Czech Electroacoustic Music
1 Vlastislav Matoušek 5 minut před 05:01
2 Alois Piňos Advent 08:40
3 Eduard Spáčil Hudba pro Plzeň 07:51
4 Emil Viklický Ignác v koridoru 08:25
5 Karel Odstrčil Agatha Christie 07:58
6 Rudolf Růžička Saxophantasy 07:05
7 Milan Slavický Adventus 11:03
8 Radek Rejšek Stomatologická minirapsodie 06:08
KO 0004 TOTAL TIME 63:08
© SOLITAIRE - K.O. Agency Prague 1996. Made in Czech Republic
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Czech Electroacoustic Music
To fully appreciate Czech—or Czechoslovakian—electroacoustic music within the broader context of the entire electroacoustic music history, one must first and foremost understand the political context surrounding this medium. Electroacoustic music in the former Czechoslovakia was not only the latest and newest compositional art form, as it was all over the world, but also represented the most defiant means of artistic expression. During the so-called "Normalization" period after the invasion by the Warsaw Pact armies in 1968, all modern art forms were extremely suppressed. For Czech electroacoustic music, this meant the closing, or realignment, of several studios.
Among the first experiments of, and encounters with electroacoustic music in Czechoslovakia, were Prof. Miloslav Kabeláč's visits to Pierre Schaeffer's studio during the late 1950s. Kabeláč's—and indeed many young composers'— interest was so great in electroacoustic music, that he organized seminars on this genre at the Czech Radio in Plzeň in 1964. In the fall of 1964, the Brno's Electronic Studio was established, and in 1967 by the initiative of Karel Odstrčil, the Studio for Electroacoustic Music in Plzeň. These studios—as were and are all studios—were facilitated in either Czech Radio stations or some other institutions. After 1968 all studios, except the one in Plzeň, were closed. In all studios during all decades, the production of electroacoustic music had to be cleverly disguised, if not altogether "masked" as another medium such as film or chamber music. Yet despite these obstacles, Czech electroacoustic music has not only managed to survive—and one may even say prosper—but to make significant contributions. For example, already during the middle of the 1960s, Rudolf Růžička was, to the amazement of several leading world figures in computer music, composing computer music. Dr. Lébl and Dr. Herzog developed, perhaps, some of the first methods of analysis of electroacoustic music, which were praised by Schaeffer during his visit to Prague in the late 1960s. No until towards the end of the 1980s and after the revolution of 1989—the overthrow of communism—was electroacoustic music composed without any political dogmas attached to it, and the new Audiostudio in Prague established. This CD comprises the newest Czech electroacoustic compositions, which—except for Eduard Spáčil's Hudba pro Plzeň and Karel Odstrčil's Agatha Christie composed in the Plzeň studio— were composed in the Audiostudio of the Czech Radio in Prague.
The Czech Republic's Společnost pro elektroakustickou hudbu – SEAH (Society for Electroacoustic Music) was established in 1990, and is directed by Karel Odstrčil and Rudolf Růžička. As part of its activities, SEAH produces CDs, publishes literature, organizes symposiums, concerts, and interviews with composers broadcast on the radio—all to promote the dissemination of electroacoustic music in the Czech Republic. Its annual highlight is the international electroacoustic competition, MUSICA NOVA, now in its fifth year. SEAH is also a member of ICEM and in close cooperation with the ICMA.
To read more about Czech electroacoustic music and its history, here are two sources.
Zajíček, Libor. "History of Electroacoustic Music in the Czech and Slovak Republics, The." Leonardo Music Journal vol. 5 (1995): 39–48.
——. Oral History of Electro-Acoustic Music of the Czech and Slovak Republics, An. Master's thesis, San Jose State University, 1995.
