Grant Narrative

For nearly a century, composers have experimented combining technology with traditional music. 

The advent of the tape recorder post-World War II led to many compositions that paired live performers with recordings. The practice, although more technologically advanced, is still in use today. This type of composition generally requires the conductor to follow a strict and unwavering timeline – much like scoring music for film.

Sampling is the reuse of a portion (or sample) of a sound recording as part of a different recording or live performance. Samples may comprise elements such as rhythm, melody, speech, sound effects, et al, and may be layered, equalized, sped up or slowed down, repitched, looped, or otherwise manipulated.

While the composition will focus on the real-time performance integration of music technology, the structure of the piece will be anchored in musical tradition. The work will be similar in form to a baroque “Concerto Grosso” where musical material is passed between a small group of soloists (concertino) and full ensemble (ripieno) – much like Handel’s Water Music. A group of 4 “Techs” will perform as the concertino group. 3 of the Tech group's samples will come directly from the brass, woodwinds, and percussion members of the WSU band. The fourth Tech group will use “found sound” samples – speech, nature, everything else.

The Tech parts will be written in standard music notation. Each Tech will be able to alter the samples they trigger in real-time giving them expressive freedom. This approach also provides the conductor the flexibility to change tempo to create a more nuanced performance.