Latin American Electroacoustic Music Collection

Javier Garavaglia, Contraries (Resonances), 1996
(Argentina)



Recording time: 31 min 48 s.
Instruments: For alto flute, 4 track tape and live electronics
Remarks: Saul Martin, alto flute. Stereo version.

Other resources available:
- About Javier Garavaglia
- Compositions by Javier Garavaglia

About this composition:

Contraries (resonances)
for alto-flute, quadraphonic tape and live-electronics

2nd Version of Gegensaetze (gegenseitig)
for alto-flute, 4-channel tape and live-electronics


Gegensaetze (gegenseitig)" was the first piece of music using the AUDIACsystem in a real-time live performance. Up to its premiere, the system had only been used to steer another type of events (all within the electronic music production), but there were no pieces with live instruments composed specially for and with the system. The piece presented here is a new version (1996), recomposed and reprocessed for the case in which the Audiacsystem should not be available. This version is called "CONTRARIES (resonances)". The live-electronics produced by the Audiacsystem in the first version are here already stored in the quadraphonic tape. "CONTRARIES (resonances)"has also differences in the flute part (mostly in the 4th and 5th parts) and adds as live-electronics only some delays, which can be made by any reverberator available or the MAX/MSP patches designed by the composer (aded in 2001 for the USA TOUR) . There are also stereo versions of both pieces available.

The conception of Gegensaetze (gegenseitig) and also the election and the way of using the materials serve the idea that "contraries" are not principles standing against each other, but also that they can grew into something new while working together. This principle is shown all over the piece, from selection of the instruments (alto flute/Tape, with the live-electronics as reciprocal action of both elements), up to the compositional procedures used to compose all parameters of the work (form, pitches, rhythms, etc). The live electronics were made with the AUDIACsystem, which was developed at ICEM (Institut for Computer music and electronic Media) at the Folkwang Hochschule-Essen and by the company Micro-Control GmbH & Co KG, both in Germany .

The piece was composed with two basic principles, which stand against each other:

- single-principle

- totality-principle.

Both principles are the main generators of every event throughout the work and are mainly represented everywhere in the piece by two objects: "glissando-object" and "a single-note-object" respectively.

Every parameter of the work is based on a numerical-row, whose first four components were explicit selected, but from the 5th component on, they are always the addition of the last three numbers (that means that the next figure in the row, will be constituted with the reciprocal action of the former three). It comes as result a bigger new value that stands as a contrary to the first, for example, the row begins with (1 1 3 5 ), which are the numbers arbitrary selected; the next value will be 9, the next 17 and so on. Each single element contributes to make a partial new totality. This row plays an extremely important role in the composition of the pitches, rhythms, metronomic values, form, and the stage-production, as well.

The form of the piece consists of 5 parts, each one showing the principles already mentioned:

1- Solo alto flute ("single-principle")

2- Alto flute + Tape (as opposites)

3- Tape alone ("single-principle")

4- Alto flute + Tape + live-electronics ("totality-principle"- reciprocally action of all three Instrumentals)

5- Only live-electronics ("single-principle" as result of the reciprocally action of all three Instrumentals)

Before ending this programm note, I would like to clear up just one point more. The general conception of this work can be interpreted from several points of views, but my intention was to show the concept of "Thesis-Antithesis" at the light of human, social and naturally also political relationships. I think that nowadays, in a time in which neonazi ideas and deeds spread out all over the world again, the concept of a reciprocal action of opposite elements may be considered as the oppositte to intolerance, racism and discrimination. That doesn't mean neither that my piece has got a secret program nor that it is a political work, but it may be able to recall these type of implications. The piece was first performed on June the 18th of 1994 in the city of Dortmund (Germany) by the german flautist Christianne Schulz.

Index: