to EIEI musicians - Editions Salabert
electronic ensemble (3 keyboards, electronic guitar)
perc and electronic sounds fixed on CD (4 tracks) - duration : 18'
commissioned by Radio France for the Itineraire Ensemble
premiere : May 16th, 1983, France, Paris, Centre Georges Pompidou
Itineraire Ensemble, Alexandre MYRAT (conductor)
Programme note
Camaïeux was ordered by the Itinerary Ensemble at a time where I had a real desire to deepen my knowledge
of the second generation of electronic organs. After some time spent learning how to use these keyboards,
I decided, paradoxically for this type of instrument, to compose a work where the musical writing in itself
would have an essential role. I also considered Camaïeux (for the five instrumentists) as an « open » work,
as starting from a « fixed » written texture (the texture featured in the score) a « mobile » timbral
universe (inherent to this category of instruments and maybe not exploited to this day) could create a certain number of different versions by the infinite game of timbre variations.
Electronic sounds (4-track) recorded on CD are added to the instrumental set.
With Camaïeux, my main concern was to find, by combining writing and timbre, the exact relation that existed between the diversity of the various sonic sources, i.e. :
- analogic and digital synthetiser keyboards
- « natural » drums
- drums completely electronically transformed (ring modulator...)
- electro-acoustic « sonic objects » of « natural » origin (recorded with a microphone)
- electro-acoustic « sonic objects » of « artificial » origin (AKS synthetiser...)
- electric guitar
The general structure is in five parts – each of which proposes a type of development that refers to the title :
Camaïeux.
Indeed I tried to make sensitive this global sensation of progressive hue in each part, using each time a different process.
3A
→ Poem Camaïeux, p.39 in L'attente... L'absolu, Allain Gaussin, Editions d’écarts, Paris, 2013.
Listen
Itineraire Ensemble, Yves PRIN (conductor) - 1995, CD Salabert Allain GAUSSIN.
