Compositions from 1990-1995
With the foundation of the »Zentrum für Elektronische Musik e.V. (Center for Electronic Music) Freiburg« (ZeM), an association of producers of electronic music was established in 1989. This meant creative engagement with production methods and fruitful discussions about aesthetic views. The numerous opportunities at that time to be able to publicly present your own compositions at different locations in and around Freiburg provided an invaluable setting.
The opportunity now provided by ZeM to archive and present the pieces from this founding period is thankfully included here. The following productions were recorded with a DAT recorder in the past and were subsequently digitized. A slight background noise, which can be heard in some of the numerous quiet passages, testifies to a certain »historical patina«.
Meatus acusticus (1992) (7:40 min.)
»Meatus acuosticus« is the musical forerunner of the »Bells of St. Niklaaskerk«. The piece was conceived as video music. The human »Meatus acousticus externus« was the visual and acoustic model – the external auditory canal, which forms the connection between the eardrum and the surroundings.
Three Structures, Duo and Solo (1993)
Variations on frequency-modulated sounds in different constellations.
I. Structure 1-2-8 (3:16 min.)
II. Duo 3-4 (2:20 min.)
III. Structure 7-5-2 (2:07 min.)
IV. Structures 6-3-4 und 7-5-8 (5:51 min.)
V. Solo-I (3:55 min.)
Untitled (1992) (20:47 min.)
»Untitled« was programmed and implemented with Max/MSP and a DX7-II synthesizer. The material up to minute 12:00 served as the basis for the »three interludes« of the »previous compositions«; the sections successively successive here were compressed by compression, recombination and stacking. The material from minute 12:00 was no longer used for this.
Hebung-Senkung (Up-Down) (1992) (10:28 min.)
»Hebung-Senkung« (Up-Down) is the first version of the piece that was renamed »HSUD 274« in 1992 – for a performance in Braunschweig that was awarded a composition prize – and changed slightly. A third version was implemented within the »previous compositions«, which contains extensive extensions.
When playing the piece, care should be taken that the prevailing frequencies in the subbass range do not have a negative effect on the speakers.
NGC 2112 (1994) (52:42 min.)
»NGC 2112« is the tonal – rhythmic elevation of a nebula
1079E1079 (1995) (18:39 min.)
»1079E1079« is based on the »Canon a2«, a component of the »Canones diversi super thema regium« from the »Musical Offering« BWV 1079 by Johann Sebastian Bach. The theme of the canon must be played forward and backward (i.e. in the crab walk), the second part of the theme acts as a counterpoint to the first part. The complete canon sounds at the beginning and is presented in its original form at the end.
The topic is – partly extreme – diminished and augmented (this is how the complete canon stretches over the entire duration of the piece), broken down into individual components, sometimes the successiveness of the tone sequences is dissolved and processed into ornaments. The stacked voices are distributed over several sound levels.
for heavens shake I-III (1992) (13:27 min.)
»for heavens shake I-III« is the summary of a sound installation (also published as an original version and revision from 2021) that was performed on the 4th of April 1992 in the Aula of the Pedagogical University in Freiburg. The three successive parts were layered on top of each other. The sound is based on a »chicken shake« and a »wind chime«. The samples were processed with the legendary sampler Yamaha TX16W and its digital filter. Because of their 12-bit technology, these filters produced digital artifacts (in the form of characteristic noise plumes when the samples fade away) that are inherent in the sound structure of the piece.