Richard Barrett CONSTRUCTION

[Simon]

did any one listen to this ......

I haven't yet done so.

i could not manage more than five minutes of the sounds presented ... mea culpa

But why say "mea culpa"? It may of course be your fault, or it may not. If the composer can't write music that true music-lovers like, it's hardly the fault of the listener.

If it was a lovely piece, full of entrancing melodies and rich, moving harmonies, than indeed it was culpa tua. But if it was rubbish, then it wasn't.

If I glooped together an unmusical set of pointless discords and you didn't like it, I wouldn't expect you to take the blame. I'd expect you to tell me that I had glooped together an unmusical set of pointless discords.

Of course, I could put a spin on it, and tell you that you "didn't understand" it - and if enough snobs, chatterers and fellow-travellers with no musical perception jumped on the bandwagon, you might even begin to doubt your own ears and brain, and to wonder if my "composition" did indeed have some kind of worth.

But it wouldn't alter the fact that it was in reality an unmusical set of pointless discords.

I'm looking forward to listening to the piece, then of course I can decide for myself. I do hope it's astoundingly beautiful. But given your comments, I feel that I may be disappointed.

[Serial_Apologist]

I haven't yet done so.



But why say "mea culpa"? It may of course be your fault, or it may not. If the composer can't write music that true music-lovers like, it's hardly the fault of the listener.

If it was a lovely piece, full of entrancing melodies and rich, moving harmonies, than indeed it was culpa tua. But if it was rubbish, then it wasn't.

If I glooped together an unmusical set of pointless discords and you didn't like it, I wouldn't expect you to take the blame. I'd expect you to tell me that I had glooped together an unmusical set of pointless discords.

Of course, I could put a spin on it, and tell you that you "didn't understand" it - and if enough snobs, chatterers and fellow-travellers with no musical perception jumped on the bandwagon, you might even begin to doubt your own ears and brain, and to wonder if my "composition" did indeed have some kind of worth.

But it wouldn't alter the fact that it was in reality an unmusical set of pointless discords.

I'm looking forward to listening to the piece, then of course I can decide for myself. I do hope it's astoundingly beautiful. But given your comments, I feel that I may be disappointed.

In fact you may already be feeling that this was a rather pointless message, given that you have not even heard the work in question, Simon

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

my mea culpa was intended to reflect the lateness of the hour, the tiredness of the flesh and the length of the piece ... and since i had clearly not listened to it did and do not feel able to comment upon it and therefore did not wish my retirement from the scene to be read as a comment on the piece .... a fate that often befalls jazbos with r3

[Simon]

In fact you may already be feeling that this was a rather pointless message, given that you have not even heard the work in question, Simon

I was simply expounding the principle, SA, based on Calum's comment. As you have recognised, I did make it clear that I was looking forward to hearing the piece so that I could judge for myself.

I'm a little more enthusiastic now, as I've noticed the comment that it is "a feast for the ear and the heart and the mind." Move over, Mendelssohn, then...

[Quarky]

Move over, Mendelssohn, then...

You never know Simon - you might have a Damascus moment.....

[Bryn]

Here are the 'fingerprints' of the FM, DAB and HD Sound versions of CONSTRUCTION showing pretty clearly the relative dynamic ranges (and thus the degree of dynamic compression applied) for each method of transmission. Each has had the overall level adjusted to give the same peak level of -0.2dB):







The dynamic ranges from the quiet point at 67 minutes into the performance itself to the peak values are 45.4dB, 60.0dB and 60.9dB respectively.

[hackneyvi]

Here are the 'fingerprints' of the FM, DAB and HD Sound versions of CONSTRUCTION showing pretty clearly the relative dynamic ranges (and thus the degree of dynamic compression applied) for each method of transmission. Each has had the overall level adjusted to give the same peak level of -0.2dB):

...

The dynamic ranges from the quiet point at 67 minutes into the performance itself to the peak values are 45.4dB, 60.0dB and 60.9dB respectively.

May I ask what the practical significance of this is, Bryn? I can see that there are 2 graphs for each medium and that there is a considerable difference in the shape of the uppermost two from the lower four and a smaller difference between the lower pairs. However, I don't understand why there are 6 rather than only 3 graphs and I wonder what the experienced difference between media is likely to be? Is it, essentially, a loss of detail across the spectrum/a of sound/s or something 'more'?

