Book of Birds

Abstract

Book of Birds is a composition for flute and electronics inspired by birds. Throughout human history, artists have developed stories and music about the natural world around them. In this piece, Book of Birds, I am adding to this vast repertoire of folk stories with some of my own design, focusing on select bird species. Every movement focuses on a bird who serves as a spiritual guide for the listener as each sonic narrative progresses. The live flute performance serves as a connection between the real-world space that the listener is occupying, and the spirit world created by the electronics. The performer takes on many roles, sometimes as a combined instrument with the electronics and at other times performing independently from the electronics. Live processing of the flute performance allows for the line between real and electronic to break down even further, taking the listener deeper into the sonic universe of each tale. The fixed media is where the bulk of the spiritual and story elements of the work manifest themselves. It is here that samples and synthesized sounds work together to create the world where these stories take place. I traverse many different modes of listening in the fixed media, including semiotic, reduced, causal, and semantic. In some cases, they may happen at the same time, creating a counterpoint of meaning, sonic behavior, and music.