Output details

Equanimity

Equanimity was commissioned by American clarinetist F. Gerard Errante and is published on the CD Delicate Balance by Aucourant Records (2010). An accompanying paper was presented at ‘The Global Composition. Sound, Media and the Environment’ in Darmstadt-Diebrug/Germany in July 2012 and the abstract published in the proceedings.

The piece is an attempt to create a sound picture/painting which reflects some of the principles of acoustic ecology (including niche theory as expounded by Bernie Krause).

The role of the clarinet is not that of a soloist with computer accompaniment, nor is it a duet between the clarinet and computer. Instead the clarinet is simply one of several layers within the music/soundscape. Its role is almost obligato (precedent set for this in Jonty Harrison's 'EQ' for saxophone and fixed media).

A single soundscape recording from a beach in Majorca has been used as the basis for the sound painting. Mimicry occurs between the clarinet and the fixed media (Geophony: Breath sounds = waves + wind in leaves; Biophony: Key clicks = insect sounds, Pitched notes = bird calls and cicadas).

Sound transformations also occur through the use of live electronics. GRM Delay and Pitch Accumulation are combined to transform a staccato clarinet figure into the sounds of the cicadas.

An obvious temporal transformation occurs from 3’24” with use of GRM Freeze, shifting the pitch of the captured clarinet note up two octaves to match the pitch of cicadas and merge with them as they emerge into the piece. A gradual unfolding of the real-world scene then ensues.

Akin to painting, the main structural approach is non-teleological. Even though there is a linear aspect to the unfolding transformation, the piece is harmonically quite static and the clarinet part is non-linear in nature. The concept is to produce a sense of gradually emerging soundscape.