Shared mental representations underlie metaphorical sound concepts.
Read “Shared mental representations underlie metaphorical sound concepts,” an article published in Scientific Reports with contributions by ACTOR members Victor Rossi and Patrick Susini.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-32214-2
Timbre and Orchestration from a Performer/Improviser's Perspective Magda Mayas
ACTOR Collaborator Magda Mayas, lecturer in improvisation at the Lucerne School of Music.
Timbre and Orchestration Writings: Technology and Timbre
Revisiting Jorge Ramos’ autoethnography on the influence of electronics on the composer’s orchestration practice! Ramos’ article, Technology and Timbre, explores "the relationship between instrumental orchestration and electronics primarily through the means of spectral analysis and subsequent electronic-informed timbre-blending techniques such as filtering, reverberation, granular synthesis, pitch freezing, envelope generators, noise, delays and spatialization.
Music Perception: An Interdisciplinary Journal
ACTOR Members Reymore, L., Noble, J., Saitis, C., Traube, C., & Wallmark, Z, authored an article in volume 40 of Music Perception: An Interdisciplinary Journal.
My Journey Into Timbre Space
Click the link below to read more about Stephen McAdams’ journey into timbre space and the subsequent creation of the ACTOR project!
https://www.actorproject.org/timbre-and-orchestration-blog/timbre-stories/2022/2/2/my-journey-into-timbre-space
Timbre and Orchestration Writings: Seven Beginnings
Revisiting Jason Noble’s article about his composition, Seven Beginnings, commemorating through music the birth of Noble’s daughter. While examining the intricacies of the piece, it is also “far from being a technical étude, it is a very personal piece with a very specific motivation behind its materials and methods.” Follow the link in our story or down below to learn more!
Amazing Moments in Timbre by Jay Marchand Knight
Click the link in bio to read J Marchand Knight’s Amazing Moments in Timbre entry, entitled “Death, Sex, and the Semitone in Monteverdi’s Pur ti miro, pur ti godo
https://timbreandorchestration.org/writings/amazing-moments-in-timbre/2023/2/3/death-sex-and-the-semitone
Seven Beginnings: Third Beginning
Click the link below to find out more about the Third Beginning and Jason Noble's work on Seven Beginnings. Learn how Noble uses improvisations from pitches of a lullaby to construct this piece.
Seven Beginnings: Second Beginning
Click the link to hear more about Jason Noble's Second Beginning, as part of his Seven Beginnings piece. Find out how Noble uses dramatic sounds and high pitch frequencies to symbolize birth! Let us know your thoughts below and follow us to stay updated with all of ACTOR'S ongoing projects!
Seven Beginnings: First Beginning
Click the link below to learn more about "the First Beginning," the first segment of Nobel's piece, Seven Beginnings. Jason Nobel’s work commemorates his daughter, Lily, as “the First Beginning,” explores the sensations a well-developed baby feels before birth. Noble writes, “The first beginning was noise, and it was as a liquid, suffusing and subsuming, filling every crevice, and of silent space there was none.”
Zachary Wallmark Publication
Check out ACTOR member Zachary Wallmark’s publication in the Journal of the Society for Music Theory, “Analyzing Vocables in Rap: A Case Study of Megan Thee Stallion.” Click the link to explore Wallmark’s analysis on rap icon Megan Thee Stallion and the “structural and semiotic functions of vocables in rap music.”
Amazing Moments in Timbre
Call for Contributions, Amazing Moments in Timbre: In this series we will explore many instances of musical moments in which the use of timbre plays an important role in the unfolding of a composition.
The Angel of Death
The Angel of Death lives again! The seminal collaboration between the composer Roger Reynolds, psychologists Stephen McAdams, Emmanuel Bigand, and Sandrine Vieillard, and musicologists Philippe Lalitte and François Madurell was originally published as an e-book by IRCAM-Centre Pompidou in 2005, edited by Stephen McAdams and Marc Battier. With the expert help of MA student Corinne Darche, it has been translated to javascript and is available to all on a new website. Many great timbral and orchestrational musical moments and scientifico-musicological reflections to be had. Enjoy!
Lovin’ You — by Minnie Riperton
Learn more from Michelle Sulaiman about Minnie Riperton's unique, incredible whistle tone and technical style in Lovin' You.
Unveiling the Mystery of Timbre
As part of ACTOR’s series of Timbre Stories, “Unveiling the Mystery of Timbre”, explores what makes timbre so complex, yet fascinating. Click the link below or in our bio to read more from this anonymous author on his journey to understanding timbre!
Musical collaborations, timbre, and recorded sound
Calling all pianists and orchestra lovers! Click the link below or in our bio to read more from Viktor Lazarov’s interview with the esteemed Professor Martha de Francisco. Together they explore recording processes, unique sounds, timbral differences, and so much more! Lazarov notes, “Martha relates specific experiences, notably, recording and discussing timbre with Alfred Brendel, the great Austrian pianist.”
Pour l’image- Philippe Hurel
Learn more about Philippe Hurel’s Pour l’image! In this piece, Linglan Zhu explores the musical transitions in the opening of Pour l’image. Zhu notes, “Two large-scale transitions happen consecutively within the first 60 measures of this piece, each of which showcases a set of different orchestration techniques that effectively modulate listeners’ perception.”
Musicians Auditory Perception (MAP)
ACTOR partners UCSD and McGill University have teamed up for the Musicians Auditory Perception (MAP) Project! MAP focuses on the creative process during musical collaboration, as 3 duos were selected to “document their collaborations while creating with binaural recording devices, adopting the concept of ‘sonic boundary objects”
The many facets of musical listening
Explore Lena Heng and Mengqi Wang’s work under the ACTOR Collaborative Student Project Grant. Through analyzing two musical pieces, they find that “successful orchestration is built upon the fact that regardless of the instruments used or the musical or cultural connotations of the music, they adhere to universal mechanisms of auditory perception and cognition.”
Masque De Fer
Check out Gabriel Couturier & Martin Daigle’s project on drum kit instrumentation, Masque de Fer. Couturier & Daigle contend that “Masque de Fer was a good research opportunity to expand the extended drumming library while generating great material for musicians.”