"Metasaxophone Colossus," is a tribute to innovative American saxophonist Sonny Rollins. Rollins’ “Saxophone Colossus” (1956) was a landmark album in the history of saxophone music. The record was noted for its adventurousness and technicality. The music of "Metasaxophone Colossus" builds upon this innovative tradition of American sax music, combining it with the most recent resources of computer technologies.
The Metasaxophone is Burtner's original electroacoustic instrument, allowing the performer detailed control over computer-generated sound and adding an electric feedback system, while maintaining the pure tenor saxophone sound. The Baltimore Sun writes that this music "explores worlds no saxophone has gone before" Very far from Rollins' music in style, this album presents a series of startling visions of the saxophone, often quite distant from the types of sounds associated with the instrument. All based in saxophone performance, "Metasaxophone Colossus" traverses a wide range of sonic worlds.
About the Metasaxophone
The Metasaxophone is an acoustic tenor saxophone retrofitted with an onboard computer microprocessor and an array of sensors that convert performance data into independent continuous control messages for a computer. The instrument has additionally been outfitted with a unique microphone system allowing for detailed control of the amplified sound. While maintaining full acoustic functionality the metasax is also a versatile computer controller and an electric instrument. A primary motivation behind the Metasaxophone is to put signal processing under direct expressive control of the performer. Through the combination of gestural and audio performance tracking, employing both discrete and continuous multilayered mapping strategies, the Metasaxophone can be adapted for a wide range of musical purposes. The instrument was invented and built by Matthew Burtner at the CCRMA/Stanford University. Detailed information is available at http://www.metasax.com/ .
About the music of Metasaxophone Colossus
[1] St. Thomas Phase 2001, 3:53.
Listen to Sonny Rollins’ “Saxophone Colossus” and it will be clear why this composition was especially made for this album. Rhythmically phased samples in nested 9/10 time, developed on Burtner’s polyrhythmicon, create a fun and hot tribute to the energy of Rollins’ saxophone playing.
[2] S-Morphe-S
for singing bowl soprano saxophone (hybrid computer instrument). 2002, 8:48
If a soprano saxophone had the body of a Tibetan “singing” prayer bowl it would sound like this. This physical impossibility is realized through virtual reality computer applications that link the physical world saxophone to a computer model of the bowl. We hear the Tibetan bowl, tapped, blown, articulated and performed as a virtuostic saxophone. Physical models developed by Stefania Serafin are used in the composition.
[3] ∆2
for electric feedback saxophone. 2004, 6:46
With tiny microphones embedded inside the tenor saxophone and the speakers pointed towards the instrument, the performer controls the analog feedback of the instrument. Inspired by Jimi Hendrix’s electric guitar, Burtner’s electric feedback saxophone suggests a startling new performance practice for the saxophone. Performed here with an “intelligent” home-made computer sampler, Delta 1 presents the softer side of the electric sax.
[4] Noisegate 67
for computer metasaxophone 1999, 10:39
The metasaxophone is a tenor saxophone retrofitted with a computer microprocessor on the bell and sensors covering the body of the instrument. Here, the performer controls an ensemble of noise generators, samplers, and signal processors while playing saxophone. All mixing and effects are accomplished directly from Burtner’s home-made saxophone controller.
[5] ∆1
for electric feedback saxophone and polyrhythmicon 2000, 3:30
"Delta 1" presents the extremely distorted side of the electric sax. Wild and intense, accompanied by Burtner’s polyrhythmicon, "Delta 1" evokes punk rock intensity. The electric feedback sax, like the electric guitar offers a wide array of sounds.
[6] S-Trance-S
for bowed string tenor saxophone (metasaxophone) 2001, 12:16
The metasaxophone is used here to control an ensemble of computer strings created by programmer and physical mathematician, Stefania Serafin. The bowed string saxophone allows each finger of the performer to control a different aspect of bowing the string (pressure, position, velocity, pitch, string material, etc). "S-Trance-S" creates a hybrid string/saxophone instrument, blurring the boundries between physical and virtual reality.
