speak, sing...

(2020)

for clarinet in B-flat and electronics

Program notes

This piece was developed in response to my ongoing fascination with the idea of ‘human music’, and what we understand as ‘human’ — as opposed to ‘non-human’ or ‘artificial’ — in the field of music. I am particularly interested in the exploration of the inherently problematic boundaries of the concept, diving into the blurry divide between ‘human’ and ‘non-human’ while continuously questioning the nature and legitimacy of those terms. Making use of prism-samplernn, a neural network developed by the RNCM Centre for Practice and Research in Science and Music, this work presents a dialogue between human and artificial — the live clarinet and electronics, respectively — shaping a narrative focused on the interactions and exchanges between both domains and the internal transformations which take place as a result of this encounter.

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Two recorded improvisations by the performer became the inspiration for a set of ‘human’ responses by myself and the input for a series of ‘artificial’ responses by prism-samplernn, which constituted the main body of musical ideas upon which the piece was developed.

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Commissioned by the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group in partnership with RNCM PRiSM, as part of their 'Soliloquies and Dialogues' series.​

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Duration: c. 8'

Performances

11.06.2021 – Soliloquies and Dialogues, Arnolfini (Bristol, UK)

15.06.2021 – Soliloquies and Dialogues, CBSO (Birmingham, UK)

        Performer: Oliver Janes