[a musical composition about sonic inundation] Fleur de Vie Weinstock Music 167b, Harvard FINAL PROJECT ...

In Some Way Live March 22, 1998 Length: 5'56" Title: MARCH 18TH Equipment Requirements: two DAT players. This piece is entitled "MARCH 18TH." The title is mostly arbitrary, and reflects the impetus behind the piece. This piece consciously rejects the power of live mixing possible with electronic music in order to try and emulate many electronic sound environments that we find ourselves in every day that we are unable to significantly influence. For example, such electronic and mechanical sounds as trains, buses, air conditioners, computers, printers, stereos, televisions, microwaves and many other electronic devices surround ears day in and day out, and in many, many cases we are at the Mercy of these sounds rather than having any kind of significant power over them. Thus, "MARCH 18TH" will be a "tribute" to such a state of affairsthe state of affairs of sonic inundation in which the receiver (the listener) very often has little control over the larger sonic environment... However, most sonic environments we encounter daily are not deafening, and allow for creating sounds of our own which are audible to a certain restricted sphere within the larger sounds. Thus, the Power Possessing electronic sonic environment will be totally predetermined. Sounds will be generated using the Mbira dzaVadzimu, for the sole reason that I'm quite enamored of the instrument. Two 5'56" pieces will be created, to be played simultaneously. This reflects the aspect that many daily encountered environments are not exclusively one sound... I'm not quite sure yet the ways in which I will make the pieces, but they will probably involve sampling of the mbira keys, use of MAX programs, and delay machines... The creation of the pieces will be determined by love for sound, intuitively based until the intuition leads to a rule which is inspiring enough to be followed. In any case, the net result will be two 5'56" pieces that have utilized some of the programs we have learned in class this semester using the mbira as source material, recorded on two DATs. During the performance the two pieces will be played simultaneously, and will not be live mixed. One will be played at a significantly louder volume than the other. The playing of the two DATs will be a static occurrencethe way cars sit in a parking lot, or the way snow rests on the 1

ground. The live aspect of the performance will come through people doing things people do in sonic (i.e. All) environments. One possibility is to pass out pieces of bread and fruit for people to eat. I'll probably have people help me with this. Another is to engage in conversations with people. Quite important is that the sonic foundation be sufficiently loud so that any other sound created by people will be diffused quickly in it. For example, two people may be able to talk with each other, but that sound will be restricted to a certain circle, and will certainly not carry itself across the roomit will be eaten quickly by the static electronic sound. SoI'll pass out food, engage in conversations with people (perhaps exactly about the topics I'm discussing here), and probably have some people on stage who will be: reading a book, making a drawing, dancing: The point of this piece is Power. There are some things we have Power over and some things we don't. The point of freedom is to understand the things we are restricted from having Power over. Often, sound is one of those things. The musician can choose to completely reverse this frequently occurring state, or can also give it more attention through recreating it in a setting which does not reenforce the domination through a thousand social and government laws.