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Track listing detail

Bédé

Robert Normandeau

Bédé

  • Robert Normandeau
  • Year of composition: 1990
  • Duration: 3:01
  • Instrumentation: stereo fixed medium
  • Publisher(s): Ymx média
  • Commission: empreintes DIGITALes
  • ISWC: T0715200331

Stereo

ISRC CAD509411000

To my parents

This miniature was realized from sounds (onomatopoeias) used in comic books traditionally associated with the world of children. The piece is divided in three sections: Le monde de l’enfance (Child’s World), La vallée des fantômes (Phantoms’ Valley), and La quête de la voix (Search of the Voice). The voice of 11 year old Marie-Hélène Blain is the single sound element of the piece.

[xi-90]

Bédé — a pun on the abbreviation of “bande dessinée” (comic book) — was realized in my studio, the studio of the Faculty of Music of the Université de Montréal and the studio of the Ina-GRM with support from the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA).

Composition

Premiere

  • November 2, 1990, Montréal musiques actuelles / New Music America, Acousmonium: Concert 6: Électro clips, Théâtre Les Loges, Montréal (Québec)

About this sound recording

This version is a stereophonic recording of multichannel sound diffusion realized at The Banff Centre for the Arts (engineers: Antonio Oliart and Stephanie Rogers; assistant: Jennifer Lewis) in July, 1993.

Recording

Scores
  • [November 1992]
    Robert Normandeau, Bédé (1990), 3:01
    Sonogram

Éclats de voix

Robert Normandeau

Éclats de voix

  • Robert Normandeau
  • Year of composition: 1991
  • Duration: 14:51
  • Instrumentation: 14-channel fixed medium
  • Publisher(s): Ymx média
  • Commission: CKUT FM, with support from the CCA
  • ISWC: T0704774173

Stereo

ISRC CAD509813510

To Martine Blain

The primary visual imagery of the title (Bursts of Voices), the fragmentation of the voice into little shatters, is augmented by the connotation of anger — a child’s sudden anger which appears like a tornado, to disappear just as quickly. The voice is of an 11-year-old child who wholeheartedly joined in the game of recording dozens of sounds from the Dictionnaire des bruits by Jean-Claude Trait and Yvon Dulude. The work is divided into five sections which represent childhood ‘states’ and a corresponding sonorous parameter. These different sections are presented one after the other in concert, or separately when broadcast on radio.

Éclats de voix was realized in the composer’s studio and at the Groupe de recherches musicales (GRM) in Paris from recordings of the voice of Marie-Hélène Blain. It was premiered on September 26, 1991 in stereo by CKUT FM in Montréal. Éclats de voix was commissioned by CKUT with support from the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA). The piece was awarded the 1st prize by Jury and tied for the Public’s Prize at the 2nd Prix international Noroit-Léonce Petitot (Arras, France, 1991) and recorded on the compact disc Prix international Noroit-Léonce Petitot 1991 (NOR 2). It was also awarded a Mention at the Stockholm Electronic Arts Award Competition (Sweden, 1992), an Honorable Mention at the Prix Ars Electronica (Linz, Austria, 1993), and a 1st Mention at the Bourges International Electroacoustic Music Competition (France, 1993).

Composition

Premiere

  • September 26, 1991, Concert, CKUT FM, Montréal (Québec)

Awards

About this sound recording

This version is a stereophonic recording of 14-channel sound diffusion realized at The Banff Centre for the Arts (engineers: Antonio Oliart and Stephanie Rogers; assistant: Jennifer Lewis) in July, 1993.

Recording

Spleen

Robert Normandeau

Spleen

  • Robert Normandeau
  • Year of composition: 1993
  • Duration: 15:00
  • Instrumentation: stereo fixed medium
  • Publisher(s): Ymx média
  • ISWC: T0710292366

Stereo

ISRC CAD509411020

Spleen is comprised solely of the voices of four adolescents, aged 16 years. The title refers to one of the most significant moods of the adolescent: this kind of sudden melancholy which surfaces for no apparent reason. This work is a sequel to a previous piece, Éclats de voix, which utilized dozens of sounds from the Dictionnaire des bruits by Jean-Claude Trait and Yvon Dulude as a sonorous base. Onomatopoetic, the material is extremely rich because it represents those instances when the sounds of human language correspond directly to the designated object or to the expression of a sentiment.

