Satan's Sermon and Other Electronic Fantasies

various artists compilation - Satan's Sermon and Other Electronic Fantasies

Yes, it's another great compilation of vintage electronic music.

GEORGE TODD - SATAN'S SERMON

SATAN'S SERMON and VARIATIONS ON A BAGATELLE were composed in the Bregman Electronic Studio at Dartmouth College. The sounds were produced on a Synclavier, a real-time music system driven by an Able 40 computer. This extraordinary instrument was developed by Jon Appleton, Director of the Bregman Studio, and Sydney Alonso and Cameron Jones, directors of New England Digital of Norwich, Vermont, which now manufactures the system. Strictly speaking, then, the music is computer (digital) music - though a great deal of the compositional process involved analog devices; mixers, tape machines - and, of course, razor blades.

Though the surface of SATAN'S SERMON is often dense, the materials used to create the textures were very simple. Basically the piece consists of short gestures (very few of which have more than twenty notes) which have been elaborately reprocessed through the Synclavier. (George Todd)

GEORGE TODD - VARIATIONS

VARIATIONS on the other hand was composed in ten days. The machine was still in its proto-type stage and the variations which I composed one-a-day were sort of my compositional calisthenics on the Synclavier. The theme is a set of sine tones with undifferentiated envelopes. The variations which follow are loosely based on the contours of the phrases in the theme. (George Todd)

DARIA SEMEGEN - SPECTRA (ELECTRONIC COMPOSITION NO. 2)

In SPECTRA, the fast-flowing thematic groups are combined in various successions to generate new structures which are different from the characteristics of their original components. The work's rapidly changing sound colors are also the result of the superimposition of many sound layers, each with its own individual timbre. SPECTRA uses electronic sounds from a Buchla Series 200 synthesizer combined with precise mixing, editing, and recording techniques. (Daria Semegen)

THOMAS WELLS - 11.2.72, ELECTRONIC MUSIC

11.2.72, ELECTRONIC MUSIC is divided into three sections: the outer sections employ FM and resonant-filter-produced sounds, while the middle section consists of discrete pitch material. The work is characterized by emphasis on compositional transformations of a limited amount of material. (Thomas Wells)

JAN GREENWALD - DURATION 2

DURATION 2 was computed on the Nova 1200 Data General computer and transferred via an interface program to the Buchla 500 digital-to-analog synthesizer. The computer program was written so that it generated pitch, rhythmic and timbre group material. More subtle timbral qualities were composed by ear. This particular program was earlier used to generate Durations (Perseverance Furthers) for Orchestra, and then applied with slightly altered input data to this version. The piece describes a linear transformation of durations from 10 to .05 seconds within a timespan of 12' 50". (Jan Greenwald)

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. George Todd - Satan's Sermon {14:45}

2. George Todd - Variations on a Bagatelle {8:04}

Side 2

1. Daria Semegen - Spectra (Electronic Composition No. 2) {10:31}

2. Thomas Wells - 11.2.72, Electronic Music {5:27}

3. Jan Greenwald - Duration 2 {12:40}

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