|
Morton Subotnick's chaotic tornadoes,
such as Silver Apples Of The Moon (1967), The Wild Bull (1967)
and Touch (1968), no matter how naive, took
Edgar Varese's "electronic poem" to another dimension,
a dimension that
blurred the distance between primitivism and futurism, between tribal and
binary percussion, between ancestral sound and alien noise.
Their dense textures and hectic counterpoint,
approaching the intensity and cacophony of rock'n'roll,
completely redesigned the landscape of western music.
His "chamber music", such as the harsh and stormy The Key To Songs (1985),
created even more surreal and nightmarish soundscapes, this time directly
related to the human condition.
Touch (1969) is a massive experiment in disorienting music.
From the beginning, it displays its axiomatic structure: a set of discrete
noises that compose a liquid whole. The components
(including a vivisected female voice that pronounces the three syllables
"t-ou-ch") are unmusical, but the
whole is cohesive and logical. When the noises increase in frequency and
pitch, they sound like a pack of rodents. The noises implode briefly in
a shapeless gurgle, but then resume their frantic conversation in the
fluent vernacular of musique concrete. This is music that
continuously redefines itself, challenges itself, alters itself.
The electronic machine produces a hammering percussive hailstorm rich in
both timbres and rhythms. Subotnick's primitivist and futurist chaos
transcends the post-Webernian avantgarde, and coins a
ludic music inspired to the human condition, occasionally tribal and wild,
but also lyrical and joyful.
The second part of the piece is the mirror image of the first part: first
diffused sound, then frantic babbling (the human voice is now easier to
perceive) and then an almost silent conclusion.
The Key To Songs (1985) is a monumental ballet for chamber ensemble
(two pianos, xylophone, marimbas, vibes, viola, cello) and computer. It opens
with contrasting patterns by the keyboards and the strings, the former played
in a loud percussive manner, the latter strummed in an equally violent manner
(casually following two Schubert arias).
The tension between these two stormy sections of the orchestra creates a deep
sense of tragedy. Here Subotnick uses electronics in subtle ways, mainly to
emphasize acoustic sounds by deforming their color or duration. By the end
of the first part (tenth minute), it is hard to tell which instrument is
playing what. The second part has a dreamy, magical, at times gothic, quality.
It sounds more like chamber music (in that it is less percussive and less
harsh) but it is also subject to more abrupt changes of mood.
Return (1986), dedicated to the Halley comet, evokes the journey of the
astral body over the centuries through Subotnick's loose interpretation of
several different musical ages (from Scarlatti's partitas to ragtime).
This is cosmic music of a kind that relates to human civilization. On one
hand, Subotnick is busy depicting cosmic life, while on the other hand he
"mimicks" (in his own distorted and violent way) human life.
The resulting score is the usual stream of percussive noises
(often achieved by hammering on the keyboards) and eerie pauses and
sudden hailstorms of highly-charged tones (particularly at the "Scarlattian"
end of the first part, a masterpiece of quotation). The second part,
which bridges the last two centuries and the future, continues the
reconfiguration of classical-music style, while bombarding them with
all sorts of cacophony, with a new peak of melodrama at 12:30 minutes.
The piece ends in glory with A fluttering crescendo of looping chords
(again inspired by baroque music).
If English is your first language and you could translate my old Italian text, please contact me.
Scroll down for recent reviews in english.
|
Morton Subotnick (Los Angeles, 1933), studente del
Mills College, clarinettista nella San
Francisco Symphony, e uno dei padri fondatori del Tape Music Center,
e` uno dei massimi pionieri della musica elettronica.
Negli anni Sessanta concepisce lavori per il teatro, come Mandolin
e Play (da eseguirsi con strumenti musicali, spettacoli di luci e
proiezioni di pellicole). Nel 1965 collabora al capolavoro della coreografa
Anna Halprin, Parades and Changes.
Piu' tardi scopre il sintetizzatore e Stockhausen,
realizzando nel 1967 e 1968 due lunghe suite improvvisate e totalmente dissonanti
(Silver Apples Of The Moon, la prima al mondo composta specificamente per
il supporto fonografico, e The Wild Bull),
che sono balletti futuristi al di fuori di qualunque regola armonica.
Tutta la musica e' generata da un solo strumento, un diabolico marchingegno
elettro-meccanico costruito da lui personalmente e da Donald Buchla.
