Alvin Lucier performs one of his works Photo: courtesy Alvin Lucier |
Date:
Friday September 16 2005
Duration: 2 hours
Venue: Tate Modern
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Archive Overview
The American composer Alvin Lucier was an early pioneer
of sound works which use systems as a generative device. He has since
produced innovations in many areas of musical composition and performance,
including the notation of physical gestures, the use of brain waves
in live performance, and the evocation of room acoustics for musical
purposes. His recent works include a series of performances in which,
by means of close tunings with pure tones, sound waves are caused to
spin through space.
For this series of performances, Lucier presents work
that has a strong connection to the artistic strategies represented
in Open Systems: Rethinking Art c.1970. The programme features four
compositions by Lucier; one piece by his former student, the late British
composer, video artist and filmmaker Stuart Marshall; work by noted
British composer John White; as well as new work in the spirit of Lucier's
practice by emerging composers John Lely, Andrew Morgan, and Tim Parkinson.
The composers will perform their work in collaboration with a group
of emerging musicians.
Curated in association with Seth Kim-Cohen. Presented in collaboration with Centre for Creative Research into Sound Art and Performance.
Alvin Lucier Performance Archive
Alvin Lucier, Tate Modern |
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Recordings of Lucier's compositions, performed live at Tate Modern in September 2005.
To Download mp3:
These files are in 128 kb MP3 format. Clicking
once on the download button will download the file to your default download folder. To select where to download the files to your computer
on a (PC) right click and select save target as / on a (Mac) ctrl click and select download link to disk (download will take a few minutes). Then open the files in any mp3 compatible player.
| 1. In Memoriam Jon Higgins for solo clarinet (1984) |
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| 2. Silver Street Car: For the Orchestra: solo triangle & microphone (1988) |
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| 3. Opera with Objects (1996) |
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| 4. Wave Songs for solo soprano (1997) |
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In Memoriam Jon Higgins for Solo Clarinet 1984
An electronically generated pure wave, flowing from a single loudspeaker, slowly
sweeps the range of the clarinet. The clarinetist plays long tones across the
ascending wave, creating interference patterns - beats of loud sound produced
as the sound waves coincide. The speed of the beats is determined by the
distance between the waves: the farther apart, the faster the beating. At unison,
no beating occurs. At very close tunings – within a few cycles – the patterns may
be heard to spin through space. Clarinet: Andy Harper
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Silver Street Car: For the Orchestra: solo triangle 1988
The player dampens the triangle with the thumb and forefinger of one hand while
tapping the instrument with the other. The performance consists of moving the
geographical locations of these two activities and changing the speed and
loudness of the tapping. During the course of the performance, the acoustic
characteristics of the folded metal bar are revealed. The title of the work was
taken from the Surrealist text, "Instrumentation" (1922), by Luis Bunuel. Triangle: Ross Parfitt
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Opera with Objects 1996
Opera with Objects is one of a series of Lucier's works which explore the
resonant properties of everyday objects. One or more performers taps one object
which, when coupled with another, produces vivid changes in timbre as well as loudness. Performer: Alvin Lucier
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Wave Songs for Solo Soprano 1997
Eleven solos for female voice with two pure wave oscillators. An oscillator is a simple
electronic device that can be tuned accurately and emit a steady sound for an indefinite
period of time. In each solo the oscillators are tuned relative to the size of the waves in one
of Lee Lozano's Wave Paintings. Throughout the work the singer sings against the
oscillator tones creating audible beats--bumps of sound as the sound waves coincide. I
imagine the work as a mini opera, with the singer taking the part of the artist, singing her
paintings into existence or perhaps simply humming to herself as she worked on them. Soprano: Juliet Fraser
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Alvin Lucier Rehearsal Archives
Ross Parfitt |
Juliet Fraser |
Below you will find rehearsal recordings of Alvin Lucier in conversation with musicians performing as part of the programme. Download, to learn more about the composer's intention and working practice.
To Download mp3:
These files are in 128 kb mp3 format. Clicking
once on the download button will download the file to your default download folder. To select where to download the files to your computer
on a (PC) right click and select save target as / on a (Mac) ctrl click and select download link to disk (download will take a few minutes). Then open the files in any mp3 compatible player.
| rehearsal 1. In Memoriam Jon Higgins for solo clarinet |
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| rehearsal 2. Silver Street Car: For the Orchestra: solo triangle |
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| rehearsal 3. Wave Songs for solo soprano |
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Alvin Lucier Scores
Written scores for both the clarinet and solo saprano compositions are available here to download in pdf format.
To Download pdf:
These files are in.pdf format. Clicking
once on the download button will open the document in a browser window for preview. To download the files to your computer,
on a (PC) right click and select save target as / on a (Mac) ctrl click and select download link to disk (download will take a few minutes). To download the free Adobe Reader, for opening .pdf documents see here.
| pdf 1. In Memoriam Jon Higgins for Solo Clarinet - score - 3 pages |
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| pdf 2. Wave Songs for Solo Soprano - score - 5 pages |
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| pdf 3. Wave Songs - text and composer's notes - 3 pages |
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John White and Contemporary Composers' Archives
See also: Compositions and performances by UK based composers John White, John Lely, Tim Parkinson and Andrew Morgan.
C0dE_0f_practice Umbrella Season
The C0dE 0f practice umbrella online season ran throughout 4 June - 31 September 2005, aiming to expand upon legacies and themes evident in
the Open Systems Rethinking Art c 1970 exhibition at Tate Modern - bridging contemporary practices and modern histories.
The season included an online panel discussion with contributions by Christiane Paul, Charlie Gere, Patrick Lichty, Trebor Scholz, Sarah Cook and Beryl Graham.
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