blue/dense
this piece uses 17 tones in whole-numbered proportions to a virtual fundamental of G'' (25Hz). the piece is a kind of analysis of the overtone region from the fifth to seventh partials and the corresponding regions one and two octaves above (10th to 14th, 20th to 28th partials). the tones are played and recorded during the first three parts and played back as samples at specific times. as many as 28 tones may sound simultaneously. the flute sounds are amplified, which allows us to hear t…
ein(e) ausfuhrende(r) seiten 218 - 226
I try to imagine the sound of the world, the silences and sounds of this recording, and the noise of the playback equipment meeting without differentiation, indeed indistinguishably. Whatever differentiation there is moves within the narrow, utterly partial horizon of a world. Allowing this utterly partial horizon to retain its relative insignificance is a most beautiful challenge. manfred werder translation: michael pisaro
phontaine
this cd is not conceived just to be listened to. supplemented with a simple "score", it may induce a "performance at home". you are invited to experience with your ears, eyes, body and mind, the space of your everyday life, your home, "colored" a little bit differently, alone or in the presence of one or more close persons. the cd consists of a one hour sequence of sounds, three times interrupted by substantial silences. the "score" contains 7 suggestions for simple activities. adjust the …
cello piece
I like that which is the extremely refined sound of a note made by an instrument. I find the sound of a note to be a very extraordinary, elusive and indefinable experience. I like the sound of one note next to another, or at the same time as another. The decisions to be made, from all the myriad array of sounds of notes, from all the potential possibilites of how to present and experience these sounds, is what draws me into the process which results in the making of a piece. I wrote cello piec…
STIMMEN
voices what is music made of? of voices. and what is a voice? a sequence of sounds and silences, with its own consistency. perfectly self-contained: each voice voicing a world. and what is a world? a proportion: a specific distribution of movement and repose. perfect repose, incessant movement. in between: the infinite plurality of possible worlds. writing voices means: to traverse this universe of possibilities, one voice at a time, that is: from world to world. to dwell in worlds, in…
musik fur orgel und eine(n) tonsetzer(in)
what do you do, if you work with just intonation and wish to write a piece for organ? you have to deal with the relation between equally tempered and over- or undertonal (just) intonation. 2001 i had several opportunities to make a study of some wonderful instruments. this eventually put me on the path towards this composition. in this piece only those frequencies of the organ sound that have close to whole-numbered ratios (+/- 6 cents) to a fundamental (in this case C’ at about 32 Hz). becaus…
for seven players
Seven (1988), 15 similar events (2002) Let’s assume, that art music as a field of creative cognitive activity is interrelated with the scientific paradigm and that its structure, therefore, at least partially reflects the contemporary way of looking at the world. The essential paradigmatic elements of the early 21st century would then entail all kinds of demands on music. Having lost certainties, for example, the issue of probabilities should be broached. Fields of possibilities should be desi…
One9
“sounds brushed into existence as in oriental calligraphy" (Cage) the sounds in one9 are single tones and chords, up to six part harmonies. how do sounds come into existence, how do they gain focus, how do they resolve, how do they merge into one another, how can one quietly and attentively, in all modesty, follow their unfolding? these are the questions that guided edwin alexander buchholz in his interpretation of the piece. over the years he played one9 time and again - for himself an…
early music
“The room I entered was a dream of this room.” “It wasn't the hole in the landscape that gladdened us, it was the invitation to the weather to drop in anytime.” John Ashbery (both quotations from: Your Name Here 2000) “...all the hard dry studied Rules that ever was prescribed, will not enable any Person to form an Air any more than the bare Knowledge of the four and twenty Letters, and strict Grammatical Rules will qualify a Scholar for composing a Piece of Poetry, or properly adjust…
Empty Words
"Empty Words" begins by omitting sentences, has only phrases, words, syllables and letters. The second part omits the phrases, has only words, syllables and letters. The third part omits the words, has only syllables and letters. And the last part ... has nothing but letters and sounds. A mix of words, syllables, and letters obtained by subjecting the Journal of Henry David Thoreau to a series of I Ching chance operations. What was interesting to me was making English less understandab…