The piece is divided into five sections which represent typical situations for the adolescent, and a corresponding sonorous parameter. These sections are presented successively in concert, or separately when broadcast on radio.

Spleen was realized in the composer’s studio from recordings of the voice of Marc Gilbert, Laurent-Josée Sainte-Marie, Nicolas Thériault and Patrick Virar. It was premiered during the radio festival Journées Électro-Radio Days (JERD) broadcast live in Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver on December 10, 1993. Spleen was realized with support from the Audio program of the Media Arts Section of the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA). The piece was awarded the Public’s Prize at the 3rd Prix international Noroit-Léonce Petitot (Arras, France, 1994).

Composition

Premiere

  • December 10, 1993, Journées Électro-Radio Days: 3 — Montréal CKUT 90.3 FM, Espace ACREQ, Montréal (Québec)

Awards

Tropes

Robert Normandeau

Tropes

  • Robert Normandeau
  • Year of composition: 1991
  • Duration: 13:49
  • Instrumentation: stereo fixed medium
  • Publisher(s): Ymx média
  • Commission: Société Radio-Canada (SRC)
  • ISWC: T0704937438

Stereo

ISRC CAD509411030

To Claire Bourque

One way to trope is to add words or musical elements to an existing piece. The troped work in this case is that of Mozart, more particularly, his chamber music. As such, all the sounds of this piece come from his music for strings, winds, piano and voice. The sonorities of the original instruments are metamorphosed in such a way to render them ‘unreal’, notably by means of temporal transformations. The sounds of the voices are extended past the human lung capacity, and the general virtuosity of the work exceeds that of today’s best soloists. In this way, any and all comparisons to the original are irrelevant.

I tried to discern the contemporary principles in Mozart’s work, those which led, in this day and age, to developments undreamed of in his time. In addition to his chamber music, I used a passage from Concerto for Clarinet. My first musical memory, I recall being fascinated by the record jacket which showed a clarinet deconstructed into five sections. I can’t help but think that it was a premonition of my future vocation as a composer, as a foretelling of the creation of this piece. To take apart and put together, to destroy and create — paired actions in any artistic endeavor.

Tropes was realized at the composer’s studio in 1991 and revised in 1993. It was presented during the concert, Mozart l’intimiste, broadcast on radio on December 3, 1991 in Ottawa (Canada) as a part of the festivities to mark the 200th anniversary of Mozart’s death. The piece was commissioned by the Service des émissions musicales du Réseau FM de Radio-Canada.

Composition

Revision

Premiere

  • December 3, 1991, Mozart l’intimiste, Réseau FM de Radio-Canada — Ottawa, Canada

About this sound recording

This version is a stereophonic recording of multichannel sound diffusion realized at The Banff Centre for the Arts (engineers: Antonio Oliart and Stephanie Rogers; assistant: Jennifer Lewis) in July, 1993.

Recording

Tangram

Robert Normandeau

Tangram

  • Robert Normandeau
  • Year of composition: 1989-92, 93
  • Duration: 27:05
  • Instrumentation: stereo fixed medium
  • Publisher(s): Ymx média
  • ISWC: T0715403170

Stereo

ISRC CAD509411040

To Francis Dhomont

Tangram is also the name of a Chinese puzzle consisting of seven fundamental geometric forms from which one can reconstruct existing patterns, or create new configurations. This work is inspired by the spirit of the game, the ability to associate and combine simple elements to form recognizable complex structures, recognizable because of the very figurative representations. This piece is part of the ‘cinema for the ear’ opus, a cycle of work undertaken and developed from 1990-93. Tangram consists of six sections and takes the listener on a tour of the seasons, highlighting the elements and materials associated with each.

Tangram was produced between 1989 and ’92 then reworked in ’93 at the composer’s studio. Certain sounds come from the collection of instruments of the Department of Ethnomusicology of the Faculty of Music of the Université de Montréal. In addition, it contains Fragments, a work commissioned by the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal for the concert inaugurating its new edifice on May 29, 1992. Tangram was presented on May 19 and 20, 1992 at the Planétarium de Montréal during the celebrations for the 350th anniversary of the founding of the city of Montréal. Tangram was made possible by grants from the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA) and from the ministère des Affaires culturelles du Québec.

