Tag Archives: electronic ensemble

Electronic Ensemble Repertoire – Classics

Performances, ,

Here are three pieces I have presented regularly with the Electronic Music Ensemble of Wayne State (EMEWS). The repertoire’s codes, scores, or DAW project files are available online and are simple to set up and execute in terms of technology.  An ensemble director may make the piece presentable in one or two rehearsals with no extra cost for preparation or concert. 

John Cage, Four6

Four6 is an open-instrumentation piece suited for four electronic musicians. The performer is asked to prepare twelve different sounds before the performance. Then, they play the sounds according to the timeline dictated in the score. There are no tech specifications (any instrument is acceptable), and performers do not need to know how to improvise or read a traditional notation or improvise. 

I learned to play this at a concert organized by the fidget in 2012. Since then, the resulting sound of the quartet has been delightful to both the audience and the performer. In EMEWS concerts, the four parts were sometimes doubled to accommodate a large ensemble. The performers changed their twelve sounds for each practice and performance to keep surprising the other performers. 

I don’t have a link to the score, but they are easy to purchase. A nearby contemporary music performer friend probably has a copy. 

Alvin Lucier, Vespers

Vespers turns the acoustic space into an interesting instrument. I lead EMEWS to play this piece in the first weeks of the semester so the performers learn the musical application of space, resonance, and movement. The instruction asks the performer to walk around a dark room with a device that makes clicking sounds. The performer’s task is to find and share a location that makes the clicking sound interesting. In short, the performers become an organism with echo-location capacity. Any number of performers can play together.

The original instruction asks the performer to use a Sondol, but I don’t know what that is. So, I made a SuperCollider patch that makes clicks with controllable rates and duration. I added a feature to change the background color of the computer screen for an extra visual effect. I also thought a more directed performance might benefit the performers with little experience in experimental music, so I arranged a version with additional guidelines. The resulting scores and media are found here https://joowonpark.net/vespers/ 

Terry Riley, In C

Electronic ensembles can jump on the bandwagon by performing In C, one of contemporary music’s most popular ensemble pieces. For the electronic ensemble performers, I made a Logic patch that uses loop functions. Performers of any notation-reading level can play In C by clicking a loop at a desired pace. 

Pre-programmed melody and rhythm, stored as loops, let the performers contribute different musical aspects. I ask my ensemble members to experiment with timbre. The performers can double the track with a different patch, change the filter settings, add effects, instrument settings, etc. They are to explore the uniqueness of electronic instruments – what can an electronic instrument do that others cannot? 

Visit  https://joowonpark.net/logicinc/ for detailed instructions. I am positive that a similar loop setup is possible on Ableton Live and other platforms. 

Four Hit Combo (2024)

Compositions, Research, , ,

In Four Hit Combo, each laptop ensemble member uses four audio files to create twenty-six flavors. Musical patterns arise from repetitions (loops), and different combinations mark forms in music. The laptop ensemble members prepare their own samples before the performance, and they control loop start points and duration according to the score and the conductor’s cue. Because there are no specific audio files attached to the piece, each performance could give a unique sonic experience.

Download SuperCollider files and Score of Four Hit ComboDownload

Instrument Needed

  1. Laptop: each performer needs a computer with SuperCollider installed
  2. Amp: connect the laptop to a sound reinforcement system. If the performance space is small, it is possible to use the laptop’s built-in speaker.

Pre-Performance Preparation

  1. Determine a conductor and at least three performers. If there are more than three performers, parts can be doubled
  2. Each performer prepares three audio files (wav, aif, or mp3). The first file should contain a voice. The second file should contain a pitched instrument sound. The third file should contain a percussion sound. All files should not be too short (less than a second) or too long (more than a minute). The [voice], [instrument], and [percussion] files should be different for all performers.
  3. While the voice, instrument, and percussion files are different for all performers, they should share one common sound file. This file will be used in the [finale].  
  4. The conductor prepares one audio about 10-30 seconds long. It could be any sound with noticeable changes. For example, a musical passage would work well, while an unchanged white noise would not. 
  5. Download FourHitCombo_Score.pdf, FourHitCombo_Performer.scd, and FourHitCombo_Conductor.scd from www.joowonpark.net/fourhitcombo
  6. Open the .scd files in SuperCollider. Follow the instructions on the.scd file to load the GUI screen.

