2
Instructions 1. Stage and setup Altra voce is written for alto flute, mezzo-soprano and live electronics. The piece was developed by Luciano Berio from the scene Il campo in the musical theatre work Cronaca del Luogo.
The lateral positioning is calculated in the same way. Since the highest loudspeakers (H3) are positioned as wide apart as possible and the lowest (H1) are only about 4–5 metres apart, the intermediate loudspeakers will be positioned at the half way point. Ideally, the three pairs of loudspeakers should be positioned progressively (from H1 to H3) from the back of the stage towards the audience as shown in Fig. 2b.
It is best performed in large spaces which maintain the special layout of the loudspeakers for the sound projection.
H1
H1 Flute
Instructions for the placement of the performers A minimum of staging is required: the two musicians should be placed centre-stage, seated behind a special table upon which they organize their scores. The approximate dimensions of the table are 80x200x50 cm, with the top slightly inclined as shown in the diagram. 200 cm
75 cm
80 cm
Fig. 1. Table
50 cm
Lighting The table and the performers should be lit from above, in such a way that they are contained within a single rectangle of light at the centre of the stage. Ideally the rest of the hall should be in complete darkness.
Voice Table
H2
H2 H0
H0 Stage
H3
H3
Fig. 2b. View from above of the loudspeakers and performers This general plan must be adapted to the size of any concert hall. The quality of the loudspeakers should also be chosen according to the characteristics of the concert hall. Ideally the loudspeakers should be hung with suitable cables. It is possible to place the lowest loudspeakers (H1) on stands at the appropriate height. In addition to the six main loudspeakers, a further two (usually small) are required for the amplification and reverberation of the performers and are placed on the floor (H0) in front of the table.
2. Live electronics Positioning of the loudspeakers The six main loudspeakers should be positioned symmetrically behind and above the performers at different levels in order to create two divergent diagonal lines, as shown in fig. 2a. The level H3 must be as high as possible (usually at least 10 metres), the level H1 must be at about 2.5–3 metres and consequently the level H2 will be half way between H3 and H1.
H3 H2
H1
H0 Fig. 2a. Front view of the loudspeakers
The live electronics fall into three categories: live sampling and playback of various fragments of the score, harmonizing and sound spatialization. The voice and flute are picked up by directional head-worn microphones. The level of amplification should be proportional to the dimensions of the hall and low enough not to cover the natural sound of the two performers. This amplification passes through the two loudspeakers positioned on the floor in front of the table (H0). Reverberation will always be added to the sound of the flute and voice, and is projected over the same two loudspeakers (H0). As with the amplification, the type of reverberation must not excessively alter the perception of the natural sound and will be determined by the acoustics of the hall. The reverberation should be clearly audible during the first seven bars and then reduced; inversely it may be increased during the final three bars. Notation The electronics are notated in the score by a series of cues. Following Berio‘s original indications, cues are not conceived
3 as single markers, but as events having a beginning and an end. These ranges are indicated with relevant numbers.
activating the cues by following the two musicians on stage with the score.
The musical fragments to be sampled live (RS) are delineated by dashed lines around the staves. For the harmonizers, the musical intervals of the transpositions are specified at each cue entry (H).
The dynamic levels of the electronic playback must obey the general dynamics of the score.
The heavy lines beneath each system of staves display the exact duration of the playback of the live samples (PS). The numbers in brackets at the left of each new system identify the active cues. The precise beginning of each cue for the harmonizing and spatialization is indicated by an arrow for the respective player (those for the flute appear above the flute stave, those for the voice above the vocal stave); the exact moment for the start of each playback of the sampled fragments (PS) is indicated in the score with a vertical dashed line. The end point of all types of cues is represented by a thick vertical line.
All amplified levels of the live flute and voice and of the harmonizing must have separate controls: in general all levels should be musically balanced. Each single playback sample requires a separate volume control: in general, these levels must also be balanced to all the other signals. A further control must be available separately for the reverberation signals.
