Author: Pat McMaster

My aim was to produce a series of études which would explore different branches of thought relating to how silence is perceived, how it can be used within a compositional framework, and the performance considerations for barely audible or inaudible works within the noisy spaces filled with people that we find ourselves in typically when listening to electroacoustic music produced in an academic context. I wanted to challenge myself to work at the very limits of my hearing and to include a wide range of sound sources and compositional methods while doing so. With the readings I had done on silence, the anti-noise or noise-pollution social movements, and the anthropocentric focus so prevalent when relating to sound, I prepared a bath of ideas and perspectives in which to soak in, and which allowed me to freely move towards different areas of exploring these concepts made possible through the experimentation I would embark on. Full documentation available here.  The three études below are stereo reductions.

Buchla modular instrument. Contribution to Twisted Grids Concordia Electroacoustic Studies Student Association compilation.

8’30”

On April 17th, 2022 electronic musical instrument visionary Don Buchla would have turned 85. In celebration, and as an expression of gratitude, for the rich legacy of his pioneering work, 85 is a quadraphonic composition for theremin, tape-loop and Buchla format modular instruments.  Here is a stereo mix of the composition.

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