Experiments VII

violin and digital audio media
Duration: 10 minutes
Premier: May, 2005. NEC, Boston, MA
Stephanie Skor, violin
LISTEN: Carmel Raz, violin

I. [untitled]
II. Hymn
III. Descent

Experiments VII (2005) was the first piece I ever finished that employed electronics. I studied electronic music for several years in college, but, being horribly unhappy with the strong majority of electronic music being produced by modern composers, became highly critical of my own work and managed to never finish a single piece of electronic music over my entire degree. A few years later, I was invited by two other composers to compose a piece with electronics addressing the idea of “security.” Instead of composing a philosophical statement, I simply spoke the word “security” into a microphone, and then slowed down that single word over the span of ten minutes. When it was slowed down, it naturally seemed to divide itself into three sections, or movements. Although in three movements, the piece is played attaca.

Experiments VII was the seventh of nine compisitional "experiments." The other eight experiments, being thoroughly unsuccesful, have been withdrawn.