compositions. The Moog itself was modified to allow the composer to create several sounds at once: 2, 4, 16 – called a “Sequence.” Then came the Buchla and other machinery that eased the process. Sampling opened an entirely new universe of sound both expanding “Musique Concréte,” and opening the door for synthesis and MIDI. In the early 1980’s the Fairlight streamlined the process so concisely that it replaced the entire I.R.C.A.M. (Paris) and Columbia-Princeton (New York) electronic laboratories. The invention of the integrated computer chip then re-invented the field again, allowing for the personal computer, allowing for the home music studio, and, now, all these things can be done by anyone on a smart-phones, never having to enter the concrete world of sound, never to be relegated to vinyl, cassette, CD, DVD, or carrier pigeon. As the drunk in the coffee shop, in Hitchcock’s THE BIRDS, “It’s the end of the world!”
This little ‘tune,’ ELECTRIC MUSIC NO. 1, makes a statement of some sort. It’s up to you to infer it’s meaning.