The title is derived from an expression, in use in Argentina’s colonial era, that means something that costs almost nothing. “Beans” here means chauchas, which was a low denomination coin, while “short sticks” refers to yerba mate, a plant used to make a typical Argentinian drink.

This miniature was composed from an archive of materials and effects compiled while exploring the technical resources of studios while in residence at the Groupe de musique expérimentale de Bourges (GMEB, France), and GES Vierzon (France) in 1988-89.

— Elsa Justel [English translation: François Couture, i-24]

Haricots et petits bâtons [Beans and Short Sticks] was realized in 1995-96 at the composer’s studio in Paris (France) and was premiered in August 1996 during the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC ’96) in Hong Kong. It was commissioned by the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC ’96).

Preparation

• 1988 – 1989, Groupe de musique expérimentale de Bourges (GMEB), Bourges (Cher, France)
• 1988 – 1989, GES Vierzon, Vierzon (Cher, France)

Composition

• 1995 – 1996, Personal studio, Paris (France)

Premiere

• August 1996, ICMC 1996: Concert, Hong Kong (China)

Mastering

• August 22, 2024, Dominique Bassal • Studio Inverse, Montréal (Québec)