CON-tribute

 

INFORMATIONS about the CON music:

by Conrad Schnitzler (as of 27.9.06)

About the solo tracks:

I not only give my collector-friends the opportunity to
order an extraordinary collection,more over to be creative
with the music.The solotracks in special make it possible to combine new music.
For example:
Four friends come together with their stereo machines and mix my solotracks completely
different from my way of mixing.In doing this they create their own Con-Cert.

Solo!

Solo voices, solo tracks, individual voice. Soloist, individualist,
egotist, voice, note, tone colour, pitch, volume, dynamics, rhythm,
variety, harmonics, freedom, monochrome, expression. Tonal, atonal,
changeable, static, mobile, cloudy, clear, dark, light, fast, complex,
transparent, fat, lean, abstract, informal, experimental, conventional,
glassy, metallic, concrete, electric, calm, agitated, flowing,
reclining, percussive, downward, upward, slow, brisk, tormenting,
colourful, garrulous, indescribable.

Solo voices - Arrangement and Application

The solo voice or solo track, also known as individual voice, tends to
be rare in our music. In the Asian world, on the other hand, it has
always been emancipated and customary.
It has been granted its autonomy here at least since the advent of
concrete music. The individual melodic line in classical music is
completely subordinate to the ensemble and acts as a support for the
overall impression, generally leaving no impression of its own.
The arrival of abstract music has given the individual voice its own
vocation as noise, tone and sound.
It can be applied, for example, to stereoscopic sound, or be used as an
acoustic event for the most diverse purposes. As an individualist it can
orient its sound energy any which way. From noise to the sweetest voice,
every possible and impossible articulation is feasible, permitted and
desirable.
By superimposing several voices in an ensemble or forming a sound
environment by mixing one can create new dimensions, worlds of sound
where the individual voice is no longer subservient to synchronization
or the conductor's baton. The result are sound combinations which adhere
to no logic. The strength of the individual voice lies in its freedom
vis-à-vis any sound.

Free Concert (mix Solos)

From solo to mix, from melodic line to ensemble. Accumulation of voices,
note clusters which are not opposed to one other but are equal and
parallel in a free play of energy. The mix of solo voices produces
concentrations of notes and noises, tangles, compressions, sound
constellations, sound catastrophes, acoustic phenomena's.
The individuality of each voice is absorbed into the chaos of the
overall sound, is held there and blurred. Musical developments emerge
from the atmosphere of the individual voices of the ensemble and its
variations. Sound sequences spill forth, revealing tight and loose webs
of notes, changes in tempo, varying expressions of volume and dynamics
and shifts in the direction of the sound pattern. A sound chaos which
appears to change automatically becomes perceptible. the indeterminate
starting order for the solo voices create an open unfinished work,
containing a wealth of episodes with sound sequences, environmental
associations, stylistic devices from other worlds and interplay's of
nature and technology.
The characteristic of the solo voice acoustic material determines the
structural components and gestures of the sound situations throughout
the sound space. The solo voice sacrifices its individualistic
expression and variety for the good of the ensemble and becomes sound
among sounds.

Concept Concert (CON-CERT-MIX)

4 CD-concert, on mixer-amplifier-loudspeakers or 4 stereo systems with
CD-player and loudspeakers.
Unlike the free concerts comprising several solo tracks, the tracks used
here, also called voices, are designed, shaped, constructed and composed
in relation to one another.
The individual tracks are created to complement each other.
The articulation of sound in an era where new technology allows for the
creation of an unlimited number of new sounds calls for new recording
techniques. These are offered by tape, CD or computer hard disks.
In the past I used conventional cassettes to create my concerts, but now
the sounds are recorded on CD and can be used in the concerts thanks to
their enhanced quality.
The individual tracks have fixed starting points which can be adjusted
by a number of seconds and thus produce different results. The volume of
the individual tracks can be adapted to the acoustics of the location
and the listening experience will vary for each location as a
consequence.

Electric/Melody/Rhythmic/Percussion:/ Dramatic electronic music:

Autonomous constructions, compositions and reflections.

Constructions are to be seen in contrast to solo tracks and free and
concept concerts. Once recorded on tape or CD they cannot be altered. If
they are multi-track recordings on tape or computer-disk some slight
modifications may be made. In most cases these definitive compositions,
which I call my pieces, are recorded in one operation, like an
improvisation. This work method means there can be no interruption of
any kind. If the computer crashes or there is a power-cut, the piece
being worked on is destroyed and can rarely be reproduced. This
sketch-like approach means that in any recording impurities remain in
the construction/composition and can never be eliminated.
This method of working with electric's and electronics contrasts sharply
with conventional music and its use of resonance instruments. Electric's
and acoustics converge in the loudspeaker. Both are subject to their own
laws and have their own strengths but are nevertheless still often
compared with one another. Very often to the detriment of both.
Electronics have become the tools of our times and cannot be dissociated
from today's world of music and sound. The contemporary composer can
perform his work himself and is no longer dependent on costly performers
with their space requirements and whims.
The end result of acoustic and electric music remains the same:
acoustics, vibrations and sound.

PIANO CONSTRUCTIONS-COMPOSITIONS

My work with the piano was initially a product of my work with
electronic instruments with a keyboard . I very consciously labelled
my first electric and electroacoustic works NON KEYBORDelectronics
With the advent of synths and sequencers and their keyboards with
the twelve-note division I was obliged to come to terms with this
format. Some instruments offered the standard piano in their very
diverse range of sounds . After a long period using the electronic
piano sound simply as a frequency in the continuum of the overall
sound pattern I created my first piano solo pieces.
This shift to 88 keys became a permanent feature. At first I just
used the piano as one of the sound options on 64-key keyboard.
I then moved on to an electric piano with 88 keys. The fingering
dynamics were a new experience for me and the playing sensation
was entirely different. Although this was still electric the charac-
teristics of the piano were a constant source of inspiration.
The next step which brought me closer to the desired sound was
the disk piano. The method I use to compose / construct the long
series of solo piano pieces is always different. Sometimes the
pieces are played and recorded live. They are then edited ,trans-
posed  and their tempo could be modified.At other times the notes
and note sequences are first elaborated in the computer, before
being shaken up  and reoriented. Here again ,as with electro-music,
the composer is his own performer.It is very easy to simultaneous-
ly produce certain notes which would be impossible for a single
pianist to play. Quite aside from the fact that these unconventional
sounds will make almost every classical pianist throw up their hands in horror.
Every new composition is the door to a new land.
Once you begin playing with and on 88 keys you go on and on and on
and on and on and on .

 

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