1 Vlastislav Matoušek: 5 minut před (5 Minutes Before) (1992)
The main idea behind Vlastislav Matoušek's 5 minut před is according to the composer's own words "something extraordinary, great, significant, and essential that could add meaning to our restricted existence. And usually, nothing happens at all. Isn't indeed this 'nothing' the most important that we should not have missed?" The symbol of this unfulfilled expectation are two rhythmic, horizontal layers which sound during the entire composition almost unnoticed.2 Alois Piňos: Advent (1991)
Alois Piňos (b. 1925) states that Advent wants to evoke the feeling of advent as a thought of the awaiting of the good and beautiful which enriches our life, as is symbolized by the time before and during Christmas, a reminder of the Savior of all people. Advent can be experienced by all people, a single nation or a majority of a people, a close community of people in their privacy, or indeed even by an individual." This philosophy, with the help of the sounds of a synthesizer and processed human voices, lead Piňos to the creation of a modest, lyrical and poetic composition, completed with a pinch of humor and naivity. A Christmas atmosphere is evoked with the use of glockenspiels, bells, and a closing solo trumpet.3 Eduard Spáčil: Hudba pro Plzeň (Music for Plzeň) (1995)
Hudba pro Plzeň of Eduard Spáčil (b. 1950) for piano, synthesizer, and tape is dedicated to the city of Plzeň on its anniversary in 1995. The sound source, either from computer or tape, is computer processed piano sounds. The solo part for piano and synthesizer using jazz sources is improvisation on a theme which was edited/processed with a computer.4 Emil Viklický: Ignác v koridoru (Ignatz in a Corridor) (1994)
Ignác v koridoru for oboe and tape by Emil Viklický (b. 1948) combines electronic sounds with those of the oboe, performed by Jan Adamus. Ignác v koridoru is the third movement of the cycle Adventures of Ignatz P. This movement, using only a limited sound source, symbolizes light at the end of a dark tunnel.5 Karel Odstrčil: Agatha Christie (1992)
Agatha Christie is the tenth and last electroacoustic composition of the cycle Cabinet of Waxen Figures, which was composed over a twenty-five year period at the Plzeň studio. Karel Odstrčil (b. 1930) works, as in the other compositions of the cycle, with only one sound source, in this case, the human voice and choir. The composition expresses the feelings of the detective stories reader, but also Christie's unique biography. Christie was realized together with sound engineer Čestmír Kadlec using the Česká Píseň Choir, soprano Taťána Bublíková, and tenor Aleš Hendrych.6 Rudolf Růžička: Saxophantasy (1994)
CCOMP (Computer COMPosition), a computer composition program created by Růžička, was used for Saxophantasy. The solo part, as well as the samples used for the accompaniment, were performed by the superb jazz saxo-phonist Felix Slováček.7 Milan Slavický: Adventus: Electroacoustic Contemplation (1992)
The musical basis for Adventus: Electroacoustic Contemplation were Czech Rorate chants with unusual intervallic structures of the Renaissance on the words "Prolom, Pane, nebesa" (Break, Oh God, heaven) sung by the chamber choir Duodena Cantitans, directed by Petr Daněk. Slavický (b. 1947) adds, "Advent is a time of arrival, of anticipation of a better world, a time of the year full of hope. The subtitle suggests a nonconflicting process which combines the old and new—vocal song of by-gone ages with the sound of synthesizers— into one, combined whole, in which the old goes smoothly into the new, and in which all used means have one common goal: to express hope and faith."8 Radek Rejšek: Stomatologická minirapsodie (Stomatological Mini Rhapsody) (1994)
Radek Rejšek (b. 1959) of Prague composed Stomatologická minirapsodie, or an electroacoustic music joke, using sounds of instruments found in a dentist's office. As the title suggests, the composition humorously attempts to resolve the problem of a visit to the dentist's office. This composition is not as much about art music in the real sense of the word—even if it has an obvious and convincing form—as it is about entertaining the listener. Stomatologická minirapsodie was recorded in a dentist's office at the beginning of 1993, and completed in the Audiostudio in 1994.
Text: Rudolf Růžička, Libor Zajíček