[Bryn]

Each shows 2 channels, left and right. The graphs simply offer a visual demonstration of the effects of dynamic compression used for FM. The differences between the DAB and HD Sound graphs are less obvious, but do give some indication of the greater differentiation of dynamics offered by the iPlayer's HD Sound option.

[handsomefortune]

Thinking outside the cage?

'yes' speechbubble

calum da jazbo's

it is ok here ... many jazzbos liked it ... and Mr Barrett is active on the free improv scene with Evan Parker even though it is a H&N show


quite, besides you're hosting similar threads on r3ok, or did, last time i looked (after the 'feedback' confusion, roger (mis)?quoting the names of (this) forum/s, a few months back)

fancy seing wave files on the r3 forum! shame there's no play button, so as to see and hear the difference.

[John Skelton]

Review of CONSTRUCTION which is, I think, most helpful:

http://johnsonsrambler.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/divers-instruments-of-music-likewise-to-you-unknown/

[ahinton]

I was simply expounding the principle, SA, based on Calum's comment. As you have recognised, I did make it clear that I was looking forward to hearing the piece so that I could judge for myself.

I'm a little more enthusiastic now, as I've noticed the comment that it is "a feast for the ear and the heart and the mind." Move over, Mendelssohn, then...

Why Mendelssohn? - unless, by some chance, you are merely attempting to make some kind of feeble Simonesque quip (which perish the thought!). The facts remain that (a) you've admitted to noy yet having listened to any of CONSTRUCTION and (b) the particular parameters that you have cited above for the work to meet with your approval are yours alone, to the extent that what constitutes them is determined by your own personal interpretation - one which, it seems, would be less than prepared to take account of the fact that if, for example, your ideals were represented by Byrd-like polyphony and vocal felicities, you would be dismayed by Berlioz.

In any case, the ways in which I fear that you might come away from the experience of listening to all or part of CONSTRUCTION will be all to heavily influenced by pre-set viewpoints that are insufficiently amenable to recognition of the fact that the work has not been written in or for an age in which anything remotely resembling the kind of lingua franca of past centuries pertains. In Haydn's day, the linguistic differences between composers were obviously vastly less than they had become even in the days when Elgar was writing his mature works, to say nothing of the situation today; it must therefore be obvious that all conscientious listeners, whatever their tastes might be or become, have no option but to accept that nowadays there is a greater diversity than ever before in the ways in which composers approach and achieve what they do.

Anyway, lest what I'm writing here turns out to be rubbish, I'll decline to comment further until you've been able to tell us what you think of what you've heard once you've gotten your ears around some or all of Mr Barrett's piece.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

well us jazbos were quite happy to have this on the jazz forum but then we are very used to being ignored

[3rd Viennese School]

I can’t believe I actually managed to hear R the B! I cycled to a local pub at 2230 listening to the show with earphones and stayed in the pub until 0100! So I heard the whole work.
Pub was quietish and cosy so no distractions. I drank Belgium beer.

The work came out really well on the radio! I was impressed.
Jotted down some technical notes.

CONSTRUCTION

The work opens with girly aliens singing. Liked this bit! Especially as I was cycling in the dark at the time.

I heard lots of spiritual woodwind type stuff throughout.

At 2313 there was Christmassy brass.

At 2320 kids enter. Now electronics. And a gueezer talking.

Later on: switching! Electronic stuff.

At 0013. Higher and Higher.With bubbles.

A highly contrasted enjoyable work. Well done to R the B and all involved.

Wish I could hear it again but don’t have I player/download facility (still on the works internet!)

3VS

[3rd Viennese School]

"I'm a little more enthusiastic now, as I've noticed the comment that it is "a feast for the ear and the heart and the mind." Move over, Mendelssohn, then... "


Simon. You can enjoy Mendelssohn AND modern works you know!

3VS

[MrGongGong]

He doesn't like music anyway 3VS
just uses it to self medicate
though I hear he is keen on a bit of Skrewdriver after a few pints