Final Examination
Due: August 8, 10 A.M.
Place
your exam in an envelope with your name and email address on it. Submit this to my mailbox in the School of
Music via Charlene Roberts. I will not
pick up papers turned in beyond this due date.
1. (25 points) Listen to Katherine Norman’s London (all four
works) found on CDROM V. What kind of
electroacoustic music is this? Write a
brief synopsis and critique of each of the pieces. Are these works successful as audio art? If so, in what way?
2. (15 points) Read the article on CDROM V Pierre Schaeffer and the Significance of Radiophonic
Art. Then, listen to
the works of Hildegard Westerkamp. Are these works more akin to the concept of
radiophonic art or are they more in keeping with the notions of acoustic
ecology and soundscape as described by Barry Truax (review CDROM I)? What parallels and contrasts can you draw
between “Kits Beach Soundwalk” and Norman’s “London E17.” Describe these connections in detail in your
response.
3. (20 points) In his lecture on the “Future of Music”
Robert Ashley discusses the notion of “commodity” and it impact on the musical
future. How is the mechanism he
describes involved with the evolution of electronic musical futurism? How does commerce influence aesthetic
directions and developments? What are
Ashley’s ideas concerning the listening experience for new musical art? What do you think of his orientation.
4. (15 points) Liza
Lim’s lecture “The Endurance of Uncertainty” presents another, highly
contrasting view of musical futurism to Ashley’s. Comment on the context she presents and what implications it has
for the further development of electroacoustic music in particular and music in
general.
5. (25 points) Using “Electric Sound” as a guide, listen to
the works by Jean-Claude Risset on CDROM IV – “Songes” and “Sud.” Describe your aesthetic reaction to the
works as well as the techniques used for the composition of the sound design.
Extra
Credit Section:
These
questions will be answered by those who turned in their midterm examinations
after the (extended) deadline.
Consideration will be given only for cogent, thoughtful and complete
responses. Completing this section will
raise the midterm grade only and will not affect the reading of the final
examination. Each question must be
answered for credit to be assigned.
1. Read and synopsize the three N.Y. Times articles found on
CDROM V.
2. Michael McNabb’s “Dreamsong” was the inspiration for
“Phoné” by John Chowning. Compare and contrast these two works. Both are found on CDROM IV.
3. In Chadabe’s final chapter he describes several trends
which are central to the field and are also important areas for future
work. List, and briefly describe, each.
4. Select any six works from six different composers found
on CDROM V and compare and contrast them.
When doing this try to contextualize the work within the framework of
“classical” or “historic” electronic music.
Where possible, provide a link to a work from any of the other CDROMs,
or material we have listened to and discussed in class, as a point of reference
and/or departure.
5. Read “Thoughts on
the Oral Culture of Electroacoustic Music” on CDROM IV. Discuss in detail Bennet’s concerns outlined
here. What are the implications for the
future of electroacoustic music?