Audio
sample-stereo mix from quad (.mp3)
Program
Notes:
Compilations is written for four speakers and two stereo tape decks. Much use is made of space. Sounds exist in a four-dimensional continuum. The listener may find it strange at first to be confronted by a work without any "front" or "back", and may have to turn his/her head around from time to time to get the total effect. Although four separate channels (speakers) can be operated by a single machine, one of the intentions of the piece was to create the basic concept present in all music written for performers — that is, the high degree of probability that the performers will not be heard in the same relation (rhythmic, dynamic, or even intervalic) to one another during successive performances. Therefore, the use of two separate tape decks or compact disk playback systems insures a certain degree of randomness in regard to the juxtaposition of musical events. The organization of the composition is highly dependent upon the spacial effects of similar musical materials. The source material is from all pieces, acoustic and electronic, that I have composed up to that time. Recently, I created another version of the piece - a DVD which combined scanned 35mm slides (taken of Iowa countryside during 1968) manifulated with video editing programs and stereo sound of a mixdown of the original music.
Program Notes for performance with Video:
COMPILATIONS (2005) is a work about feelings, Iowa, the environment, aliens, war, and the Bush administration. It is dedicated to all people suffering as a result of the actions of selfish individuals. All visuals are manipulated 35 mm slides taken during 1968 of Iowa landscapes. The source material for the music is a collection of various acoustic and electronic compositions created by the composer. The work is divided into two major sections occurring halfway through the composition, signaled by a short period of silence and no visuals (black). One returned slide contained the end of the processed film which resulted in various shades of red with two yellow bars. This image was manipulated to aid the music in accelerating time, creating cadences, suggesting other minor divisions, and acts as a recurring visual cue throughout the entire piece. The composition is about hope and the expectation for a better world in the near future.
