Sound Forms in Motion

Things rise and fall, gather together, disperse, and reform as diverse elements come and go, bringing about changing atmospheres and conditions.

Listening perception in environmental or spatial contexts suggests arrangements of aural forms and events according to a different order than those structured in musical terms, reflecting separate and distinct aspects of beauty and interest as well.

Semblances

The reality of media is that of imagery.  These are representations of forms and concepts.

Such ideas, particularly those of a visual and auditory nature, do not supersede the phenomena of existence, but rather illustrate various aspects of experience according to a broad spectrum of artistic perspectives.  Of these, some will enhance perception and understanding while others intentionally obfuscate or politicize their subjects.

As an artist, I seek lucidity, clarity, and directness; as a composer, I want the listener to hear with a sense of uplifted spirits, in touch with the inner ear of imagination.

Imagery and Mind

Verbal and sonic imagery contribute to cultural vocabulary.

Words and phrases are replete with associations, as are sounds and tone qualities of sounds.

Storm and roar, blood and thunder, the cool silences, whispering desert winds, murmuring waters, echoes of nightfall.  Context delivers cliche or evokes archetype, and accordingly both listener and composer contribute perceptions that illuminate effect and meaning.

Artifacts, Essences

Art does not embrace Time with impunity.

Music attached to particular social phenomena becomes dated, takes on nostalgic associations, and loses its original intensity and impact as culture moves beyond the range of its influences.

Detached from the temporal, classic metaphor remains vivid in poetry and prose, light and spatial qualities captured in the visual arts elevate the viewer's sensibilities, and sounds designed as lucid colorings and shadings of atmospheres retain their vitality in the inner ear.

Cultural and Personal Perception

There is no lack of music for entertainment and relaxation.

Instead, the listener does not find a great deal of music intended to enhance lucid, alert thought and creativity.  This is because music, for the most part, is considered a diversion, and it is created with that function in mind; the rhythms, melodies, and even the instrumentation that define music attract and divert the attention, rather than enhance it.  It is a self-evident fact, yet it is also true that a sound environment is generally preferable to one that is low in listening stimulation.

My goals as composer and producer are to create sonic atmospheres in which work, thought, study, reading and writing, and contemplative reflection may be enjoyed without distraction and demands being placed upon the listener, allowing the individual greater control of the environment and the activities that take place within it.

Creative Instinct

Power does not rest with the artist, but with the work itself.

The artistic gesture comes from within, and will not be suppressed.

Atmospheres in Transformation

Stillness, birds and insects in sun and heat, distant train, then wind stirring, brief showers, and the sounds of wildlife, children playing, and motor traffic.

Sound events like these form a basis for compositions and arrangements that reflect metaphoric and symbolic musical gesture, but remain for the most part in opposition to what is generally understood to be music.

Yet it is simple to understand, and its beauty speaks for itself.