Exposition

Composition as Commentary: Voice and Poetry in Electroacoustic Music (2020)

Edmund Hunt

About this exposition

What is the role of a spoken or sung text in an electroacoustic composition? Does it represent anachronism, assigning the role of communication to the voice and thereby depriving more abstract electroacoustic material of its rhetorical force? Does the disembodied, electroacoustic voice distance the audience from the communicative power of the words that are heard? Although Simon Emmerson argued that the disembodied human voice in acousmatic music can often seem frustrating, this sense of disembodiment might be turned to the composer’s advantage, as the basis of a methodology for creative practice. In the process of developing a methodology to address questions of text, language, voice, and electroacoustic technology, I created two musical compositions. Both works used the untranslated words of an enigmatic Old English poem, ‘Wulf and Eadwacer’. At first glance, the idea of using a text in an obscure or ancient language that carries little or no semantic meaning for the listeners might raise further questions. Is this a deliberate attempt at obfuscation, hiding the paucity of the composer’s ideas behind a veneer of archaism or even naive exoticism? As my investigation progressed, I began to envisage the process of electroacoustic composition as a type of non-linguistic commentary on a text. Rather than hindering the listener’s understanding of a composition inspired by literature, the electroacoustic voice might help to reveal different interpretations of a text, allowing multiple ideas and identities to be heard.
typeresearch exposition
keywordscomposition, contemporary music, electroacoustic music, voice, voice and electronics, composition process, composition as research, Old English, literature, vocality
date16/07/2020
published16/07/2020
last modified16/03/2023
statuspublished
share statusprivate
affiliationRoyal Birmingham Conservatoire, Birmingham City University
copyrightEdmund Hunt 2020
licenseCC BY-NC-ND
languageEnglish
urlhttps://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/643189/643190
doihttps://doi.org/10.22501/jar.643189
published inJournal for Artistic Research, Birmingham City University: Faculty of Arts, Design and Media
portal issue20. 20


