Compositional structure of Eastern Actions
Besides presenting these instruments, I made structural directions I wanted this composition to include:
- An aim to investigate different sonic colors
- Collectively move from one color to another
- It should have a length of approximately 20 minutes
The sonic structures/colors were:
- Start with bowing the dome of the reyong/Thai gong
- Introduce mallet sounds on the reyong/Thai gong
- Increase mallet sounds and introduce wooden sounds from rindik
- add drums --> more and more hectic interaction
- Find a rhythmic pattern
- Rhythm dissolves, and one musician after another turns their reyong upside down and hits it with a soft mallet/bow/rubber ball mallet while spinning the reyong on the frame drum. This motion make a swirling sound color.
This was the concept of the composition: very open, but still with a framework and structure. We played with a watch so we could keep track of time. In the end, we decided to leave this structure. We also stopped using the watch as a navigation point. The main reason was that it felt a little too organized, and to keep a fresh approach, we decided to have an open form instead. Nonetheless, the work with the initial form had an impact on the recorded version and established a sense of structure and length.
In the middle of the piece, there is a rhythmic section. To emphasize this, I made some overdubs, such as adding gongs to amplify the fundamental rhythmic structure. I also added the suling flute and the Indonesian flute in octaves, where I felt it was room for a more melodic feel, and this points toward an inspiration from gamelan.
The total sonic expression is also somewhat inspired by Stockhausen’s “Zyklus für einen Schlagzeuger,” where the single and clear percussion sounds are in focus.
The finished version was a mix of three recordings. Using recording technology, I made an “ultimate” version of the recorded music, and for me, this made sense musically. I could thereby emphasize the sonic and structural form I wanted. Working within an (almost) free improvisation setting, some parts are good, and some parts are not. For a concert, this is okay and something one must accept when playing without a fixed frame. For a recording, though, this can be trimmed.
Released version:
Introduction
"Espen Aalberg / En En En" is my fourth and last musical project within my artistic research. With this project, I want to highlight myself as an improvisational musician in a free and open chamber-music setting. I see the development of my artistic research represented through the different musical projects, from the stricter “The Bali Tapes” inspired by sixties modal jazz to the contemporary classical approach through the commission of “Mantra” and "Own Compositions” ending in this free and open improvisational concept.
The basic concept regarding “Espen Aalberg / En En En,” was to put four improvising musicians together, and with instruments from the Indonesian and the South-East Asian music culture, see if good music can occur. I say “can occur” because in musical experiments such as this, there is no guarantee of “great” music. I will, in this reflection, discuss the process, the experiment itself, and the sonic result.
In advance, I spent much time thinking about how to make a recording situation where all the musicians could participate naturally, but still with my musical goal as the navigational guide. The musicians were chosen because of their skills in free-jazz or open-genre improvisation.
Each setup consisted of the following:
- Reyongs (dome-shaped laying gong)
- Kandangs (drums)
- Rindik (bamboo rods)
- Thai gong (dome-shaped brown laying gong like the reyong, but narrower)
In addition, each musician had a “solo” instrument, which was only for them. This could be the Javanese zither (right in the picture above), the chen-chen (small clashing cymbals), or the gangsa (Balinese metallophone), a big and a medium tuned gong. The reyongs were placed on a frame drum and, in this way, used the frame drum as a resonating box.
The instruments belonged to different traditions in the region. Both Balinese and Javanese gamelan were used. We also had a set of tuned Thai gongs. We used different mallets and things to produce sound. They were:
- Soft vibraphone mallets
- Ordinary reyong mallets
- Rubber ball mallets/"super-ball" mallets
- Gong mallets
- String bow
- Hands
To be short about the inspiration from these pieces: “Zyklus” for its focus on individual percussion sounds, “Response” for its layers of sonical timbres, and the use of organ and “Partiels” for its drone and spectral approach. This inspiration in interaction with all the earlier projects through my artistic research have, in many ways, merged into my last project. Some point from my previous projects:
- “Basement Session,” with its improvisational approach and combination of gamelan and Western instruments.
- “Mantra” for its experimentation with sounds and new ways of playing gamelan.
