Electroacoustic Composition: Harold in California

"Harold in California"

For viola and electronics

Would to get some feedback

A great work, a mature work, a great acoustic experience and a great performance!

Every job, including composition, performance and everything else, also involves TALKING TO PEOPLE. Communicating outside music, with other people, marketing yourself.

When you come with a short post "Harold... for viola...youtube link... would to get some feedback (not even a proper sentence)" there's big chances people will not take you seriously! And for good reason.

At some point people will need to learn how to "sell" themselves and not feel hoes for doing so!

The piece is very interesting and I'm sure plenty of people in here would like to know more on the process. If it was prerecorded media, live electronics, via Max or other software, what other processes were used, etc. The score would also be useful to see.

All this in the idea that YC forum is for the education for people and the general communication of its members. Just posting music is not enough for me, sorry!

(Track awesome, did I mention that already?)

Bumping this thread to bring it back up. I've had my objections and hopefully Berri will be here to explain a few things further, maybe share a score, maybe talk to us about the work a little more.

Nevertheless it is a brilliant work from a young composer in the more general electroacoustic genre! :)

The piece is very interesting and I'm sure plenty of people in here would like to know more on the process. If it was prerecorded media, live electronics, via Max or other software, what other processes were used, etc. The score would also be useful to see.

Yes, more info and elaboration please. This is awesome.

Hi guys

Thanks for listening.

I'd be more than happy to explain. Sometimes it's nice when people just listen first without all the blabber.

OK About the title... there is a famous concerto for viola by Berlioz called "Harold in Italy". "Harold in California" is my electroacoustic response-- it is a response in spirit rather than in terms of quoting specific material from Berlioz. Also, California is associated with modern culture, while "Harold" is an old sounding name-- this is a metaphor for the modern electronics and the old viola.

The electronic part is all pre-recorded, though I went to great lengths to make it sound like the two parts are interacting. 95% of what you hear is processed recorded viola and a little bit of synthesized sounds. Processing and synthesis was done in Reaktor, Peak, and plug ins for Digital Performer. Sequencing was on Digital Performer. A lot of granulation and pitch changing.

Three main musical elements are the legato arpeggio motive, the pizzicato sections, and the rhythmic stacatto section. There is a cadenza and an abbreviated recap with a dazzling mostly unrelated coda.

Composed at San Jose Stat University's electronic studio on an old g4 mac.

Still working on a score-- it's very hard to notate. In performance I wrote out the basic structure but improvised most of the viola line.

Thanks again for the interest and let me know if you have any more questions.

Hi guys

Thanks for listening.

I'd be more than happy to explain. Sometimes it's nice when people just listen first without all the blabber.

Sure, but they may not even listen in the first place if there's no warm welcome, as Nikolas wisely suggested.

About the piece, it's the most mature interactive electroacoustic piece I've heard in a while. I took a course in it and this piece would have been a role model for all the students.

Oh wow! Makes me wish I had written it!:)

Beeri -

It is an excellent piece I must say.

I am interested in the viola line you improvised - there is a ton of folk music in it - and even some of the preset electronic stuff. To me the improvised line is responding to very sophisticated folk string playing motifs and techniques being deconstructed (eg pulled apart, reassembled and then expanded or reduced) by the electronics.

I especially loved the sound around 5:30 - what is it, an electronic version of some sort of harmonic altered???? Around the 8:30 mark great expansion and alteration of the arpeggios into electronic glisses and washes of sound. great way to end it with them subsiding. Also enjoyed the electroacoustic conversation before 5 with the pizzs!

Would like to know something about your improvisation background and your knowledge of folk music (you are from Israel and my father was too - Palestine and I grew up hearing once in awhile some Fairuz and classical Arabic Oud music. I know that stuff is probably ancient to your generation - my dad is retired)

By the way this is possibly one of the best electroacoustic pieces I have ever heard as i hear the outlines of a very dramatic, clear form. I don't hear that too often.

Note that you write music without trying to "water it down" for the masses. You ought to do the same with your essays and assume your audience is MUCH smarter than you think.

cool work

Thanks, Darkangel.

Thanks, Exanimous.

At 5:30 is an effect called "Convolving." It takes the spectrum from your clipboard (you have to copy a sound bite) and uses that to filter the spectrum of the next sound bite. Not sure exactly how it works but it sounds cool. It's a plug in for Peak. I think the original sound for that was actually legato, not harmonics!

I used to be very orchestral-chamber-music classical oriented, only started improvising in the last couple of years. I definitely grew up with a lot of Middle Eastern music in the house... my Dad's family is Yeminite. Used to hate it as a teen. Love it now. I want to learn more about it so I get the authentic modes. Thanks for the great comments.

"Harold in California"

For viola and electronics

Would to get some feedback

If it's of interest for you, you might visit the homepage of the Austrian live electronics player/composer Karlheinz Essl. Scope and interest of his work is really impressive!

Very cool work! A lot of potential in this. I like the idea of 'old in the new'. Peace, J