As a Gaines Fellowship thesis, Spatial Melodies explors the use of music and composition to generate the perception of architectural space. The project consists of three compositions composed and recorded in 5.1 surround sound. The listener is suggested to be centered within the speakers and the room should be dark.
Exploring the key of Eb-minor as a generator for mood, this piece begins on a discomforting emotional level. The key is naturally quite dark. A wood chime opens and pans from the left to the right, suggesting a position of about three feet in front of the perceiver. As the synthetic material enters, it defines a ceiling height that is rather large. A long reverberation time amplifies the space’s volume. The disquieting sound of the guitar entering from the left has a rather long echo to suggest a detached space located adjacent to the original volume. The chords progress rather slowly, creating a slight apprehension and anxiety as one waits in expectation for a resolution. From the front right enters the piano, again with a long resonance and a slight echo further delineating the space. As it plays an almost a-rhythmic melody, the piano lulls the perceiver further into the corner of the room as the guitar and synthetic accompaniment retreat to the back left, eventually fading out. To close, a string melody enters with a distinctly bright timbre that when juxtaposed against the dark synthetic chords, embraces the perceiver and develops a sense of intimacy. The room begins to become smaller and more inviting as all the melodies diminish. To end, the suspended chord is finally resolved and ends the anticipatory tension of the piece.
Composition_02 | Comfort
Water is often associated with tranquility in music. Utilizing water as a means to evoke calmness and serenity, this piece is places the participant in a heightened state of acoustical awareness. Composed to create a transitory space that is both comfortable and elegant, the piece opens with dripping water encircling the perceiver while it moves from the left to the right. Similarly, chimes wrap around the audience. Because of such a close proximity to the individual, the space immediately becomes much more intimate than a space with a high reverberation and echo. A delicate bell enters to establish rhythm and encourage forward momentum through the space. The abrupt entrance of the rich string orchestra transitions from the hypersensitive space into that of a heavier environment. The materiality of the strings generates a certain volumetric heaviness when juxtaposed against the delicate sounds of the water and the openness of the chords allows for a slow resolution over the last few measures.
Composition_03 | Transitional Terminal
Spatial transitions form the basis of this piece. In a linear progression, various sounds construct an infrastructure that allows the participant to become actively involved in the sensory experience. This composition moves in a forward direction to emphasize the element of time while creating an actual environment within which most of us can identify: a busy transportation terminal. With sounds of traffic: vehicular, rail, planes, and people, the environment starts to emerge. A resonate bell begins from the back of the space and fades to the front right suggesting that the perceiver has moved through the terminal into a different environment. As soon as the bell disappears, metallic sounding chords are sustained over a long period of time following the entrance of the walking bass. The bass begins almost indistinguishable and leads the perceiver further into the architecture. This is a structure of steel and heavy machines. Bongos, a heavy bass, and a glockenspiel establish the rhythm of the piece and take place at the front of the beat, as if to herd a crowd through the space. Then enters the piano. Likewise heavy and repetitive, it engages in a dialogue with the walking bass line. The chords slowly fade out, as do the sounds of traffic and people.