Oct 29: O’Brien (2016)

Biography

Benjamin O’Brien is a researcher, composer, and performer studying the effects of sound on human movement and perception. His work with electronic and electro-acoustic sound has focused on sonification, voice recognition, digital signal processing, and indeterminacy. He holds a B.A. degree in mathematics from The University of Virginia; an M.A. degree in music composition from Mills College and another M.E. degree in acoustics from Aix-Marseille University; and a Ph.D. in music composition from The University of Florida. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Laboratory of Speech and Language (CNRS, AMU) in Marseille, France. https://benjaminobrien.net/

Sample Sharing: Virtual Laptop Ensemble Communities

What is a laptop ensemble?

A laptop orchestra or laptop ensemble is a chamber music ensemble consisting primarily of laptops. Currently, there are a number of education-based laptop orchestras including SLOrk, CMLO, HELO, BLOrk, CLOrk, L2Ork OLO, and PLOrk.

What are the roles and responsibilities of laptop musicians?

Laptop musicians are responsible for controlling and performing on their laptops or other microprocessor-based instruments while listening to other musicians at their current, physical locations, and paying attention to an audiovisual composite of the virtual ensemble. They can also work with a conductor directing the musicians, like a traditional orchestra.

The concept of network in relation to laptop ensemble music scenes

O’Brien goes on to explain the concept of network in relation to the laptop ensemble music scene. According to sociologists Andy Bennett and Richard A. Peterson (2004), the notion of a music scene can be divided into local,translocal, and virtual levels which influence an ensemble’s identity, method of implementation, and approach to performance.
O’Brien then goes on to isolate and observe each level of the music scene independently. For example, local universities or colleges offer courses to interested students and these courses allow the students not only to expand their knowledge related to computer science, music composition and performance, etc., but also to participate in “embodied” performance and reach out to communities at the local level. Also, this laptop ensemble presents opportunities to perform at translocal events like conferences, symposiums, and festivals. These translocal events give laptop ensembles a sense of the direction the music scene is heading in and provide opportunities to bring laptop musicians, researchers, and supporters together. At the virtual level, laptop musicians can communicate through social networking sites, forums, e-mail lists, discussion boards, and chat rooms, and these virtual communities also affect the local and translocal levels of the music scene. O’Brien emphasizes that this complex integration of all levels within the laptop ensemble music scene results in a more tightly-knit and healthier infrastructure and better communication among laptop musicians. Later, he discusses how virtual laptop ensemble simulcast performances, practice live coding, and practice network compositions.

While reading this article, this notion of laptop ensembles reminded me of noise instruments and synthesizers that make electronic music from the article by Pinch and Bijsterveld (2003). I guess I was expecting that with technological advances, people would create music with computers and laptops, but I also have many questions about this musical phenomenon. ‘Why a laptop orchestra?’ ‘What makes it different from people working alone to create music with their computer and then share their products after the fact?’ I was also wondering if I would pay money to go to their performances. In addition, I am curious whether this type of music is as expressive as music acoustically performed by real human beings. Can this laptop ensemble reestablish human connections in through virtual media (laptops/electronic music)? Could this computer music be used as a therapeutic tool for future music therapy? Nonetheless, I think that integrating the accessibility and mobility of technologies and the creative uses of material cultures and social codes is a fruitful idea.

Here are some performances:

Resilience (2019) performed by Standford Laptop Orchestra
Giography (2019) performed by Ge Wang
Breeze in C (2018) performed by Stanford Laptop Orchestra
Algorave at Bluedot festival in 2018

Discussion Questions:

1. Oftentimes, laptop musicians will display their code or visuals such as avatars when performing for their audience, or use tools like a Wii Remote to show how they are making music. Why is it important for the audience to see the physicality of the performers during a performance? How is this experience different from listening to the recording without the visual? How does it differ from watching performers play on classical instruments?

2. While mastery of classical music takes a while, laptop musicians spend shorter amounts of time learning their craft, such as a single course. Would you consider them to be musicians, in the traditional sense? Why, or why not?

3. As the technology develops, we have portable cell phones, iPads, and much more. How will laptop ensembles look different in the future as they continue to adapt technological advances? How can they be used as pedagogical tool? Within Universities, or within your own classes? Do you feel that the University of Iowa could benefit from a program like this? Why, or why not?

4. Explain the differences between music scenes at the following levels: local, translocal, and virtual. What is the difference in how each function? Explain a hallmark of each level and how the boundaries between them are blurrier than initially expected. How do they interact with each other in terms of their role or presence within their respective communities?


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