Simple Media

id name copyright license
643334 Wulf and Eadwacer text video Edmund Hunt All rights reserved
643344 Wulf and Eadwacer text video Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
643349 Wulf and Eadwacer text video Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
643355 We Are Apart; Our Song Together for RC 2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
643360 We Are Apart; Our Song Together for RC 2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
643385 half lines JPEG Edmund Hunt All rights reserved
643387 Half-lines JPEG Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
643433 Anglo Saxon Stones 1 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
643442 Anglo Saxon Stones 2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
644040 Wulf motif example 1 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
644042 Wulf motif .001 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
644049 chain motif example 2.001 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
644158 Page 1 of wulf motif score.001 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
644349 Intervallic material 1.001 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
644353 Intervallic material 2.001 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
644386 Intervallic material 3.001 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
644389 Intervallic material 1.001 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
644391 Intervallic material 2.001 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
644393 Intervallic material 3.001 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
644423 intervallic material 1 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
644425 Intervallic material 1.001 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
644427 Intervallic material 3.001 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
644430 Intervallic material 1.001 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
644432 Motivic material 1.2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
644435 Motivic material 2.2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
644437 Motivic material 3.2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
644932 stage set-up Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
644936 Vocal Samples on Logic Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
644939 FormUls3 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
644941 Joe Wright Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
644951 Vocal Samples on Logic Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
644960 FormUls3 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
644962 Joe Wright Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645466 Stress patterns Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645470 Metre of Wulf and Eadwacer Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645472 Metre of Wulf and Eadwacer Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645474 Metre of Wulf and Eadwacer Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645509 Metre of Wulf and Eadwacer Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645511 Metre of Wulf and Eadwacer Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645513 Metre of Wulf and Eadwacer Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645569 Alliteration in Wulf and Eadwacer Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645635 Alliteration as a repeated rhythm Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645639 Alliteration with a repeated pitch Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645646 Alliteration wirh a repeated interval Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645656 Example of caesura Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645660 Two half-lines elided Edmund Hun 2019 All rights reserved
645664 Two stressed syllables shown by longer note values Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645668 Stressed syllable shown with shorter note value Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645670 Alliteration shown by emphasis Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645672 Alliteration with following syllable Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645707 Alliteration in Wulf and Eadwacer Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645710 Stress patterns Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645712 Metre of Wulf and Eadwacer Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645716 Melodic contours Edmund Hut 2019 All rights reserved
645761 Alliterating unstressed syllables Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645764 Increasing tension Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645768 Increasing tension Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645822 bars 59–88 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645827 Alliteration shown by emphasis Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645837 We Are Apart; Our Song Together - vocal line only Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645839 We Are Apart; Our Song Together - vocal line only p1 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
645841 We Are Apart; Our Song Together - vocal line only Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
646918 Pages 3–5 of powerpoint Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
646923 First 6 bars of We Are Apart 1 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
646924 First 6 bars of We Are Apart 1 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647004 First 6 bars of We Are Apart 1 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647095 We Are Apart; Our Song Together Bars 13 to 28 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647124 We Are Apart; Our Song Together Bars 13 to 28 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647240 We Are Apart Our Song Together Bars 8 to 9 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647246 We Are Apart Our Song Together Bars 8 to 9 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647249 We Are Apart Our Song Together Bars 8 to 9 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647255 We Are Apart Our Song Together Bar 4 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647277 We Are Apart Our Song Together bars 15 to 18 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647405 Ungelic is Us for Research Catalogue Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647420 Motivic material at 30 seconds Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647423 motif at 1'01 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647426 motivic material at 1'59 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647430 motivic material at 8'06 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647433 example of sounds of indefinite pitch Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647436 motif at 8'06 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647441 Vocal monosyllable Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647442 indefinite pitch sounds Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647444 NGE.REVERB_2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647447 example of consonant sound Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647449 example of consonant sound 2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647452 indefinite pitch sounds 2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647454 example of sounds of indefinite pitch Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647457 samples of speech or song Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647460 example of consonant sound 2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647462 murnendemod-lowdelays1_1 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647464 murnendemod-lowdelays1_2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647467 granular samples of speech or song Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647469 rapid material of indefinite pitch Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647471 samples of speech or song 2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647473 UNGELIC.REVERB.2_2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647475 indefinite pitch example 3 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647477 examples of speech or song 3 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647482 granular examples of speech or song 2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647485 upper partials Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647487 Arrows Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647489 Material within a rectangular box Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647491 5 second box Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647493 irregular oscillation of pitch Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647495 chords formed from upper partials Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647498 boxed text Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647500 rapid material of indefinite pitch 2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647503 rapid very high material 2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647506 high partials 2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647509 static high partial 2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647512 emergence of high partials 2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647514 high partials 3 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647519 Shepard tone idea 2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647522 Boxed material 2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647526 oscillation 2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647529 oscillation 4 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647584 Ungelic is Us PDF Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647588 Ungelic is Us PDF Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647669 chord motif 2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647672 vertical arrow on page 3 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647674 spoken text example 2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647679 Transformation into a dyad 2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647681 indefinite pitch 4 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647683 samples of speech or song 4 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647685 emergence of upper partials 4 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647687 high partials 4 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647718 granular example of speech or song 4 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647721 rapid material of indefinite pitch 4 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647725 static high partials 4 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647727 Shepard tone idea 4 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647729 Boxed material 4 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647731 oscillation 5 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647733 chord motif 5 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647735 spoken text example 4 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647737 Transformation into a dyad 4 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
