Julio’s Creative Music Technology Teaching

FoEM: Core Lecture Plan

CMT Core Lecture Plan 2009-2010

1      Introduction

Introduction to module
Distribution of course material
Overview of lecture content

References:

• Andrew Hugill -  ‘The origins of electronic music’ pp.14-23 in The Cambridge Companion to Electronic Music. Collins & d’Escrivan (CUP 2007)
• ‘Digital Audio Concepts’, Curtis Roads and John Strawn in The Computer Music Tutorial (MIT 1996)

2    ‘The Art of Noises’

Topic:     From the Futurists to Japanese Noise Artists and Glitch Music

Study works:

• Luigi Russolo – Risveglio di una città [Awakening of a city],
• Edgard Varèse – Ionisation,
• Merzbow – Pulse Demon,
• Autechre – Vi Scose Poise

References:

• Luigi Russolo – ‘The Art of Noises’, in Cox & Warner (2004)
• John Cage – ‘The Future of Music: Credo’, in Cox & Warner (2004)
• M. Russo and D. Warner – ‘Rough Music, Futurism and PostPunk Industrial Noise Bands’  in Cox & Warner (2004)
• Chad Hensley – ‘The Beauty of Noise: An Interview with Masami Akita of Merzbow’, in Cox & Warner (2004)

3    Musique Concrète

Topic: Musique Concrète, Reduced Listening and the Paris studios

Study works:

• Pierre Schaeffer – Symphonie pour un homme seul
• Jonty Harrison – Unsound Objects
• Francis Dhomont – Cycle du Son

References:

• Manning (2004) – ‘Paris and Musique Concrète’
• Schaeffer – ‘Acousmatics’, in Cox & Warner (2004)

4    Plunderphonics

Topic:     Musical appropriation and remixing

Study works:

• James Tenney – Collage #1 (”Blue Suede”)
• Bernard Parmegiani – Du pop à l’âne
• John Oswald – Dab

References:

• Cutler – ‘Plunderphonia’ at www.ccutler.com/ccutler/writing/plunderphonia.shtml
• Oswald – ‘Plunderphonics, or Audio Piracy as a Compositional Prerogative’ at www.plunderphonics.com/xhtml/xplunder.html

5    Electronic Music I – Elektronische Musik

Topic:     Elektronische Musik and the Cologne studios

Study work:     Karlheinz Stockhausen – Kontakte

References:

• Manning (2004) – ‘Cologne and Electronische Musik’
• Stockhausen – ‘Four Criteria of Electronic Music’ [video]
• Maconie [ed.] (2000) – ‘Stockhausen on Music: Lectures and Interviews’ pp. 88-111
• Stockhausen – Artists Statements p.198 in The Cambridge Companion to Electronic Music. Collins & d’Escrivan (CUP 2007)

6    Electronic Music II – Electronica

Topic:     New approaches to electronic music

Study works:

• Aphex Twin – Come to Daddy
• Kraftwerk – Computer World and Man Machine
• Radiohead – Idioteque

References:

• Stockhausen et al. – ‘Stockhausen vs. the Technocrats’, in Cox & Warner (2004)
• Lansky  – ‘My Radiohead Adventure’ at www.music.princeton.edu/paul/radiohead.ml.html
• Serafin – ‘Computer generation and manipulation of sounds’ pp.203-217 in The Cambridge Companion to Electronic Music, Collins & d’Escrivan (CUP 2007)

7    Independent Study Week

Appropriate reading will be communiacted by the tutor in class on week 6

8    Round and Round […and Round]

Topic:     Process-based music

Study works:

• Steve Reich – Come Out, Pendulum Music
• Paul Lansky – Idle Chatter, just_more_idle_chatter, Notjustmoreidlechatter
• Alvin Lucier – I am sitting in a room

References:

Reich – ‘Music as a Gradual Process’, in Cox & Warner (2004)

9    The Natural World: materials, form and environment

Topic: The use of natural sound materials and gestural archetypes

Study works:

• Bernard Parmegiani – Dedans/Dehors
• Denis Smalley – Pentes
• Barry Truax – Wave Edge, Solar Eclipse, Riverrun

References:

• R. Murray Schafer – ‘The Music of the Environment’, in Cox & Warner (2004)
• Norman (2004) – ‘The same trail twice: Talking Rain with Hildegard Westerkamp’, www.novamara.com/soundingart/online/chapter4.pdf
• ‘The World Soundscape Project’ at www.sfu.ca/~truax/wsp.html
• Chris Watson – www.chriswatson.net

10    Transformation

Topic:     Sonic Transformation

Study works:

• Trevor Wishart – Vox 5, Red Bird
• Michael McNabb – Dreamsong

Reference:

Wishart (1996) – ‘Sound Landscape’ in On Sonic Art

11    Essay Surgery

Students enrolled on Fundamentals of Electronic Music will be given a 10-minute individual session to discuss your the preparation of your essay. It is essential that you complete a draft version of the essay by this session, appropriately formatted and referenced. Consult the ‘Assessment’ section of this guide for full details, together with the MPA Writing Guide, available under the Student Resources section of the departmental web site.

12    Algorithmic and Chance Music

Topic:     Generative music and chance operations

Study works:

• John Cage – Fontana Mix
• Iannis Xenakis – La Légende d’Eer

Reference:

• Xenakis – Légende d’Eer
  [DVD, including interview and images]