audio excerpt: MP3 format
recorded live 29 April 1999, Campbell Recital Hall, Stanford University
Christopher Jones, pianist

Escuela is the second in a series of piano pieces whose titles refer to places where I've lived - in this case, my first home in California, on Escuela Avenue. The title also reflects the piece's status as one of the first products of my work as a graduate student.

In Escuela, a computer is employed to modify the sound of the piano during the performance. The performer controls this process from the piano keyboard, changing the electronic transformations over the course of the piece. The computer applies ring modulation, a classic 1960s technique, to the piano sound, multiplying the number of pitches above and beyond what the pianist plays. These additional, phantom pitches are chosen to reflect the symmetrical pitch structures used in composing the pianist's material. The result is a kind of mirroring - the electronics describe and translate the piano's music in the way that they alter its sound.

Thanks to Juan Pampin, for assistance with the software, and to Christopher Jones, for reading and commenting on early drafts of the piece.

Performances:
2003.04.13: Music from the Edge Festival, Stanford, CA
Jennifer Hymer, piano
 
2000.03.28: John Donald Robb Composers Symposium, Albuquerque, NM
1999.05.19: CCRMA Affiliates Meeting, Stanford, CA
1999.05.14-15: CNMAT, Berkeley, CA
1999.04.29: Stanford University, Stanford, CA
1999.02.22: Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Christopher Jones, piano

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