Stoffwechsel-Graphik

1971/1973  (24′56″)
Electronic octophonic music for the music theatre piece ‘Stoffwechsel’
Post Serial Music/Tape Music

With the movements:
1. sem (musical working title ‘Schwebungen’) (beats) (3’21”)
2. mes (musical working title ‘Spannungen’) (tensions) (4’10”)
3. give – learn – take (musical working title ‘Konversation’) (conversation) (8’35”)
4. giving birth (musical working title ‘Kontrakturen’) (contractures) (4’52”)
5. ideal (musical working title ‘Segmente’) (segments) (8’01”)
6. dying (musical working title ‘Differenzen’) (differences)

The titles mentioned above refer to the play “Stoffwechsel” and the accompanying music called “Graphik.” Unfortunately, In 1973, the theater play “Stoffwechsel” was to be premiered at the Experimental Theatre in Erlangen.  Due to casting reasons, we did not have a mime that could also speak, and production and financial reasons “Stoffwechsel” was never realized. What remained were the stage directions (only available in German). “Graphik,” on the other hand, was performed on various occasions.

Through the “graphmus system” the letters of the alphabet are connected to the alphabet of notes. In this way, the terms from the theatre piece that seem important to the composer can be translated into chords. Tone painting was included. Tone painting, acting or singing skills and the attempt to create theatrical sounds from objects are not enough to meet the challenge of making music theatre. Rather, all theatrical and musical possibilities must be combined in a balanced relationship. The composition “Graphik” is based on electronic elements in connection with organic sounds e.g. glasses. The music is firmly notated and does not allow improvisation. The composition was realized in the radio play studio (theater science) Erlangen in Germany.

Graphmus System

The electronic piece Schwebungen (Beats) uses a compositional method formulated by Herbert Eimert in the early 1950s. Only one sine wave generator, one noise generator and two tape recorders are used. The timing is created using tape editing techniques. Beats are created by the superimposition of two tones that are very close in pitch. The difference in pitch between these two frequencies is very small. Therefore, instead of hearing two different pitches, one hears a single tone with a fluctuation in volume. This is called a beat. With a difference frequency of, for example, 1 Hz = metronome number 60, one hears a beat of 1 second.

Schwebungen is structured as follows:
a. Presentation of the material
b. Development
c. Final idea with wind

The Circle 1
1973/1992 (18’20”)
The Circle 2
1973/1994 (12’00”)
Electronic Music; tape music

The “Graphmus System” served as the starting point for these compositions.
In this case the word “ideal” was connected to the graphic form, the circle. The circle is the very form which can only be calculated proportionally, but can never be drawn precisely, and is thus an ideal. In 1992 and 1994 “The circle” was revised, there are two different pieces with different durations, and during the Sunwheel projects Sunwheel Lelystad and Sunwheel Masada newly performed.

© Copyright - Michael Fahres