7] Endprint
for nine tenor saxophones 2003, 9:34
A composition for nine tenor saxophones began Burtner’s "Portals of Distortion" recording. Revisited here, in an attempt to embrace that album, "Endprint" uses layered extended techniques to create astonishing textures of acoustic saxophone sounds.
Further Reading on the Metasaxophone Technology:
M. Burtner, "The Metasaxophone: Concept, Implementation and Mapping Strategies for a New Computer Music Instrument," Organized Sound, Cambridge Press, 2002.
C. Burns and M. Burtner, "Recursive Audio Systems: Acoustic Feedback in Composition," Leonardo, MIT Press 2004.
M. Burtner and S. Serafin, "The Exbow Metasax: Compositional Applications of Bowed String Physical Models Using Instrument Controller Substitution," Journal of New Music Research, Swets & Zeitlinger, 2001.
About the artist
Matthew Burtner’s music has been described as “some of the most eerily effective electroacoustic music I’ve heard” by The Wire and 21st Century Music has said “There is a horror and beauty in this music that is most impressive!” His work regularly combines instrumental ensembles, computer technology, interactive acoustics and multimedia. He tours world wide as a saxophonist and since 1997 has developed the Metasaxophone, an innovative project involving imbedded systems programming and saxophone performance.
First prize winner in the Musica Nova International Electroacoustic Music Competition, Burtner’s music has also received honors and awards from Meet the Composer, ASCAP, the American Music Center, the Luigi Russolo International Computer Music Competition, the Gaudeamus International Young Composers Competition, the Hultgren International Cello Biennial, Darmstadt, Prix d’Ete, SCI, and others. His music has been commissioned for performers such as the Spectri Sonori Ensemble, MiN Ensemble, Phyllis Bryn Julson and Mark Markham, the Peabody Trio, Ascolto, Ensemble Noise, Haleh Abghari and others. His commercial recordings include Incantations on the German DACO label (DACO 102), Portals of Distortion, on Innova Records (Innova 526), and Arctic Contrasts, on the Norwegian Euridice label (EUCD 012-2000).
Burtner is currently Assistant Professor of composition and computer music at the University of Virginia where he is Associate Director of the VCCM Computer Music Center. A native of Alaska (b.1970), he studied philosophy, composition, saxophone and computer music at St. Johns College, Tulane University (BFA 1993), Iannis Xenakis's UPIC Studios (1993-94), the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University (MM 1997), and Stanford University's CCRMA (DMA 2002). He has been artist-in-residence at the Banff Centre for the Arts, Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, and the IUA/Phonos Institute in Barcelona. His original computer music research is presented regularly at international conferences, and has been published by journals such as Organized Sound, the Journal of New Music Research and the Leonardo Music Journal.
Credits
This recording is made possible in part with generous support from a University of Virginia Arts, Sciences and Humanities Dean’s Research Grant.
Additional support from the McKnight Recording Assistance Project and Innova Records
Matthew Burtner, artistic design and musical production
Stefania Serafin, physical models on “S-Trance-S” and “S-Morphe-S”
Peter Swendsen, photography
Innova Director, Philip Blackburn
Innova Director of Artist and Product, Chris Strouth
Innova Assistant, Chris Campbell
Innova is supported by an endowment from the McKnight Foundation and by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts
Recorded at CCRMA and Rentrub Studios, direct to digital using AKGC414, AKGC451, and ElectroVoice RE20 microphones. Recorded, engineered, and produced by Matthew Burtner
Special thanks to Jon Berger, Aniseh Burtner, CCRAMA/Stanford, Jay Kadis, Max Mathews, Gary Scavone, Stefania Serafin, Judith Shatin, Peter Swendsen, David Topper, VCCM/UVa.
