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"HiGH ▀ iNTELLiGeNCE tRoLLS"
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a r t i s t : Matthew Burtner
t i t l e : Metasaxophone Colossus
d a t e : 2004
l a b e l : Innova (Innova 621)
g e n r e : Avantgarde
r l s. d a t e : December/2004
t r a c k s : 07
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 76,9 MB
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When sax and computer collide
It's Metasaxophone Colossus
By Ruth Hart
Read the critics' reviews of Matthew Burtner's latest CD
release and you may be struck by the superlatives and
expressions of admiration used to describe his work:
"virtuosic," "austere beauty," "a unique and powerful
imagination," "fascinating and brilliantly composed." Listen to
the CD and you might add a few of your own: mesmerizing,
enchanting, and perhaps most importantly, completely original
-- because the sound you hear is from no ordinary instrument.
"Metasaxophone Colossus" is BurtnerÆs first attempt to
introduce to the contemporary music scene an instrument of his
own creation, the metasaxophone.The title, a tribute to Sonny
RollinsÆ 1956 recording, "Saxaphone Colossus," reflects
BurtnerÆs appreciation of RollinsÆs groundbreaking sound as one
of AmericaÆs best-known jazz saxophonists. But thatÆs where the
comparisons end.
"The title itself says this is another step in saxophone
music," said Burtner, an assistant professor in the McIntire
Department of Music. The metasax (meta means beyond) is a tenor
sax that has been married to a computer to create sounds not
possible on a purely acoustical instrument.
For those who actually understand the PCs sitting on their
desks, Burtner explains it this way: "The metasax outputs its
data into a MIDI interface. That goes into the computer, you
program the system to accept data from the metasax, and thatÆs
where a lot of the composition comes into play. The sax has a
computer on it, but its only job is to convert the performerÆs
data into the MIDI control messages. ItÆs not designed to make
any sounds on its own."
If all this seems a little mind-bending, then just listen to
the CD. BurtnerÆs composition, "S-Morph-S," described as a
"singing bowl soprano saxophone hybrid computer instrument,"
was inspired by a Tibetan prayer bowl. ItÆs a deeply
meditative, ethereal piece; you might not understand how itÆs
produced, but youÆll appreciate how it moves you.
BurtnerÆs reasons for bringing about this union between a
saxophone and a computer make sense considering the history of
saxophone. "Adolph Sax, who invented the instrument in 1842,
conceived of it as a synthesis of the other orchestral
instruments," Burtner said. "He wanted an instrument that had
the dexterity of the strings, the colors and changibility of
the woodwinds, and the loudness and power of the brass. The
sax, by its very nature, lends itself to this kind of
adaptation."
Burtner's innovative and creative approach to composition was
encouraged throughout his education, which included studies in
philosophy at St. JohnÆs College, a BFA from Tulane University,
a masterÆs in music from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins
and a doctorate from Stanford. At Stanford, he worked in the
Center for Computer Research and Music Acoustics.
He had mentors all along the way to help him. "I was lucky," he
said. "That experience affected me as a teacher more than
anything else. I want to be certain that IÆm that sort of
teacher, a mentor whoÆs helping students have a good experience
so that they leave here loving what theyÆre doing." In his
three years with the department, and while serving as the
associate director of the Virginia Center for Computer Music
founded by Judith Shatin in 1987, the number of students
wanting to take computer music classes or his interactive media
course has increased dramatically. "I put up a flyer for the
collaborative media course, thinking five or six undergrads
might be interested, and 30 showed up," he said.
Given the interest in digital music at U.Va., it should come as
no surprise that Shatin also has a new album. "Dreamtigers"
features her compositions performed by the Da Capo Chamber
Players with guest soprano Lucy Shelton and guitarist William
Zito. Both BurtnerÆs and ShatinÆs CDs have been released on the
Innova label (www.innova.mu) "The coincidence of these albums
coming out of the forward-looking Innova label at the same time
is unprecedented," Burtner said. "U.Va. is becoming a center
for American experimental classical music." - Ruth Hart
(http://oscar.virginia.edu/x2770.xml)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Matthew Burtner's music has been described as "shimmering,
pulsating and thunderous" by the Norwegian Fremover, and The
Wire has called it "some of the most eerily effective
electroacoustic music I've heard." His work regularly combines
instrumental ensembles, computer technology, interactive
acoustics and multimedia.
First prize winner in the Musica Nova International
Electroacoustic Music Competition, BurtnerÆs music has also
received honors and awards from Meet the Composer, ASCAP, the
American Music Center, the Luigi Russolo International Computer
Music Competition, the Gaudeamus International Young Composers
Competition, the Hultgren International Cello Biennial,
Darmstadt, Prix dÆEte, SCI, and others. His music has been
commissioned for performers such as the Spectri Sonori
Ensemble, Noise Ensemble, MiN Ensemble, Phyllis Bryn Julson and
Mark Markham, the Peabody Trio, Ascolto, Ensemble Noise, Haleh
Abghari and others. His commercial recordings include
"Incantations" (DACO 102, Germany), "Portals of Distortion,"
(Innova 526, USA), "Arctic Contrasts," (Euridice 012-2000,
Norway), and "Metasaxophone Colossus" (Innova 621, USA).
Burtner is currently Assistant Professor of composition and
computer music at the University of Virginia where he is
Associate Director of the VCCM Computer Music Center. A native
of Alaska, he studied philosophy, composition, saxophone and
computer music at St. Johns College, Tulane University (BFA
Summa Cum Laude 1993), Iannis Xenakis's UPIC Studios (1993-94),
the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University (MM
1997), and Stanford University's CCRMA (DMA 2002). He has been
composer-in-residence at the Banff Centre for the Arts, Simon
Fraser University in Vancouver, and the IUA/Phonos Institute in
Barcelona. His original computer music research is presented
regularly at international conferences, and has been published
by journals such as Organized Sound, the Journal of New Music
Research and the Leonardo Music Journal.
Burtner has also developed the Metasaxophone, a project
involving imbedded systems programming and saxophone
performance (www.metasax.com). In 2004, the release of
"Metasaxophone Colossus" on the Innova label marks the first
major musical release of this technology. Amsterdam's 'Vital
Weekly' praised the CD's "bowl-like textures, walls of feedback
and creepy dark textures," and Ruth Hart of A&SOnline called it
"mesmerizing, enchanting, and perhaps most importantly,
completely original."
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01-S-Morphe-S [08:51]
02-Delta2 [06:49]
03-S-Trance-S [12:15]
04-St. Thomas Phase [03:54]
05-Noisegate [10:40]
06-Delta1 [03:32]
07-Endprint [09:36]
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55:37 min
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