She, a Solo Barry D. Truax

In She, a Solo I created a complex acoustic environment within which a personality, that created by the voice, could emerge and develop. The tape at first is driving and overpowering for the soloist whose own confusion is expressed by numerous vignettes or styles of vocalization suggesting different characters. As the energy of the tape subsides, the soloist emerges into a solo lyrical role that progressively becomes more florid. Suddenly, the voice changes and the tape reappears, and the two interact now on a more equal basis, leading to a final state of peaceful equilibrium. The work is dedicated to Janneke Ritsema van Eck. A commission from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

  • Year of composition: 1973
  • Format: Mixed work
  • Instrumentation: mezzo-soprano and magnetic tape
  • Duration of the submitted work: 12:00
  • Publisher: Cambridge Street Publishing
  • Production: Institute of Sinology, Utrecht, electronic music studio
  • Premiere: April 10, 1974, Vancouver Art Gallery, CBC concert
  • Disc publication: She, a Solo is available on the Melbourne album Sonic Landscapes and the Cambridge Street Records CD Twin Souls, CSR-CD 0102, performed by Phyllis Mailing

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