- “Own Compositions” where I work with the concept of “ombak,” the sonic interference wave of two tones tuned almost the same.
I had the ambition of merging all these inspirations into contemporary musical expression, but with a framework where the musicians could express themselves in a free and open manner without a traditional written score.
Eastern Actions(2019) by Espen Aalberg Album: Espen Aalberg & EN EN EN - NOMAD ℗ 2020 Particular Recordings Collective
Spectral Rebellions(2019) by Espen Aalberg Album: Espen Aalberg & EN EN EN - NOMAD ℗ 2020 Particular Recordings Collective
Conclusion
The work with the project “Espen Aalberg / En En En” has been profoundly rewarding. Through my examination of ethical issues done before this artistic project, I felt an artistic freedom to do what I wanted without the gnawing doubt of ignoring any ethical consequences. I had examined contemporary gamelan music, made by natives and non-natives, and by knowing this music I had identified similar approaches of using gamelan instruments. This knowledge gave me confidence to just concentrate on making art.
The fundamental idea behind “Espen Aalberg / En En En” was organized improvisation. By combining this with the soundscapes of gamelan, set into a framework of western contemporary music, I feel I have achieved exciting and innovative music. The approach of making the music of “Espen Aalberg / En En En” is something I will bring forward in my further work as a composer and improviser.
“Zyklus für einen Schlagzeuger,”(1959) by Karlheinz Stockhausen Album: Stockhausen: Tierkreis, In Freundschaft, Spiral 1 & Japan, ℗ 1973 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK Ltd
Fellow Musicians
The musicians I chose to collaborate with within this project were Tor Haugerud, Michael Duch, and Eirik Hegdal, who worked together in the free music ensemble “En En En.” These musicians are used to working in open, improvisational musical settings. When working in environments with improvisation in such open frames as my project, I give much responsibility and control to other musicians. To achieve the musical direction I was searching for, the selection of musicians I cooperated with was of huge importance. I had to trust that these musicians could contribute to and understand what I was looking for without actually knowing what this was. This vague starting point is both a blessing and a curse. It can end up wrong, but if it works, it is an exciting way of making music. I do not know the results, but all the participants have a significant influence on the music. With a thought-out musical plan from me, the sonic and musical directions might coincide with the intention of the project.
At this point, it should be mentioned that this project is not about understanding the dynamics and interaction in free and open improvisation. These aspects have been researched by many others, such as Per Zanussi in his artistic research Natural Patterns(Zanussi, 2017) and Michael Duch´s Free Improvisation-Method and Genre (Duch, 2015.)
The Musicians
Tor Haugerud
Tor is a drummer, percussion player, and composer living in Trondheim, Norway. As a musician, he has developed his expression based on improvised music, influenced by the European contemporary and improvised music scene and American jazz music. He is always searching for nuanced and specific sounds from his percussion setup to bring his spontaneous expressions into the music. Besides drums, he occasionally uses signal generators, drone boxes, field recordings, and other electronics.
Eirik Hegdal
Eirik is one of Norway’s most influential jazz musicians, both as a performer (saxophone and clarinet), composer, and arranger. From 2002−2016, he was the artistic director for Trondheim Jazzorkester (TJO). Through this, he led collaborations with jazz greats, such as Joshua Redman, Pat Metheny, and Dave Holland, among many others. Eirik also contributes to Alpaca Ensemble, Zanussi Five, Angles 9, Dingobats, En En En, and Team Hegdal.
Michael Francis Duch
Michael was born and raised in Trondheim, Norway, and plays the double bass. He completed his project “Free Improvisation—Method and Genre” as a fellow at the Norwegian Artistic Research Fellowships Program at NTNU in late October 2010, where he researched free improvisation and the use of improvisation in experimental music. Duch plays in a trio with Rhodri Davies and John Tilbury, the impro quartet LEMUR with Bjørnar Habbestad, Hild Sofie Tafjord, Lene Grenager, and various other constellations. Other collaborations include Pauline Oliveros, Mats Gustafsson, AMM, Christian Wolff, Tony Conrad, and Joëlle Léandre, amongst others. Michael is now a professor in the Department of Music at NTNU.
