Soundpainting
Soundpainting is the sign language that was invented in 1974 by New York composer Walter Thompson. It is used by musicians, dancers, actors and other artists. To this day, it is a collection of more than 1200 characters developed, which uses the conductor to guide the group in their performance. The composition is created by the execution of the characters by the artists involved.
The History of Sound Paintings
After Walter Thompson had studied at the Berklee College of Music, he moved in 1974 to Woodstock (New York). There he received a scholarship to study the National Endowment of the Arts to composition with Anthony Braxton. At the same time he also studied improvisation dance with Ruth Ingalls.
Thompson began with other students to organize jam sessions. From the musicians of these sessions formed Thompson a Large Ensemble, which dealt with improvisation in a variety of ways. With this ensemble he began his technique of sound Paintings to develop. First signs were very rudimentary, for example, they represented one long beep, or an improvisation with many short tones.
In 1980, Thompson to New York City and founded in 1984, the Walter Thompson Orchestra (later he baptized into The Walter Thompson Big Band ). Soon he also started with this band during concerts by sign language to communicate and to extend these. During the next 10 years he developed an extensive sign language for creative live performances. In the 1990s, he began, in his hands led with performances also involve artists from other disciplines, such as actors, dancers, poets and visual artists.
In the late 1990s Thompson headed in a workshop of IASJ conference in Santiago de Compostela for the first time an orchestra in Europe. Then he received numerous invitations to different music academies throughout Europe in order to convey his character led with improvisations in the context of the local high school.
Analysis
The "Sound Painter" ( the composer ) is usually in front of the group and communicate by sign language with the performers. He uses his hands, but other parts of his body. The signs on the one hand to point to a very specific material that is to be played, on the other hand, there are also signs that provide rather vague guidelines to be executed. The Sountpainter developed his composition by displaying the ensemble with one or more signs his idea and then reacts with another hand sign on the execution of the group or are additional instructions. So he developed the composition which he would perform live on stage.
Since a considerable number of hands not conclusively determine what the artist has to perform, the implementation often lies in his personal interpretation of the character. So Soundpainting is always a dialogue between the group and the conductor, on the one hand have the composition as a whole at a glance must, however, always have to react to what is happening at this very moment.
The character of the sound Paintings place within the parameters of the performance who, what, how and when fixed. There are a variety of types of signs, some is specific musical material basis, which was agreed upon in advance, others refer to certain styles, aleatoric concepts, improvisation, instrumentation but also position on the stage, costumes and more.
The structure of the sound Paintings
Soundpainting includes two categories of signs: descriptive and functional gestures. Shaping gestures used to determine which material is to be used, and how this should be executed. Functional gestures indicate who play and when one should begin. Who, what, how and when are the basic parameters that are equipped with sound painting, and form its syntax.
A further subdivision of the characters takes place in that they are divided into the following sub-categories: personnel, content, controller, "Go- gestures ", modes and palettes.
Soundpainting in German-speaking
Sabine Vogel
Sabine Vogel is a German musician from Munich. In the years 2000 and 2001 Sabine Vogel was among the several weeks of work phases of the " Walter Thompson Soundpainting Orchestra " in the Byrdcliffe Arts Colony to Woodstock, NY invited to, amongst others, participate in the play " Pexo ", which was performed in February 2002 in New York. Sabine Vogel moment is the only one in Germany and one of the few in Europe to inform the Soundpainting, directed and lists.
She teaches at the University of Potsdam.
Fischer 's Orchestra
The fishing 's Orchestra of Lucerne, Switzerland has been working since 2007 controlled with hand signals real time composition. In addition to concerts throughout Europe, the Fischer 's Orchestra organizes workshops with children and young people about Soundpainting. On the CD " Conducting sessions" the orchestra will present different tape Own Sound Painter, who direct the ensemble. The fishing 's Orchestra adapts the language of the sound Paintings on his own needs and developed in addition to the character of Thompson also own.
Ceren Oran
Ceren Oran is a Turkish Sound Pain provider residing in Salzburg, Austria. She is a trained dancer and studied under Walter Thompson Soundpainting. After her studies she has worked with various sound Painters and multidisciplinary Sounpainting ensembles as a dancer and Sound Pain provider, such as Evan Mazunik, Le Spang, Matters, Hungarian Soundpainting Orchestra. Music, dance and drama are an integral part of their sound Paintings. She teaches Soundpainting on " Toihaus Theater Salzburg " and director of the first professional Austrian Soundpainting lineup " Soundpainting Collective Salzburg " .. The Toihaus Theater Salzburg is the first and only theater in Austria, offering Soundpainting for professionals and lay people. In addition to programs for professionals ( "Sound Painting Collective" ) and lay people (different workshops) there is an intense collaborations with schools and kindergartens to explore Soundpainting also in the educational context. Ceren Oran is the only one in Austria and one of the few in Europe that teaches Soundpainting, directed and lists.
Other Soundpainting ensembles in the world
Festivals
- Soundpainting festival: This festival, which is organized by the Jazz Bank Corporation, held in France in October, 2013 (mainly in Paris).
Recordings and films
- Deconstructing Haydn / Modern Chamber Orchestra with Gil Selinger ( cello ) and Walter Thompson (sound painter) / Concerto in C majeur - CD 2001-2002 Novodisc Recordings Ltd.. NY
- François Cotinaud (sound painter, composer ): Tones ensemble monologue by Schoenberg and Variations sur une collection de timbres. Film by Patrick Morel. CD-DVD 2012 Ayler records / Musivi - France
- Fischer 's Orchestra: Conducting sessions ( Unit/UTR4367 )