Light, Sound, and Darkness

Vibrations strike the ear, are interpreted and given meaning.

But this presumes an aesthetic sensibility, and a grasp of moral reason beyond subjective bias and emotion.  Otherwise there is merely transient attitude, and the sounds of impermanence.

Waveflow

For the contents of consciousness to have value and meaning, there must be self-reflection.

This is a matter of individuality, distinct from the kind of social experience and responsibility imposed by subjection to immediacy, or the instantaneous direct "involvement" technology engenders, and with it, incomprehensible & disconnected imagery, noise, incoherence, and instability.

From the viewpoint of artist as composer, I am interested in sound works that contribute to changes in the listener's consciousness that are conducive to clarity and perceptivity, and the creation of aural environments that open, rather than manipulate, one's state of mind.

Media and Nothingness

Representations are true to the phenomena of existence, or they are false.

There is only one choice for the artist, that between appearances and realities.

Motive, Media, Meaning

Generic music presents a constant reworking of patterns, arrangements, and motifs.

In time, the listener recognizes the moribund nature of these forms, and they become devalued.

For the composer, this means an evolution of perspective and the will to develop divergent means to aesthetic expression through sound.

Establishing and Altering Settings

Manipulation of setting establishes and develops tone and mood.

On stage, setting is created by selections of visual imagery, objects, and backgrounds; in films this is accomplished through contrived interior scenes and lighting, or against landscapes according to various conditions. In literature, verbal description places the scene in the mind's eye through sensory imagery.

Yet the greatest impact on any setting, whether or artfully arranged or simply natural, is sound.  This is particularly true of the personal environment, in which mood and tone reflect individual interests and choices. Thus the composer should neither underestimate the power of the aural palette, nor be less than judicious in its applications.

Distance, Depth, Complexity, Simplicity

Aural atmospheres are composed as depictions of sounds and their spatial relationships.

My compositional methods are predicated upon the interactions of tones, lines, and patterns as they are ordinarily perceived by the listener in the course of everyday events.  Though artificial, these sonic environments function in the manner of those that occur naturally in diverse settings, placing no more demands upon the listener than the waves by the seashore or the wind through rose bushes.

One may listen to such works with both active and passive perceptivity, that is to say, with the inner ear of consciousness and imagination.

Psyche and Civilization

The character of artistic works mirrors the consciousness of the artist in the context of social, cultural, and historical forces.

As peculiar compositions, I do not believe my works are in opposition to the frenetic sturm und drang often associated with contemporary life, but reflect, to the contrary, small advancements in the art of listening that are complementary to the continuing progress of cultural and technological experience.