READING CASTAÑEDA

The technical point of departure of the cycle 'READING CASTAÑEDA' was a metal construction (KLANGOBJEKT), an 'instrument' that made possible the amplification (by means of contact microphones) of metal objects hung with nylon threads in the frame of the KLANGOBJEKT. The repertoire of sounds created by this instrument was extremely varied and fascinating. The analysis of these sounds provided insight into their nature and led me to the design of a computer instrument, a KLANGOBJEKTGENERATOR. Non-real-time versions of this instrument were implemented successively in the software synthesizers 'Chant-Formes', 'Common Lisp Music' and 'CSound'. The synthesizer 'MAX/ISPW' made it possible to treat this instrument in real-time, making it playable in concert controlled by the 'Radio-Baton', an invention by Max Mathews.

The sonic material produced by both the physical and the software instrument was used in the six compositions of the cycle.

This article describes the above mentioned process and gives insight into the compositional structures underlying the music of 'READING CASTAÑEDA'.