Sonde
Encyclopedia
Sonde is a music design and performance ensemble based in Montreal
. From 1975 to about 1985, Sonde gave hundreds of performances in North America and Europe on sound sources of their own invention. Sonde was also engaged in television, film, and dance (particularly contact improvisation
).
The group grew out of a course called Music Design taught at McGill University
by Mario Bertoncini
.
The original members of MuD were Andrew Culver, Pierre Dostie, Chris Howard, and Charles de Mestral. Over the years, other members have included Linda Pavelka (primarily as a vocalist), Robin Minard
and Keith Daniel (primarily as an electronics inventor and engineer).
The Bertoncini concept of musical design is equally central to Sonde's work. Bertoncini proposed that composition begin before the instrument, requiring the composer to explore the acoustic properties of materials and structures and invent new instruments as part and parcel of creating a new composition. The resulting devices were often visually as well as acoustically fascinating. Bertoncini has built up a large collection of device compositions over 40 years.
In writings from the early 1980's, Andrew Culver defined musical design thus:
Musical Design : The exploration into the sonic possibilities of various materials in various formats, the design and construction of sound sources based on these findings and suitable for performance, and the re-exploration into the sonic worlds of the sound sources during performance through exquisite improvisation (from seeking, not providing), is a compositional process called musical design.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. From 1975 to about 1985, Sonde gave hundreds of performances in North America and Europe on sound sources of their own invention. Sonde was also engaged in television, film, and dance (particularly contact improvisation
Contact improvisation
Contact improvisation is a dance technique in which points of physical contact provide the starting point for exploration through movement improvisation...
).
History
Sonde was founded in 1975 and originally called MuD (an abbreviation of Musical Design). MuD gave their first performance in 1975 at Pollack Hall, McGill University, Montreal. Viewers/listeners were amazed to see and hear musical performances emerge from an improbable set of never-before-seen "sound sources" such as Les Plaques and The Amazing Three Man Hum Drum.The group grew out of a course called Music Design taught at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
by Mario Bertoncini
Mario Bertoncini
Mario Bertoncini is an Italian composer, pianist, and music educator. In 1962 he was awarded the Nicola d'Atri Prize by the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia for his Sei Pezzi per orchestra and in 1965 he was awarded both the Gaudeamus International Composers Award and the Fondation europeènne...
.
The original members of MuD were Andrew Culver, Pierre Dostie, Chris Howard, and Charles de Mestral. Over the years, other members have included Linda Pavelka (primarily as a vocalist), Robin Minard
Robin Minard
- Biography :Minard was born in Montreal, Canada. He began his studies of composition at the University of Ontario, then at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal, studying under Gilles Tremblay. He then continued his studies with John Rea at McGill University. He was a member of the...
and Keith Daniel (primarily as an electronics inventor and engineer).
Concepts
The notion of a sound source is central to Sonde's approach. While an instrument is a tool used for the performing of compositions other than itself, a sound source is the both the composition and the object from which the sound emanates.The Bertoncini concept of musical design is equally central to Sonde's work. Bertoncini proposed that composition begin before the instrument, requiring the composer to explore the acoustic properties of materials and structures and invent new instruments as part and parcel of creating a new composition. The resulting devices were often visually as well as acoustically fascinating. Bertoncini has built up a large collection of device compositions over 40 years.
In writings from the early 1980's, Andrew Culver defined musical design thus:
Musical Design : The exploration into the sonic possibilities of various materials in various formats, the design and construction of sound sources based on these findings and suitable for performance, and the re-exploration into the sonic worlds of the sound sources during performance through exquisite improvisation (from seeking, not providing), is a compositional process called musical design.
Recordings
- En concert (Music Gallery Editions, MGE 14, 1978) -- LP
- En ondes (OralOralThe word oral may refer to:As an adjective:* the mouth, the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food and saliva* speech communication as opposed to writing* oral administration of medicines...
, ORAL 16, 2007) -- CD - En concert (OralOralThe word oral may refer to:As an adjective:* the mouth, the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food and saliva* speech communication as opposed to writing* oral administration of medicines...
, ORAL 21, 2007) -- CD re-issue of 1978 LP