Premiere:
1998, West Coast Electroacoustic Exchange,
Presented by Vancouver Pro Musica, Western Front Lodge, Vancouver, Canada,
Reynold Tharp, Piano

Duration - 11'

Program Notes:

In this piece, the timbres, gestures, and the very space from which the computer-generated sound emanates, originate in the piano. The piece is intended as an extension of the acoustic experience of the piano through the incorporation of technology. All sounds in the piece are based on piano sounds; for example, one technique used is the separation of the percussive hammer attack from the longer, resonant decay of the struck piano note. All sounds are created in real time in response to the gestures of the pianist. The MIDI piano in combination with a sampler and a real-time, additive synthesis engine make this possible. All the computer-generated sound is localized by placing one speaker under the piano, blending together acoustic and eletronic sounds. My goal was to remove the piano from its well-established sonic and contextual associations, and surprise the listener into considering an even broader range of perceptual possibilities from such an instrument.

Broken Thoughts was realized at CNMAT (The Center for New Music and Audio Technology), with the assistance of Amar Chaudhary, through the support of a Garrett W. McEnerney Grant. Special thanks to Edmund Campion, David Wessel, Matt Wright and Richard Andrews.