Page 77 - Composing Processes and Artistic Agency

66 The processuality of composing

the idea. Slight frustration is spreading. I need to find a totally different
way. […] I now incorporate the audio plug-ins SoundMagic Spectral into
my Herbeck Stutter to further transform the result of my granular
synthesis and experiment with the various plug-ins. I prick up my ears at
DroneMaker. I’ve finally found the tool I was looking for to change
Herbeck’s voice into long-drawn-out sound structures. I’m thrilled and
moved. But now starts a phase of intensive trying-out of the possibilities
for composing. The interaction between the various parameters has to be
tested and understood.

This entry documents an evaluative reflection on the process to date, with a
view to the performance. The focus of Essl’s work temporarily shifts from the
material to the implementation of ideas. Exploring no longer occurs in ludic
mode, but to confront a specific problem – it is fundamentally shaped by
practical understanding and valuing. Throughout this, Essl’s technical ability
and experience come to bear. It is the only way he can anticipate problems
4
and find solutions. This work phase, which aims to simplify the performance,
is also characterised by pragmatic decisions.

[23 Jan 2014] I need to make many small changes and adjustments to the
various system parameters to achieve fluid and intuitive mastery of the
instrument. Since the individual segments of the composition cannot be
viewed in isolation, I try to save certain settings using presets so that I
can compare the various settings better. […] I now get the impression that
I’ve more or less finished developing the instrument. All the controls on
my MIDI controller are taken up too, which means further expansion
would not be sensible. You have to stop at some point! Now it’s time to
compose!

“Changes and adjustments” require selections and decisions. That gives
valuing a predominant role in developing the instrument. These selections
and decisions, however, are not generated “in the mind” and then imple-
mented. They come about during the making – while exploring software
solutions and trying out possibilities for implementation. Throughout, the
opportunities offered and limits set by the performance instrument (the MIDI
controller) regulate Essl’s imagination, help him to make decisions and even
consciously to conclude tasks.

[11 Feb 2014] Now I need to clear a path through this landscape that my
listeners can actually follow. Under no circumstances do I want to do this
as didactically as Herbert Eimert did in his “Epitaph für Aikichi
Kuboyama” (1960–62), where the original voice is increasingly defami-
liarised in a series of “variations”. But then I’m pursuing a totally different
formal strategy: Herbeck’s original voice will only become audible during
the course of the piece, and then only as a small quotation. I want his