Project Synopsis:
This piece will consist of two separate but related halves, each composed of four distinct segments representing different aspects of the themes I wish to explore. The first half, entitled "Elements of Life", will contain four segments: "Air," "Water," "Fire," and "Earth." The second, "Elements of Time", will contain, predictably, four segments as well: "Spring," "Summer," "Fall," and "Winter".
Project Intent:
This piece will be and do many things. With this piece I aim to challenge the listener to rethink their preconceptions with regard to musical forms, since preconceptions are a universal filter through which everyone judges what they hear as music. It will explore unknown sonic territory, while at the same time maintaining structure and coherence. It will be a spiritual expression of my deep love of musical forms, past and present, through modern equipment that has the capability of generating sounds never heard before. It is designed, ultimately, to catalyze thought surrounding the mysteries of life, death, the unknown, and our place in the universe.
Background:
This piece will require an integration of the techniques that I have learned and of the knowledge that I have gained through this course. As such, I will need to learn more about my 'instruments' (i.e., my computer, keyboard, and sampler) in order to get the most out of them. Thus I will have to experiment for hours before I am able to get the sounds that I want to use. These sounds must reflect the themes noted above, and so the final sounds chosen for the piece will be a direct reflection of my personal interpretation of these themes (or as close a reflection as these 'instruments' will allow).
Project Treatment:
Audio Overview:
The sounds to be used for this piece will vary greatly in type and source. I intend to use sound files from sampler CDs, the Internet, and pre-programmed sounds built into my keyboard. Suffice it to say that I will try to assemble a collection of sounds that, to my ear, will reflect my personal interpretation of each theme.
Outline:
Each segment in each half of this piece will run for approximately 4-5 minutes, and each half will run no more than twenty minutes, for a total of about 35-40 minutes playing time for the entire piece. The four segments in each half will flow one into the other without a complete silence, though there will be a significant diminution of the volume towards the end of each segment so as to allow the listener to easily distinguish between them.
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