Abstract

"the silence that reigns..." for large ensemble

by

Heather Frasch

Doctor of Philosophy in Music and Designated Emphasis in New Media

University of California, Berkeley

Professor Franck Bedrossian, Chair

A large chamber ensemble is scattered around the stage into five distinctive groups. This idiosyncratic positioning provides the foundation for novel sonic structures, placing the listener inside them at various angles and perspectives. These structures are built from different materials: metal, glass, ceramic and unusual amalgamations. They are large and luminous, deep with intricate patterns along their walls. Their architecture is too fragile and volatile to exist in a physical world; their angles and proportions too askew. These singular spaces can only be held together in a sonic realm.

Throughout the piece, the chamber ensemble shifts its focus to different aspects of complex sounds. For example, when a chopstick is scraped against the tamtam, one hears the resonant metallic vibrations, but also the quiet and gritty scraping of wood against metal. The ensemble zooms in to emphasize the resonance one moment, while articulating the scrape later on.

The large scale and slow tempo give room for the listener to wander inside the sound, to hear its intricate details. It allows unpredictable and fragile sounds to breathe, and their volatile and erratic quality lends richness and depth to the sound. Yet, throughout the piece, there is a constant extracting of energy inside the seemingly stagnant worlds; zooming in, once again, to extract micro-movements. Nothing is ever still, there is always change and motion, even in the quietest and most seemingly silent space.

Flint (2014), for amplified ensemble, wacom tablet, transducers, handheld speakers, computer, rocks, and other objects.

Stream is a composition for solo violin with variable ensemble. The score consists of a fixed part for solo violin along with a collection of one-page parts for the variable ensemble. This includes parts for flute, oboe, saxophone, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin/viola, cello, contrabass and a multi-channel electronic part, to be performed using a program designed for performance in Max/ MSP.

This piece addresses an assortment of compositional practices, thereby blurring the lines between them. Elements of the notation vary in specificity, creating an ambiguity of constrained improvisation and detailed instruction. Similarly, the relationship between soloist and accompaniment suggests a simultaneously fixed composition, improvisation and open-form work. The variability of the ensemble is an extension of this modular, open-form practice.

Stream was written for the sfSound ensemble and premiered on August 28, 2011 at ODC Theater, San Francisco, using a subset of six instrumental parts. The sfSound ensemble is comprised of musicians who specialize in both improvised music and meticulously notated scores. It was written with their abilities in mind, but also with the ability to be approachable to ensembles of non- improvisers.

Abstract

Paesaggi Corporei

by

Antonio Juan Marcos Cavazos

Doctor of Philosophy in Music

University of California, Berkeley

Professor Franck Bedrossian, Chair

In Paesaggi Corporei, I set to music four sonnets attributed to composer Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741). These are the same sonnets which Vivaldi used as the basis for his series of violin concertos entitled The Four Seasons (1725). This song cycle was written for the French ensemble Les Folies Françoises, with the intention of performing each song as a prelude to each of The Four Seasons. The result is a concert program which mixes baroque and contemporary music, and is thematically unified by the sonnets. I composed the song cycle Paesaggi Corporei (Body Landscapes), with the same instrumentation used by Les Folies Françoises to play The Four Seasons: three first violins, three second violins, two violas, two cellos, one double bass, and continuo (Italian harpsichord and archlute). Additionally, all of these instruments are period instruments. In the pieces, the soprano sings and sometimes recites the sonnets.

The string orchestra often has the function of articulating polyphonic textures that serve as a sonic metaphor to the notions of foliage and nature. The two violas often create the impression of movement in the middle register of the orchestra. Inspired by Vivaldi's masterpieces, I sometimes explored the possibilities of several violins playing as soloists. I highlight the archlute in a section of music for plucked strings which contributes to the timbral richness of the composition. The use of metal and wood mutes on the strings, as well as the use of prepared harpsichord also create timbral richness.

As to the relationship between text and music, the intention of Paesaggi Corporei was to differentiate each season by setting each sonnet in a different way: sections that explore the phonemes of key words, sections where the text is read, or sections with an intimate and lyrical singing of text. Using the technique of “word painting,” I created sound images of certain words by manipulating their phonetic and rhythmic characteristics.