4. Detailed technical instructions This section provides all the necessary information for the realization of the electronic part. The instructions are not bound to any specific technology and may be applied to different systems as long as the prescribed parameters and processes are adhered to.
Cues notated above or between the systems 1)
2)
8
beginning of cue (harmonizer and/or spatialization)
8
end of cue (harmonizer and/or spatialization)
3)
15 18 21
end of multiple cues (p. 9)
4)
H 2-, 0
harmonizer intervals
5)
RS 1
record sample
The instructions concern the three types of electronic transformation found in the score (spatialization, sampling and harmonizing) and provide an introduction to the diagram and tables of the cue list in the following section. Spatialization • The sound spatialization via the loudspeaker diffusion is represented by the following scheme:
VI
V IV
III Cues notated below each system 6)
1
beginning of cue (sample playback)
I
II stage
7) 8) 9)
end of cue (stop sample playback)
PS 1 1 2
(frontal view)
V III I
VI IV II
identification of the played sample active cues are repeated in brackets at the left of each new system
3. Performance guidelines The live electronics team must be placed in a good acoustical position for listening, e.g. the centre of the hall, or the central box in a theatre. It is advisable to use at least two people: one controls the levels of amplification and of the processed signals and the electronic programmes, whilst the other is responsible for
• For each spatialization sequence the individual configuration of the loudspeakers, which follow one after another, are listed from top to bottom. In the table which follows the scheme the relative ordering is specified: ts is the duration of the signal when stationary at the relative loudspeaker, tm is the duration of the movement of the signal from one loudspeaker to the next. • All the spatialization sequences are repeated as loops. • Internal repetitions within a sequence are marked with curly brackets (e.g. cue 5). • The tm value 0 implies the fastest possible move, but without a click or any other kind of interruption and which respects the overall duration of the spatialization sequence. • Reverberation is included in the spatialization algorithms so that the proximity of the microphone pickup can be compensated and a most natural sound will be ensured. The
4 amount of reverberation depends on each musical moment and on the acoustics of the concert hall. • In some cases, the cues should be faded in and out according to the musical context. • Every cue has a single spatialization sequence; all other algorithms pass through such spatialization. Live sampling • In the score the musical fragments to be sampled live during the performance are delineated by dashed lines and labelled RS (Record Sample). • During the recording of each live sample, labelled RS, the signal levels of the flute and voice must be equal. • During the playback, labelled PS (Play Sample), the samples are played as loops. • PS 8 (score p. 11) is a pre-recorded sample and must be made by the same musicians who perform the piece. PS 8 is repeated as loop in the following way: 1) twice untransposed 2) once transposed a semitone higher The transposed version must not change the duration nor be mixed with the original. This can be achieved by working on the sample before the performance, or by transposing it in real time. Harmonizer • The harmonizers are used to produce sequences of transpositions with predetermined durations, passing from one interval to another without interpolation. • Each harmonizer sequence is identified with the same abbreviated list of musical intervals as in the score. • Each harmonizer sequence lists all the intervals and their duration; the transpositions are expressed in cents (hundredths of a semitone) and the duration in seconds. • All harmonizer sequences are repeated as loops. • Internal repetitions within a sequence are marked with curly brackets (e.g. cue 8) • The transposed signal (harmonizer) is always mixed with the original. The two signals must therefore be balanced carefully according to the transposition interval and its resulting sound quality so that their perception remains equal.
Cue 2 Play sample:
PS 2
Spatialization:
1
2
location
ts (sec)
tm (sec)
1
2
0.5
2
3
0.5
1
2
0.8
2
1
0.1
Cue 3 Harmonizer:
H 3-, 0
interval (cent)
duration (sec)
-300
2
0
3.5
-300
1
0
3
-300
1.5
0
5
-300
2
0
3
Spatialization:
5. Cue list
1
2
Cue 1 Play sample: PS 1 Spatialization:
1
1
location
ts
tm
1
1
0.5
2
2
0.5
1
0.8
0.5
2
2.5
0.5
Altra voce
Luciano Berio
per flauto contralto, mezzosoprano e live electronics (1999) Flauto contralto*)
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