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Sounding out the space: a composer’s perspective on Spatial Music

Macleod, Duncan

Authors



Abstract

Pierre Boulez cites space as being the fifth dimension of music (1963). However Alvin Lucier observes that although considerable effort is put into the conception, generation and notation of music relatively little thought is given to the actual propagation of sound, to the extent that ‘We have been so concerned with language that we have forgotten how sound flows through space and occupies it’ (1979).

Spatial music (Brant 1955), namely sound localisation as a compositional parameter has been in use, albeit modestly, since the renaissance. It is in the past sixty years however that we have seen the most substantive output of spatial music heralded by the works of Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Henry Brant. In his seminal manifesto Space as an Essential Aspect of Musical Composition Brant identifies that spatial separation clarifies texture, which ‘allows the differentiation of musical strands and permits a greater complexity in the music’ (1967). Moreover, the mobile distribution of sound (Boulez 1963) affords the opportunity to interpret and articulate the implied motion of discrete musical gestures (Harrison 1999) that can be vividly dramatised through spatial displacement (Smalley 1991). In spite of this, the use of space in acoustic composition today is often considered as being of secondary or decorative importance, indeed ignored altogether (Blesser & Salter 2007).

Spatial music is trope that continues to inform my creative practice. As such, the focus of this paper is a composer’s perspective on the merits of Spatial Music in which I will examine and critique the use of sound localisation as a compositional parameter, with examples drawn from my practice. Moreover, I will discuss the potential use of technology through sound reinforcement as means to mobilise sound, formalise space and create virtual spatialities that draw upon techniques utilised in acousmatic music.

Citation

Macleod, D. (2018, April). Sounding out the space: a composer’s perspective on Spatial Music. Paper presented at sound agendas composers’ conference, The University of Sheffield

Presentation Conference Type Conference Paper (unpublished)
Conference Name sound agendas composers’ conference
Conference Location The University of Sheffield
Start Date Apr 27, 2018
End Date Apr 29, 2018
Deposit Date Jun 4, 2021
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/5624979
Related Public URLs https://cenmas.wordpress.com/sound-agendas-draft-schedule/

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