Score Interpretation

  1. Proceed to the next measure only at the conductor’s cue. The conductor should give a cue to move on to the next measure every 10-20 seconds.
  2. In [voice], [instrument], [percussion], and [finale] rectangle, the performers drag-and-drop the audio file accordingly.
  3. In [random] square, performers press the random button in the GUI.
  4. In the square with a dot, quickly move the cursor in the 2D slider to the notated location.
  5. In the square with a dot and arrow, slowly move the cursor from the beginning point to the end point of the arrow. It is OK to finish moving the cursor before the conductor’s cue.
  6. In a measure with no symbol, leave the sound as is. Do not silence the sound.
  7. In measure 27, all performers freely improvise. Use any sounds except the commonly shared sound reserved for [finale]. 

Vespers

Performances, Research, ,

On March 10, 2022, EMEWS performed Alvin Lucier’s Vespers at their Winter Concert. I made a SuperCollider patch to play the piece since I do not have access to the original 1970s technology for the piece. Also, the piece’s duration was adjusted to fit the length of the concert.

The link below contains the SuperCollider file and the score. The SuperCollider turns the performer’s laptop into a sound and light generator for the piece. The performer can freely change the rate of “clicks” and the color of the lights.

https://app.box.com/s/tep9y2rb59mq7y3weicoou0t7wmynuho

Performing Vespers in a darkened room with improvised sound and color was a memorable experience for both audience and the performer. Feel free to use the Vespers patch for your ensemble’s performance. No previous experience on SuperCollider is necessary. Just follow the instruction on the score.

A DREAM IS A HOUSE for remembering the future

Collaborators, Compositions, Performances, Uncategorized, , ,


A DREAM IS A HOUSE for remembering the future from Biba bell on Vimeo.

A DREAM IS A HOUSE for remembering the future, created in collaboration by Biba Bell (Dance) and Joo Won Park (Music), is an hour-long immersive performance created for twenty-one Wayne State University (WSU) dancers and the WSU Electronic Music Ensemble in Minoru Yamasaki’s McGregor Conference Center atrium. A DREAM IS A HOUSE brings together sound, light, movement, embodiment, and storytelling together in the cathedral-esque modernism of Yamasaki’s architecture, evoking creative research driven by memory palaces, buildings as bodies, dream scenes, dancing with ghosts, and personal and collective ritual making. – from Vimeo site

My ensemble (EMEWS) and I worked with Biba and her Dance Class to make a site-specific, multi-channel piece over the Winter 2022 semester. The above is an excerpt of a 60-min piece. McGregor Hall’s architecture and acoustics were ideal for music and movement. I am happy about the result. The in-person experience was something unique, but Noah Eliott Morrison‘s team documented the essential experience of the piece in the video. 

Although EMEWS has worked on the piece since March, I started working on it in August 2021. Biba and I spent Fall 2021 trying ideas and finding voices. The video below is a shorter version of A DREAM…  presented at an end-of-semester showcase.

A dream is a house for remembering the future 12.07.21 from Biba bell on Vimeo.

The Fall version’s 15min stereo audio expanded to a 60-min piece for a laptop ensemble and a guitarist, each emitting sounds from a portable amp. The music evolved and adjusted every week as the choreography changed, and the ensemble ended up performing based on the score below.
I think music can have an altered life. I plan to perform an audio-only ensemble version in an upcoming show. Let’s see how it goes. 




Electronic Ensemble Repertoire

Compositions, Performances, , ,

Here are my compositions for electronic ensemble since 2016. They are categorized by the gears needed.

Laptops

Singaporean Crosswalk (2016)

Dubious Toppings (2019)

Sum and Difference (2021) *for remote rehearsal and performance

Four Hit Combo (2024)

Laptops or Phones

Beat Matching (2018)

CML Suite (2020)

  • Info and score
  • Need: 3 or more computer, tablet, or phone. Amplification strongly recommended

Laptops and Acoustic Instruments

Nested Duets (2022)

Laptops With Controllers

PS Quartet No.1 (2017)

PS Quartet No. 2 (2019)

Electronic Instruments

On Off Fade (2019)

Seven Bird Watchers (2019)