I blip-blop-blup non hanno alcun senso, e valgono tanto quanto la
sequenza di rumori prodotti ruotando rapidamente la manopola della sintonia
di una radio.
L'intenso contrappunto e il vasto spettro cromatico di questi lavori
rimarranno costanti della sua opera.
Touch (1969) e' il tornado che meglio realizza le ambizioni di Subotnick:
la macchina produce una percussione elettronica martellante di grande varieta'
ritmica e timbrica, un caos primitivista e futurista al tempo stesso, una
detonazione pirotecnica che dilania ogni canone musicale.
Subotnick improvvisa liberamente allo strumento senza alcuno spartito o
canovaccio, con il solo obiettivo di ottenere effetti suggestivi.
E' un'opera che riesce ad evitare tanto il gioco dadaista quanto il
cerebralismo tecnologico, e ripropone, dopo i fasti post-weberniani, una musica
ludica che si ispira all'uomo, magari tribale e selvaggia, ma anche lirica e
gioiosa.
Il suo mondo di fantasmi elettronici in agitazione perpetua ritorna nei lavori
successivi
(Sidewinder,
A Sky Of Cloudness Sulphur, 1978, Four Butterflies, originariamente
una performance multimediale del 1973,
e It's Until Spring del 1975, la sua quarta "butterfly suite")
che si ispirano spesso al volo delle farfalle (come Messiaen si ispira al canto
degli uccelli) e che talvolta escono dal tracciato per provare nuove
combinazioni in un contesto armonico piu' rarefatto e al limite dadaista
(After The Butterfly, 1979, per "ghost electronics", tromba e
piccolo ensemble; Wild Beasts, per trombone, pianoforte ed elettronica;
Axolotl (1982), per violoncello e "ghost electronics").
Notes for A Sky of Cloudless Sulphur:
A SKY OF CLOUDLESS SULPHUR (1978) is a purely elec-
tronic work commissioned by the James B. Lansing Sound, Inc.
loudspeaker company to inaugurate the opening of their new
factory facility in Los Angeles, California. The work was created
in my studio as a stereo work primarily for record but with three
simultaneous stereo voices. For the first performance at the
James B. Lansing Sound, Inc. site the three voices were separated
and projected into an octophonic space outdoors, encompassing
several acres and an audience of a thousand people, with four
speakers mounted above and four below to allow the sound to
travel trom front to back, side to side, diagonally across and up
and down.
The title reters to the butterfly, Cloudless Sulphur, which
has sulphurlike coloration and no markings — hence, cloudless.
I also imagined that these butterflies flew in giant swarms,
transforming the sky intoa fluttering yellow. This work uses the
butterfly’s life as a metaphor for the compositional process.
The opening section is ‘realistic’ (caterpillar) —a dancelike, syn-
thesized, metallic drum music which ts suddenly stopped as if
one note were cut in half. We enter into that single note and
a new time and space perspective develops, made entirely from
the sonorities of the dance, but quite ‘abstract’ with, at first,
huge spaces (silences) between notes. This center section
(cocoon) develops, grows, reestablishes more ‘realistic’ musics
and finally, as abruptly as it departs, emerges into a second
dance, almost the same as the first but more beautiful (the
butterfly).
Notes for After the Butterfly:
AFTER THE BUTTERELY is a concerto-like work for
trumpet, instrumental ensemble and “ghost” electronics. Composed in Berlin during Summer and Fall of 1979, it was commissioned by Mario Guarneri who also performed the premiere in October, 1979 on the Monday Evening Concerts series in
Los Angeles, conducted by William Kraft.
AFTER THE BUTTERELY is one of a series of what I call
“ghost” pieces and, like A SKY OF CLOUDLESS SULPHUR,
uses the butterfly as a metaphor. It ts intended as a live performance of a ‘studio’ production. Each instrument is amplified.
The clarinet 1, trombone 1 and cello 1 are mixed and amplified
on the left speaker; clarinet 2, trombone 2 and cello 2 are mixed
and amplified on the right speaker; percussion and solo trumpet
are mixed into the center.
In addition, the trumpet sound is modified by the “ghost
electronics" and weaves its way across the stereo field.
The work is in three parts, entitled:
Cocoon, Butterfly, After the Butterfly.
