Don’t Be Alarmed (2011)
duration 6 mins
any combination of instruments (woodwind, brass, percussion, piano, strings) and voice; plus a stereo soundtrack played on a cd player, or a computer
Commissioned by the Nova Scotia Music Educators Association
Premiered Friday Oct. 28, 2011 in Antigonish, NS.
Kings County Academy, Paul Hutten, director.
Listen to the soundtrack online:
PROGRAM NOTE
A work for younger ensembles (grades 5 and up) that has an open instrumentation (voices, instruments, or both) for a flexible number of musicians. The work includes a recorded soundscape and a fully composed score for either a large or small ensemble. The score has a structured form and a straightforward and simple melody, unison or with one additional line, and contains some improvisation and interaction with the soundtrack. This format should make it possible for a large number of students, in both large and small schools, to share the rich experience of working with contemporary composition, written by a recognized composer who lives in Nova Scotia. The project is one that is being undertaken in celebration of the 50th anniversary of NSMEA.
Don’t be Alarmed, as the title infers, uses alarm sounds. Don’t be Alarmed was premiered and workshopped by students at the Kings County Academy in Kentville, Nova Scotia, under the direction of Paul Hutten. In the initial stage Paul’s students were asked to record sounds. They were simply told to find sounds that interested them. The result was a short sampler CD of sounds from their homes, and of particular interest, alarm sounds. Using this as a guide, I recorded similar sounds for the soundscape. This prompted me to record the alarms in my house: the house alarm, radio, oven-timer, also the car alarm, and a hand-cranked siren. The sound of a fire truck worked well. And a short clip of Paul's students in the play-ground is included. Synthesized sounds are added to lend rhythmic, and pitch content to the soundtrack. At the heart of the work performers are asked to experiment with cell phones and other alarm-like sounds.
