Convergence III

Conceptually, there is no challenge and little of interest in the production of mere chaos.

Neither is disorder, whether simplistic or extravagant, unique or artistically consequential.

Aesthetic purpose and order contribute to depth of meaning and a desirable total effect in any artistic setting, and statements of absurdity and disarray are both plentiful and pointless.

It is the convergence of such essential elements as emotion and idea, concept and action, vision and renewal, that reflect creativity of a vigor and stamina that speaks to the elevation of both culture and the individual.

Sustained Equipoise

Contrast completes experience and establishes fundamental insights.

Thus these compositions developed around observations of naturally occurring atmospheres reflect, by degrees, the asymmetric representation of sounds "in the wild" and the balanced perspective of the composer's aesthetic vision and purpose- that of heightening awareness in ways that carry over into everyday consciousness.

Stray Impressions

Regardless of medium, the artist recognizes art as others do not.

Yet regardless of socioeconomic status or education, anyone may recognize work that approaches universality and the sublime.

Thought, Imagery, and The Real

Certainly, the processes of thought may interfere with experience, even contradict perceptions.

But idea must conform to reality; reality will not conform to it, nor will mere narratives that contravene the order of the real sustain themselves. No theory alone will translate noise into music, and the art of sound will be brought into being with aesthetic meaning and beauty, or it will not be.

Sound, Emotion, Attitude

Rhythm and melody attract and engage perception and concentration.

Rather, consider sounds that are combined in artistic forms of aural imagery that allow free reign of one's attention.

Unfettered from tempo and repetition, the listener may experience the music as part of the physical setting, one that is accommodating to a desirable state of mind.

Listening Consciousness

The perceptions of the ancients differ little from those of the modern day, if the writers and historians are to be believed.

Yet the moment now is filled with sounds, even to the point of being burdened by them. Composer and listener must distinguish between listening with intent and purpose and absorbing- or ignoring- sounds that are thrust upon them.

Transcending the Verbal

The observer, giving due consideration to the limits of expression through language, will recognize that tone communicates in ways both subtle and profound.

The poetic extends toward the philosophical; the philosophical, toward the ineffable. Tone quality in sound, in its capacity to convey those things that cannot be articulated in words, may approach the imaginative and the sublime through combinations of aural imagery impossible to attain otherwise.

Advance

What appears spontaneous comes about as the result of innumerable forces and conditions.

As a composer, I am interested in gesture defined by environment, that is to say, by emerging and expanding elements of tone and setting.  This is designed as a transformational process marked by an equilibrium of sustained, evolving aural imagery.

Any choices in performance or production that may modify and augment the total effect of the work are subjective in that they reflect aesthetic sensibilities, yet their implementation is determined solely by the auditory elements of the work itself.  Interference with the unfolding expression is incompatible with its outcome.

Metamorphosis

Changes in culture and changes in individual perception lead to the emergence of unexpected forms.

At first these forms are perceived as strange and unprecedented; then their origins become apparent as their effects are felt and their connections to sometimes obscure traditions become clear.

The composer acts according to the historical impulses at play in the world of outward, objective experience as well as those intimate and dynamic forces found within the seemingly infinite world heard and conceived in the inner ear of imagination.

Distances Emerge

Listening can provide a change of consciousness in ways similar to that of a journey or dream.

One leaves nothing behind, in any event, but perspectives may alter, and changes in tone, focus and perceptivity may bring about greater understanding and deeper, broader appreciation for what is real.

This is not escape, but immersion in equanimity and balance of reason and feeling.

Selective Hearing

Some will say, stepping outside the everyday boundaries of work and play, "But I hear nothing".

The listener harassed by a subjection to immediacy hears little more that what is thrust directly into perceptual awareness.  Even the value of music that should brighten perspective degrades in such conditions.

There is much pleasure, and elevation of moral reason, to be found and engaged in the sounds of stillness, once consciousness expands to listen, and hear with the inner ear- and there is much to inspire the composer and creative artist in rendering these sounds and atmospheres.

Clairaudience

Sound is always present, always perceptible.

Shaped and manipulated according to specific ideas and techniques, sounds become music.

Now listen to the sounds of the day in the course of moving from one place to another.

Imagine specific ideas and techniques for shaping and manipulating those sounds, with their unique combinations, patterns, and tonal qualities, to produce representations of atmospheric environments.

While retaining much of a musical nature, such compositions are more akin to works of art, with their various properties, than those created utilizing the elements and techniques of music.

Transience and Aesthetic Temperament

Among myriad attributes, art confronts mortality as witness to its reality.

The artist perceives and expresses, and these works are the experiences of a life seen, heard, and revealed.  There is much to do, much that can not be done, yet the way of the artist is to demand everything of oneself and very little otherwise.

Idea, Intuition, Sound, Vibration

Perceptions are limited; understanding is a subjective struggle with facts and appearances.

But every work of art corresponds, in fragments and imperfectly, to a greater design and vision.

Unknown Appearances

Hear what is not there.

Limited to expectations of listening experience, the imagination and perceptions constrict and stultify.

Discern, out of the ubiquitous familiar, those sounds that cannot be identified, remaining uncanny and out of reach. These are seeds of creative gesture, challenging artistic representation.

Environs II

In the course of the day, innumerable sounds and noises pass through consciousness.

Heard as musical constructs and given form in the imagination, such elements of aural imagery, if homely, fragmented, and for the most part unnoticed, nonetheless form an artist's palette of immense possibilities.

Opening Awareness

Varied sounds are suggestive of seasons, desirable surroundings, and serene settings or circumstances.

Still other tones and juxtapositions of aural patterns bring to mind the weathering of rocks, stillness of ocean expanses, movement of bone against muscle, and stranger, more subtle, vaguely unconscious perceptions or ideas.

To listen, and so to hear with the inner ear, is to explore and discover.

To Strive and to Revolt

Dare to do, and dare again and again.

No artist need apologize for the range and scope of individual vision and arduous work, nor tolerate ignorance in the act of bringing forth light.

Functioning

Design implies purpose.

The composer recognizes artistic work as having abstract and concrete value.  Such things as are evident in analysis and experience of sound productions- aesthetic pleasure and interest as well as suitability for the listening environment can serve here as examples- are of essential significance.

Yet beyond the beautiful and finely-rendered, from my perspective, the most desirable effects are those of illumination, equanimity, and elevation.

Narrative

Music is typically recognized in the form of arrangement of sounds over time.

Culturally, musical styles emerge and diminish in impact and influence upon the public imagination according to various aesthetic, historical, and social forces.

Setting aside this grasp of form and formula altogether, contemplate sounds as basic elements to be manipulated according to aspects of artistic composition such as balance, line, spatial relationships, tone color, patterns, juxtaposition of dynamic reference points, and so forth.  From this perspective, I work at variance with general musical methodology, developing aural atmospheres reflecting sounds as they occur and are perceived in natural surroundings as well as social environments.