647740 structural diagram of ungelic is us 1 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
648196 ungelic is us structural plan 2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
648206 Section 1 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
648215 Section 1 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
648264 ungelic is us - section 2 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
648295 Ungelic is Us - section 3 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
648368 ungelic is us section 4 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
648464 ungelic is us section 4 revised Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
648468 ungelic is us - section 5 revised Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
648473 Section 1 revised Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
648491 ungelic is us - section 2 revised Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
648493 Ungelic is Us - section 3 revised Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
648506 Section 1 revised Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
648507 ungelic is us - section 2 revised Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
648526 ungelic is us section 6 revised Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
648756 8 min 26 revised Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
648761 examples of speech revised Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
648770 8 mins 30 to 9 mins 10 revised Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
648829 comparative example 1 revised Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
648839 comparative example 2 revised Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
648846 comparative example 3 revised Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
650316 analysis of metre revised Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
650319 analysis of metre revised Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
650323 Analysis of alliteration revised Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
650335 Analysis of alliteration revised Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
650338 analysis of metre revised Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
657553 We Are Apart; Our Song Together - vocal line only p1 Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
657572 Pages 3–5 of powerpoint Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
657578 page 3 of powerpoint Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
657580 page 4 of powerpoint Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
657583 page 5 of powerpoint Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
657586 page 5 of powerpoint Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
657588 Page 5 of powerpoint Edmund Hunt 2019 All rights reserved
823017 Ungelic is Us PDF Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
823032 Ungelic is Us preface Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
823042 Ungelic is Us preface Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
823047 Ungelic is Us scoreonly Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
823062 Ungelic is Us scoreonly1 Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
823189 Ungelic is Us scoreonly1 Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
823742 We Are Apart Our Song Together Revised 2020 Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
823982 We Are Apart Our Song Together Revised 22020 Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
824960 We Are Apart full score for JAR Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
828302 Analysis of alliteration revised Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
842007 analysis of metre revised Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
842736 Preliminary analysis of the metre of wulf and eadwacer 2 Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
842740 Preliminary analysis of the metre of wulf and eadwacer 2 Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
842778 Preliminary analysis of alliteration in wulf and eadwacer 2 Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
842779 Preliminary analysis of alliteration in wulf and eadwacer 2 Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
842780 Preliminary analysis of the metre of wulf and eadwacer 2 Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
844193 Preliminary analysis of the metre of wulf and eadwacer 2 Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
849343 Preliminary analysis of the metre of wulf and eadwacer 3 Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
849346 Preliminary analysis of the metre of wulf and eadwacer 4 Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
849352 Preliminary analysis of the metre of wulf and eadwacer 5 Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
849353 Preliminary analysis of the metre of wulf and eadwacer 5 Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
849355 Preliminary analysis of alliteration in wulf and eadwacer 5 Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
849356 Preliminary analysis of the metre of wulf and eadwacer 5 Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
849361 Preliminary analysis of alliteration in wulf and eadwacer 5 Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
883003 Preliminary analysis of the metre of wulf and eadwacer 6 Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
883005 Preliminary analysis of alliteration in wulf and eadwacer 6 Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
883355 Half-lines 2 JPEG Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
883360 Preliminary analysis of the metre of wulf and eadwacer 6 Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
883436 Bars 59 to 93 Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
922834 Ungelic is Us scoreonly Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
922845 Ungelic Is Us Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
922876 quarter sharp Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
922879 quarter flat Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
922987 slightly flat natural Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
922989 slightly flat flat Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
922991 slightly flat sharp Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
922993 slightly sharp natural Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
922995 slightly sharp sharp Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
922997 slightly sharp flat Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
922999 vocal monosyllable revised Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
923001 vocal monosyllable revised Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
923003 sounds of indefinite pitch Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
923005 samples of speech or song revised Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
923007 granular samples of speech or song revised Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
923010 rapid material of indefinite pitch large Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
923012 rapid material of indefinite pitch small Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
923143 upper partials 1 Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
923151 upper partials 2 Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
923159 upper partials emerging from A440 Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
923164 material within rectangular box repeated many times Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
923167 boxed material lasts for 5 seconds Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
923209 wavy continuation line Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
923211 chords formed from combinations of upper partials Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
923213 boxed text is spoken for the duration of the continuation line Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
923215 vertical arrow on page 3 Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
923218 vertical arrow on p3 version 2 Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
924695 Preliminary analysis of alliteration revised Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
924697 Footnote for alliteration Edmund Hunt 2020 All rights reserved
936219 apart-small Hunt All rights reserved
936225 apart2 Hunt All rights reserved
938788 We Are Apart High Res June 2020 Edmund Hunt All rights reserved
938807 Ungelic is Us medium quality June 2020 Edmund Hunt All rights reserved
944538 We Are Apart revised June bar 4_B Edmund Hunt All rights reserved
944550 We Are Apart revised June around bar 8_B Edmund Hunt All rights reserved
944555 bars 15 to 18_B Edmund Hunt All rights reserved
944589 D4 bars 13 to 28_B Edmund Hunt All rights reserved
944596 Bars88 Edmund Hunt All rights reserved
944676 remeniscent of natural phenomena such as water and wind_B Edmund Hunt All rights reserved
944725 1'01"_B Edmund Hunt All rights reserved
944727 1'59"_B Edmund Hunt All rights reserved
944729 8'06"_B Edmund Hunt All rights reserved
944731 30"_B Edmund Hunt All rights reserved
944963 section 4 corrected revised Edmund Hunt All rights reserved
944992 section 3 revised_B Edmund Hunt All rights reserved
944995 Section 2.revised Edmund Hunt All rights reserved
944999 section 1 revised_B Edmund Hunt All rights reserved
945116 (from around 10'56") revised Edmund Hunt All rights reserved
945118 (from 8'30") revised Edmund Hunt All rights reserved
945120 (at 8'26") revised Edmund Hunt All rights reserved
945128 section 5 revised Edmund Hunt All rights reserved
945131 section 6 revised Edmund Hunt All rights reserved
945391 some of the sounds remeniscent of water or wind revised Edmund Hunt All rights reserved
945393 Some vocal phrases revised Edmund Hunt All rights reserved
945397 Narrower alliteration footnote Edmund Hunt All rights reserved

Comments are only available for registered users.