Allen Strange: Velocity Study No. 3 "Rip"

For most of his life, Allen Strange (1943-2008) was considered the leading authority on analog electronic music, and he wrote dozens of pieces for solo instruments and electronics. Among these works were five compositions he titled "Velocity Studies." These pieces, each for a different instrument, were Lisztian-style etudes that explored new methods of integrating live acoustic performance with pre-recorded media.

Having been a fan of Strange's work for many years, I was very interested in learning his only work for piano: Velocity Study No. 3. I was anticipating speaking to him about the work at the 2008 SEAMUS festival in Salt Lake City, when he very unexpectedly passed away that February - about a month before the festival (where his final Velocity Study, NGate, was to be premiered). As he was the only person who knew the whereabouts of this piano piece, I assumed all opportunities to play the work were gone. Thankfully, his wife, Patricia, found the original electronics on DAT tape buried in a closet in his studio. Unfortunately, due to the fact that this piece had not been performed since its premier in 1991, the DAT tape containing the electronics was horribly damaged and had several holes and tears.

Thankfully, a mutual friend, Brian Belet (a very talented composer himself), took this damaged DAT tape and devoted months of his time to remastering this piece. He did remarkable work, but because the tape was so heavily damaged, it was impossible to restore the work to its original condition. Hence, several pops, hisses, and scratches are heard throughout the performance. Personally, I find such imperfections sort of endearing.

I have been including this piece in my 2010 Electro-Acoustic Piano tour as a musical tribute to Allen Strange: though we never had the opportunity to meet and collaborate, I will continue to feel his invaluable contribution to electronic music for years to come.