Independent layers of increasing and decreasing intensities of
sound material form the basis of the work. The ebb and flow of
the lines are always tn independent pairs with one pair always
running parallel to the trumpet. The cocoon has the most pri-
mary use of those materials. It expresses itself in increases of
intensity by alteration of single pitches, by the complexity of a
single sound, by increases in loudness, by increases and speed of
numbers of notes and so forth. It 1s like muscular or visceral
intensity, perhaps like something stretching and expanding
internally, struggling to become.
The Butterfly section emerges as a complex multi-layered life-
dance, an image of frenetic energy like the flutter of a butter-
fly's life. Various musics are interwoven, from basic vocal utter-
ances to weaving melodic patterns to rhythmic dances. This
dancelike scherzo ends in a kind of ‘death rattle’ leading to the
final section: After the Butterfly.
Throughout the first two sections there were short fragments
of melodic patterns and brief moments of unexpected expres-
siveness. These now become a long, weaving melody, like a por-
trait of a departed being that remains etched on the memory
of the living. The tenderness and serenity of the winding melody,
played at a quiet dynamic level with occasional flutters remi-
niscent of the real past, reflects the new reality. In its
suggestion of simplicity 1¢ operates like most memortes or
dreams, focusing on certain qualities, minimizing others, some-
times isolating a single moment, a solitary gesture within the
complex web of experiences and expanding that into what we
wished it might have been or might have become.
Ma l'ingegneria ha spesso il sopravvento sulla fantasia, come in Parallel
Lines, per un piccolo e la sua "ombra" elettronica.
The Key To Songs (1985) e' un balletto monumentale per ensemble da camera (due pianoforti, xilofono, marimba, vibrafono, viola, violoncello) e computer.
Return (1986), dedicato alla cometa Halley, rievoca il viaggio della cometa negli ultimi due secoli attraverso citazioni da diverse epoche musicali, ed e' anche il suo lavoro piu' accessibile di sempre.
Fra le altre opere di Subotnick vanno ricordati il concerto per quintetto di
fiati, elettronica, cinema e luci; la musica per dodici ascensori;
Tarot per dieci strumenti e nastro;
Lamination per orchestra ed elettronica; il dramma musicale
The Double Life Of Amphibians; Ascent Into Air per dieci
strumenti e computer (1981) e Fluttering Of Wings per quartetto
d'archi ed elettronica (1981).
Le opere naif degli anni '60 rimangono il prodotto piu' autentico di una
civilta' musicale, anarchica e anti-realista, che nasceva dall'incontro fra
dadaismo "cageano" e civilta` psichedelica.
|
|
Subotnick also composed for the orchestra:
Before the Butterfly (1975) for orchestra and seven amplified instruments,
Laminations (Turnabout, 1988) for orchestra and electronics,
and
A Desert Flower (1989) for orchestra and computer.
He also ventured into live computer interaction and multimedia art with
the "staged tone poem" The Double Life of Amphibians (1984),
a form that he perfected with the interactive "media poem"
Intimate Immensity (1997), whose opening music is titled It Begins.
The "ghost pieces" are chamber works for instruments and interactive
electronics, each driven by a "ghost" score which is a piece of software to
modify the sounds produced by instruments as they are played according to a
traditionally notated score. This method was debuted in
Two Life Histories (1977) for clarinet and voice,
each being "scored" for performer/s and electronic ghost score. Then came:
Liquid Strata (1977) for piano,
Parallel Lines for piccolo accompanied by nine players,
The Wild Beasts (1978) for trombone and piano,
Axolotl (1982) for cello,
The Fluttering of Wings for string quartet,
Passages of the Beast (1978) for clarinet,
The Last Dream of the Beast (1979) for voice,
The First Dream of Light (1980) for tuba,
An Arsenal Of Defense (1982) for viola,
Tremblings (1983) for violin and piano,
Echoes from the Silent Call of Girona (1998) for string quartet with CDROM;
etc.
Some of these works are documented on
Parallel Lines (CRI, 1979),
Liquid Strata (Town Hall, 1979),
The First Dream of Light (Crystal, 1988),
Echoes from the Silent Call of Girona; A Fluttering Of Wings (Cambria, 2000),
Passages of the Beast (Owl, 1992),
etc.
The situation was somewhat inverted in his most ambitious work for
live electronics, the
quadraphonic
Ascent Into Air (1981), in which it's the live performers
who influence the decisions made by the computer (in particular, where to
locate the sound in the acoustic space).