Composition

Revision

Premiere

  • May 19, 1992, 350e de Montréal — Tangram, Planétarium de Montréal, Montréal (Québec)

Bédé

Robert Normandeau

Bédé

  • Robert Normandeau
  • Year of composition: 1990
  • Duration: 3:01
  • Instrumentation: stereo fixed medium
  • Publisher(s): Ymx média
  • Commission: empreintes DIGITALes
  • ISWC: T0715200331

Stereo

ISRC CAD509411000

To my parents

This miniature was realized from sounds (onomatopoeias) used in comic books traditionally associated with the world of children. The piece is divided in three sections: Le monde de l’enfance (Child’s World), La vallée des fantômes (Phantoms’ Valley), and La quête de la voix (Search of the Voice). The voice of 11 year old Marie-Hélène Blain is the single sound element of the piece.

[xi-90]

Bédé — a pun on the abbreviation of “bande dessinée” (comic book) — was realized in my studio, the studio of the Faculty of Music of the Université de Montréal and the studio of the Ina-GRM with support from the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA).

Composition

Premiere

  • November 2, 1990, Montréal musiques actuelles / New Music America, Acousmonium: Concert 6: Électro clips, Théâtre Les Loges, Montréal (Québec)

About this sound recording

This version is a stereophonic recording of multichannel sound diffusion realized at The Banff Centre for the Arts (engineers: Antonio Oliart and Stephanie Rogers; assistant: Jennifer Lewis) in July, 1993.

Recording

Scores
  • [November 1992]
    Robert Normandeau, Bédé (1990), 3:01
    Sonogram

Éclats de voix

Robert Normandeau

Éclats de voix

  • Robert Normandeau
  • Year of composition: 1991
  • Duration: 14:51
  • Instrumentation: 14-channel fixed medium
  • Publisher(s): Ymx média
  • Commission: CKUT FM, with support from the CCA
  • ISWC: T0704774173

Stereo

ISRC CAD509813510

To Martine Blain

The primary visual imagery of the title (Bursts of Voices), the fragmentation of the voice into little shatters, is augmented by the connotation of anger — a child’s sudden anger which appears like a tornado, to disappear just as quickly. The voice is of an 11-year-old child who wholeheartedly joined in the game of recording dozens of sounds from the Dictionnaire des bruits by Jean-Claude Trait and Yvon Dulude. The work is divided into five sections which represent childhood ‘states’ and a corresponding sonorous parameter. These different sections are presented one after the other in concert, or separately when broadcast on radio.

Éclats de voix was realized in the composer’s studio and at the Groupe de recherches musicales (GRM) in Paris from recordings of the voice of Marie-Hélène Blain. It was premiered on September 26, 1991 in stereo by CKUT FM in Montréal. Éclats de voix was commissioned by CKUT with support from the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA). The piece was awarded the 1st prize by Jury and tied for the Public’s Prize at the 2nd Prix international Noroit-Léonce Petitot (Arras, France, 1991) and recorded on the compact disc Prix international Noroit-Léonce Petitot 1991 (NOR 2). It was also awarded a Mention at the Stockholm Electronic Arts Award Competition (Sweden, 1992), an Honorable Mention at the Prix Ars Electronica (Linz, Austria, 1993), and a 1st Mention at the Bourges International Electroacoustic Music Competition (France, 1993).

Composition

Premiere

  • September 26, 1991, Concert, CKUT FM, Montréal (Québec)

Awards

About this sound recording

This version is a stereophonic recording of 14-channel sound diffusion realized at The Banff Centre for the Arts (engineers: Antonio Oliart and Stephanie Rogers; assistant: Jennifer Lewis) in July, 1993.

Recording

Spleen

Robert Normandeau

Spleen

  • Robert Normandeau
  • Year of composition: 1993
  • Duration: 15:00
  • Instrumentation: stereo fixed medium
  • Publisher(s): Ymx média
  • ISWC: T0710292366

Stereo

ISRC CAD509813520

Spleen is comprised solely of the voices of four adolescents, aged 16 years. The title refers to one of the most significant moods of the adolescent: this kind of sudden melancholy which surfaces for no apparent reason. This work is a sequel to a previous piece, Éclats de voix, which utilized dozens of sounds from the Dictionnaire des bruits by Jean-Claude Trait and Yvon Dulude as a sonorous base. Onomatopoetic, the material is extremely rich because it represents those instances when the sounds of human language correspond directly to the designated object or to the expression of a sentiment.

The piece is divided into five sections which represent typical situations for the adolescent, and a corresponding sonorous parameter. These sections are presented successively in concert, or separately when broadcast on radio.

