Peter Torpey – Media Scores

 

Assignment 1 – read the links below before class on February 12


The Rest is Noise– Alex Ross (Picador 2008) Read: Preface (page xv – xix)
Zero Hour: The U.S. Army and German Music, 1945-1949 (page 373 – 385)
Brave New World: The Cold War and the Avant-Garde of the Fifties (page 386 – 446)

Pierre Boulez
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jan/10/pierre-boulez-appreciation-nicholas-kenyon-agent-provocateur
https://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2012/jul/16/pierre-boulez-contemporary-music-guide
https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/mar/26/boulez-in-his-own-words – follow as many links as you can
https://www.wsj.com/articles/pierre-boulez-1925-2015-champion-of-art-and-tech-1452123500
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/26/arts/music/pierre-boulez-john-adams.html

Karlheinz Stockhausen
https://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2013/may/07/contemporary-music-guide-karlheinz-stockhausen
http://stockhausenspace.blogspot.com/2018/03/i-remember-kontakte_21.html
http://stockhausenspace.blogspot.com/2015/11/kontakte-planning-design.html – follow as many links as you can
http://stockhausenspace.blogspot.com/2015/08/stockhausen-on-electronic-music-wdr.html

Iannis Xenakis
https://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2013/apr/23/contemporary-music-guide-xenakis
https://interestingengineering.com/iannis-xenakis-the-engineer-and-composer-who-pioneered-electric-music
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/03/01/waveforms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvH2KYYJg-o

John Cage
https://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2012/aug/13/john-cage-contemporary-music-guide
https://www.theguardian.com/music/from-the-archive-blog/2015/dec/08/john-cage-interview-november-1989
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/10/04/searching-for-silence
John Cage’s Silence – read as much as you can

 

Assignment 2 – to prepare before class on February 19


1) Check out books, scores, CD’s Priscilla’s office (E14-433B)

2) Study background of Stockhausen’s Gesang der Jünglinge

3) Compose short piece (1-minute or less) that is
inspired by, or comments on, Boulez, Stockhausen, Xenakis or Cage
(and we will guess the influences 🙂 )
Be prepared to share this in class next week (at Harvard)

 

Assignment 3 to prepare before class on February 26
(to be held from 10:30 am – 12:00 noon in Opera of the Future Mezzanine)


SOUND ART

1) Read pages 12-147 and 162-457 in Peter Weibel’s Sound Art.
Multiple copies of the book can be found in Priscilla Capistrano’s
office (E14-433B) and borrowed to read.
And don’t worry, many of these pages are photos:)

2) Pick one chapter [and indicate on Google form here] to study
more thoroughly, including finding additional audio and video references.
Prepare to give a brief (ca. 5 minutes) presentation
on this topic at class on Feb. 26.

Note that pages 722-730 of the book contain an extensive bibliography
of references that will help you follow up on your chosen topic.

3) Continue to consult books/recordings from our “class collection”
to be found in Priscilla’s office.

 

Assignment 4 to prepare before class on March 4 (normal time/place)

 

Maryanne Amacher

https://www.foundationforcontemporaryarts.org/recipients/maryanne-amacher
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryanne_Amacher
https://nmbx.newmusicusa.org/extremities-maryanne-amacher-in-conversation-with-frank-j-oteri/
https://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2019/09/maryanne-amacher-feature
** http://act.mit.edu/cavs/person/KuSTdtevcHYwcJtGmADnN9 **

**** if you are so motivated, contact Thera Webb at MIT ACT to
explore Amacher materials in the ACT archives ****


Anna Thorvaldsdottir

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_S._%C3%9Eorvaldsd%C3%B3ttir
https://www.annathorvalds.com/
https://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/article/contemporary-composer-anna-thorvaldsdottir
https://www.ft.com/content/5c0e99d8-289c-11e9-9222-7024d72222bc
Boston Symphony Orchestra concert (with Open Rehearsal)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTG4BVM8Pps


Christine Sun Kim

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Sun_Kim
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/21/t-magazine/christine-sun-kim-artist.html
https://www.arts.gov/art-works/2017/art-talk-sound-artist-christine-sun-kim
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Euof4PnjDk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vU4TCKxZlc
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/nov/25/christine-sun-kim-sound-artist-deaf-london-exhibition
https://listart.mit.edu/exhibitions/christine-sun-kim-charts-0


** CREATE **

For class in two weeks (to be submitted by noon on March 11), please create another
mini-composition (of ca. 1-minute) that has a visual component of fundamental
importance to the piece project. The visual component could serve any combination of these functions:

1) A score used to create the piece
2) Visuals that document the creative/production aspects of the piece
3) A “hörpartitur” of your piece that guides the ear/mind while listening
4) other