The monodrama for string quartet and vocalist Joan La Barbara Jacob's Room
also became a concert in 1985 and a multimedia opera in 1993,
as documented on Jacob's Room; Touch (Wergo, 1993), further expanded in
2012.
Joan LaBarbara's acrobatic vocal sounds duet with a strummed cello (when she
doesn't simply recite the text of the opera). The interaction between the
two instruments (voice and cello) reaches peaks of surreal clangor.
The second part adds more synthesizer, and thus more contrast.
All My Hummingbirds Have Alibis; And the Butterflies Begin to Sing (New World, 1997)
contains the ballet scores (both inspired by Max Ernst's paintings)
All My Hummingbirds Have Alibis (New World, 1994),
for voices, flute, cello, keyboards, percussion and computer, and
And the Butterflies Begin to Sing (1988), for string quartet and computer.
In Two Worlds (Neuma, 1992) contains the 1987 saxophone (and electronics) concerto.
The multimedia opera Intimate Immensity (1997) was based on David Rothenberg's book "Hand's End" (1993), about how tools have changed the meaning of nature through history.
Other recordings include:
Prelude No.4 (Fiction, 1993),
etc.
|
(Translation by/ Tradotto da Nicola Mecca)
Subotnick compose anche per orchestra: Before the Butterfly (1975) per orchestra e sette strumenti amplificati, Laminations (Turnabout, 1988) per orchestra e strumenti elettronici, e A Desert Flower (1989) per orchestra e computer. Si avventurò anche nelle performance live con il computer e l’arte multimediale inscenando il poema “timbrico” The Double Life of Amphibians (1984), una forma che arrivò a perfezionare con il poema multimediale interattivo Intimate Immensity (1997), la cui musica d’apertura è intitolata It Begins (“Comincia”). I “ghost pieces” (“pezzi fantasma”) sono musica da camera per strumenti ed apparecchi elettronici interattivi, ognuno dei quali segue uno spartito “fantasma”, ovvero un software che modifica i suoni prodotti dagli strumenti, che seguono invece delle partiture tradizionali. A cominciare da Two Life Histories (1977) per voce e clarinetto, ogni lavoro è orchestrato per uno o più musicisti ed una partitura “fantasma”: Liquid Strata (1977) per pianoforte, Parallel Lines per ottavino accompagnato da nove esecutori, The Wild Beasts (1978) per trombone e pianoforte, Axolotl (1982) per violoncello, The Fluttering of Wings per quartetto d’archi, Passages of the Beast (1978) per clarinetto, The Last Dream of the Beast (1979) per voce, The First Dream of Light (1980) per tuba, An Arsenal Of Defense (1982) per viola, Tremblings (1983) per violino e pianoforte, Echoes from the Silent Call of Girona (1998) per quartetto d’archi; etc. Alcuni di questi lavori sono presenti su Parallel Lines (CRI, 1979), Liquid Strata (Town Hall, 1979), The First Dream of Light (Crystal, 1988), Echoes from the Silent Call of Girona; A Fluttering Of Wings (Cambria, 2000), Passages of the Beast (Owl, 1992), etc. La situazione è in qualche modo rovesciata nel suo più ambizioso lavoro elettronico live, Ascent Into Air (1981), in cui sono i musicisti ad influenzare le decisioni del computer (in particolare, dove “posizionare” il suono nello spazio). Il dramma per quartetto d’archi e voce (Joan La Barbara) Jacob's Room divenne anche un concerto nel 1985 ed un’opera multimediale nel 1993, come documenta Jacob's Room; Touch (Wergo, 1993). I vocalizzi acrobatici di Joan LaBarbara duettano con un violoncello strimpellato (quando la voce non recita semplicemente il testo dell’opera). L’interazione tra i due strumenti (voce e violoncello) raggiunge picchi di clangore surreale. La seconda parte aggiunge più sintetizzatori, aumentando così il contrasto. All My Hummingbirds Have Alibis; And the Butterflies Begin to Sing (New World, 1997) contiene i balletti (entrambi ispirati da dipinti di Max Ernst) All My Hummingbirds Have Alibis (New World, 1994), per voci, flauto, violoncello, tastiere, percussione e computer, e And the Butterflies Begin to Sing (1988), per computer e quartetto d’archi. In Two Worlds (Neuma, 1992) contiene il concerto del 1987 per sassofono e strumenti elettronici. Altre registrazioni includono: Prelude No.4 (Fiction, 1993), etc.
|
|
