The composer has a strong interest in applying physical/acoustic phenomena to music creation. After having been recently diagnosed with asthma and undergone two lung surgeries, it seemed fitting to explore the timbral qualities of breath. Assmar is an attempt to explore these qualities — from comfortable to strained, clear to asthmatic. A conscious choice was made to use minimal processing to remain true to the plausibility of the situation and to allow the natural sounds of breath to speak for themselves.