VU: Analogue Bliss
composed 2007

John Thorne, flute
Richard Nunemaker, clarinet
Eric Arbiter, bassoon
Bob Walp, trumpet
Thomas Hulten, trombone
Ferenc Illenyi, violin
Chris French, cello
Brian Del Signore, percussion
Mark Powell, conductor

8 minutes

VU: ANALOGUE BLISS refers directly to three characteristics of “old school” analogue recording.

Though serial in nature, there really isn't any exact tone row. It really follows a more free chromatic structure.

The idea was to create a piece completely void of musical harmony and melody, forcing me to convey musicality through shape, structure, and texture.

Score & parts available

Movement I: Reel Bop - or to "Rock the Reels" - a term used to describe the method of cueing analog tape reels for editing or playback. The result is a scrubbing sound that is a mixture of fast and slow
motion.

Movement II: Print Through - the weak imprint of magnetic information transferred to adjacent layers of reel to reel or cassette tapes, effectively shifting a copy of the signal backwards and forwards along the tape, producing a pre- or post-echo on playback.

Movement III: Feedback - an audio phenomenon which occurs when a loop exists between an audio input and an audio output producing multiplying repetitions of the same source with increasing intensity.

Premiered at Zilkha Hall,
The Hobby Center, Houston TX
March 7, 2007