AbstractsLanguage, Literature & Linguistics

Portfolio of Original Compositions and Analytical Commentary

by Donal Robert Sarsfield




Institution: University of Manchester
Department:
Year: 2014
Keywords: organised sound
Record ID: 1406683
Full text PDF: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/escholar/uk-ac-man-scw:227174


Abstract

This portfolio of original compositions investigates how a concentrated perspective on one particular sound source has the potential to develop a perceptual link between the listener, the work and the world in which we live. To this end a contradictory approach to organising sound is employed; sounds are chosen for their intrinsic properties but are never fully removed from their referential identity. This approach is framed within a broad awareness of cultural listening, which recognises the value of the sound sources in society, but within the confines of the work these sounds operate with neutral symbolic function in order to emphasise their morphological identity. The commentary discusses the main issues arising relating to the composition of the six works in the portfolio, namely the recording, transformation and organising of recorded sound. 3 Audio CDs - compositions and sound examples1 USB Flash Drive - compositions and sound examples1 Score - The Snare Piece