Spleen was realized in the composer’s studio from recordings of the voice of Marc Gilbert, Laurent-Josée Sainte-Marie, Nicolas Thériault and Patrick Virar. It was premiered during the radio festival Journées Électro-Radio Days (JERD) broadcast live in Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver on December 10, 1993. Spleen was realized with support from the Audio program of the Media Arts Section of the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA). The piece was awarded the Public’s Prize at the 3rd Prix international Noroit-Léonce Petitot (Arras, France, 1994).

Composition

Premiere

  • December 10, 1993, Journées Électro-Radio Days: 3 — Montréal CKUT 90.3 FM, Espace ACREQ, Montréal (Québec)

Awards

Tropes

Robert Normandeau

Tropes

  • Robert Normandeau
  • Year of composition: 1991
  • Duration: 13:49
  • Instrumentation: stereo fixed medium
  • Publisher(s): Ymx média
  • Commission: Société Radio-Canada (SRC)
  • ISWC: T0704937438

Stereo

ISRC CAD509813530

To Claire Bourque

One way to trope is to add words or musical elements to an existing piece. The troped work in this case is that of Mozart, more particularly, his chamber music. As such, all the sounds of this piece come from his music for strings, winds, piano and voice. The sonorities of the original instruments are metamorphosed in such a way to render them ‘unreal’, notably by means of temporal transformations. The sounds of the voices are extended past the human lung capacity, and the general virtuosity of the work exceeds that of today’s best soloists. In this way, any and all comparisons to the original are irrelevant.

I tried to discern the contemporary principles in Mozart’s work, those which led, in this day and age, to developments undreamed of in his time. In addition to his chamber music, I used a passage from Concerto for Clarinet. My first musical memory, I recall being fascinated by the record jacket which showed a clarinet deconstructed into five sections. I can’t help but think that it was a premonition of my future vocation as a composer, as a foretelling of the creation of this piece. To take apart and put together, to destroy and create — paired actions in any artistic endeavor.

Tropes was realized at the composer’s studio in 1991 and revised in 1993. It was presented during the concert, Mozart l’intimiste, broadcast on radio on December 3, 1991 in Ottawa (Canada) as a part of the festivities to mark the 200th anniversary of Mozart’s death. The piece was commissioned by the Service des émissions musicales du Réseau FM de Radio-Canada.

Composition

Revision

Premiere

  • December 3, 1991, Mozart l’intimiste, Réseau FM de Radio-Canada — Ottawa, Canada

About this sound recording

This version is a stereophonic recording of multichannel sound diffusion realized at The Banff Centre for the Arts (engineers: Antonio Oliart and Stephanie Rogers; assistant: Jennifer Lewis) in July, 1993.

Recording

Tangram

Robert Normandeau

Tangram

  • Robert Normandeau
  • Year of composition: 1989-92, 93
  • Duration: 27:05
  • Instrumentation: stereo fixed medium
  • Publisher(s): Ymx média
  • ISWC: T0715403170

Stereo

ISRC CAD509813540

To Francis Dhomont

Tangram is also the name of a Chinese puzzle consisting of seven fundamental geometric forms from which one can reconstruct existing patterns, or create new configurations. This work is inspired by the spirit of the game, the ability to associate and combine simple elements to form recognizable complex structures, recognizable because of the very figurative representations. This piece is part of the ‘cinema for the ear’ opus, a cycle of work undertaken and developed from 1990-93. Tangram consists of six sections and takes the listener on a tour of the seasons, highlighting the elements and materials associated with each.

Tangram was produced between 1989 and ’92 then reworked in ’93 at the composer’s studio. Certain sounds come from the collection of instruments of the Department of Ethnomusicology of the Faculty of Music of the Université de Montréal. In addition, it contains Fragments, a work commissioned by the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal for the concert inaugurating its new edifice on May 29, 1992. Tangram was presented on May 19 and 20, 1992 at the Planétarium de Montréal during the celebrations for the 350th anniversary of the founding of the city of Montréal. Tangram was made possible by grants from the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA) and from the ministère des Affaires culturelles du Québec.

Composition

Revision

Premiere

  • May 19, 1992, 350e de Montréal — Tangram, Planétarium de Montréal, Montréal (Québec)

About this sound recording

This version is a stereophonic recording of multichannel sound diffusion realized at The Banff Centre for the Arts (engineers: Antonio Oliart and Stephanie Rogers; assistant: Jennifer Lewis) in July, 1993.

Mixing