Beuger.Cage
Composed by Antoine Beuger (1) and John Cage (2)
Kathryn Gleasman Pisaro: oboe
Recorded in Hohenferchesar, August 1998 Engineer: Peter Hecker Produced by Antoine Beuger Layout by Daniel Bechem Includes liner notes in German and English by Kathryn Gleasman Pisaro
Accordion Music
Fold in; fold out: the breathing of the accordion. On this CD the accordion unfolds in a very special way, unusually close to the instrument. Four works, four worlds that seem to know each other; refer to each other like a greeting from far away. Hearing John Cage's ,,Cheap Imitation" played on accordion gives you the impression of folk music from an unknown, probably non-existent country. This music comes from nowhere, goes nowhere, is forever on its way.....Like ,,Sam Lazaro Bros". The Swiss c…
Transparent city (volumes 1 and 2)
Field recordings, electronic sound. Field recordings made in greater Los Angeles from December, 2004 to August, 2006. Each recording is an unedited ten-minute take from a single location. Sine tones and mixing completed in Michael Pisaro's home studio in Santa Clarita, California. Each ten-minute piece is followed by two minutes of silence. Recordings were mastered with home stereo playback in mind. In general, it is best to set the volume control on your system to a normal level (that is,…
Harmony Series 11-16
In the 'Harmony Series 11-16', very small events are happening in every nook and cranny of the music, and these subtle changes give magical effects to the music. This is in fact not magic at all - all the events are due to the theoretical structure of the music, but the way Pisaro incorporates them into his compositions is so subtle and natural, that the whole impression on his music becomes poetic. When I listen to each piece while carefully paying attention to the details, I feel that the nuan…
Transparent city (volumes 3 and 4)
Field recordings, electronic sounds. Field recordings made in greater Los Angeles from October, 2006 to February, 2007. Each recording is an unedited ten-minute take from a single location. Sine tones and mixing completed in Michael Pisaro's home studio in Santa Clarita, California. Each ten-minute piece is followed by two minutes of silence. Recordings were mastered with home stereo playback in mind. In general, it is best to set the volume control on your system to a normal level (that …
Dazwischen / immer anders
Composer : Eva-Maria Houben (1955) Performer : Eva-Maria Houben, organ. 'dazwischen for organ' (2000) : a very low tone a very high airy sound once in a while a tone in between, a noise in between organ sounds, organ noises room noise, ambient noise... once in a while a sound in between: between music and non-music 'immer anders for organ' (2002) the organ: a wind instrument air flow - throughout the room sometimes almost imperceptibly soft more noise than sound, almost just the air flowing dif…
aus den fliegenden blttern eines fahrenden waldhornisten
'aus den fliegenden blttern eines fahrenden waldhornisten' (2013) ('from the flying leaves of a traveling horn player') for horn (F. Wilfried Krüger, horn).
EVA-MARIA HOUBEN (born 1955) studied Music Education at Folkwang-Musikhochschule Essen and the organ with Gisbert Schneider. Following her exams she taught both German and Music Education at Secondary School. She received her doctorate and postdoctoral lecturing qualification in musicology and was called for lectures at Gerhard-Mercator-Un…
Air - works for flutes and organ
'ein schlummer (a slumber)' (2013) for flute(s) and organ. 'aufhören (coming to an end)' (2013) for recorders: g-bass, c'-tenor, c-bass (1 performer). 'atmen V (breathing V)' (2014) for recorder(s) (1 performer) and organ. Ruth Walser, recorders. Barbara Müller-Hammerli, organ. Eva-Maria Houben, organ.
EVA-MARIA HOUBEN (born 1955) studied Music Education at Folkwang-Musikhochschule Essen and the organ with Gisbert Schneider. Following her exams she taught both German and Music Education at Se…
Von da nach da
Composer: Eva-Maria Houben. Performer: Rommel Ayoub, violin. Sebastian Jeuck, saxophone. Eva-Maria Houben, organ. 'Von da nach da' 55 images for three performers (2005). Not all of the 55 images have to be played during a performance. The performers make a selection and play them in any order. On this CD, 17 images appear and disappear. 'Image' might mean : a musical image. But also: a scenery, a situation, a place.
EVA-MARIA HOUBEN (born 1955) studied Music Education at Folkwang-Musikhochs…
Works for flute
Composer : Eva-Maria Houben. Performer : Anne Horstmann, flute. 'Calme, silence, solitude' for piccolo solo, 'quelques riens' for mauritius flute and 'moments musicaux' for bass flute constitute a trilogy, composed by Eva-Maria Houben for flutist Anne Horstmann. They may also be performed individually. The mauritius flute is a traverse flute made of speckled bamboo. Its seven holes are burned into the wood. The scores of this trilogy contain the note: 'Hector Berlioz abgehort' ('upon liste…