Compositions and Ideas
I had two ideas I wanted to follow, where each idea formed the basis of separate compositions.
1. Focus on Southeast Asian percussion sounds, with a combination of drums, wood, and metal sounds.
2. Focus on the sonic interference between two tones, which is slightly out of pitch, in combination with large tuned gongs.
I wanted to release the music on vinyl. Because 20 minutes is the perfect length for a side of a vinyl, each piece should have a length to fit one side.
Piece 1: Eastern Actions
Instruments and Ideas
The basic concept behind this piece was to present percussion instruments in the gamelan and Southeast Asian instrument family. Therefore, I made four similar instrument setups, one for each musician.
Piece 2: Spectral Rebellions
Instruments and Ideas
The instruments for this piece were as follows:
- Two gangsa
- Balinese, Javanese, and Thai gongs
- Vibraphone
- Crotales and bells
- Contrabass
- Saxophone
- Church organ
A key instrument was the big tuned gong. I have several of these tuned gongs, and the nicest is tuned in contra C. This low C made the fundamental idea for the second part of the piece. I had prepared a tuned gong set up with the tuning:
Bb'-C-D-F-F#-G-G#-A-Bb-c-c#-d#-e
The basic idea of this piece is to use the interference between two tones on the gangsa as a starting point. The Balinese gangsa is a metallophone with a clear tone that reminds us of a glockenspiel or a vibraphone and consists of an instrument pair where the instruments are slightly out of tune with each other. This out-of-tune quality is a significant part of the tuning of the gamelan, and this phenomenon is in Bali called “ombak,” which means “waves.” Ombak occurs when the same notes (but slightly different in tuning) are played on the gansa pair simultaneously, and the result is audible interference between the tones. I used a bow on the gansa, which made the tone longer, with no attack. In this way, the interference wave peaks out very strongly. The tones with the clearest interference were those tuned approximately in E.
Organ
Regarding the use of church organs: In the “orgelsalen” [The Organ Hall] where we recorded, there was a church organ. This hall is for the students of church music at the Department of Music, NTNU, and it is a big, open room that reminds of a church. I had reserved the hall three days before we started the recording session to work with the room, the reverb of the room, and how I could make a recording there. In “Piece 2,” I had an idea of a drone part, referred to as “Part B” (see below), and during these days ahead, I experimented with big-tuned gongs and the organ. I put bricks on the pedals of the organ, making a constant drone, and hit the different gongs. Then I listened to the various interferences these sonic textures made. I liked the depth these two instruments made together, and this made the foundation for “Part B” in “Piece 2.” The application of the organ is also a way of looking back at my earlier experiences with contemporary music and points back to working with Arne Nordheim´s “Respons,” which I have performed several times in varied versions.
Note: There is no connection or symbolic religious reason for mixing the gamelan and the church organ, both of which are instruments associated with the performance of the sacred music to which they belong.
Structure
At a higher structural level, the main goal was to make a drone composition where the musicians should improvise in the mood of these two elements: the sonic waves (part A) and the fundamental tone (C) in the large gong (part B). I, therefore, thought out a complete compositional structure.
Part A
- Gangsa bowing, five minutes
- Double bass should join with an E when feeling the urge to play
- Add saxophones when the timing is right
- Add colors in tuned gong
Transition between A and B
- Open with more tone on double bass/gansa
- Add vibraphone with tone E
- The transition ends/Part B starts with a hit on the large C gong, and the double bass joins this tone
Part B
- Vibraphone bowing
- Add church organ
- Add differently tuned gongs
- Play in and out of clusters
- Improvisation in spectral mood. Scale: C'-C-G-C-c-e-g-bb-c'-d'-eb'-e'-f'-f#'---->chromatic
- Part B ends in a high register with crotales/bells
Part B is a homage to Gerard Grisey and his spectral music concept. I had a great experience playing his composition “Partiels”(mentioned above) in 2017. Especially the strong opening of this piece with the fundamental E in the double bass at the opening made a huge impression.
The recording has no major overdubs. I just added bell sounds at the end because I wanted the piece to crawl up into a high-frequency sonical landscape, which these bells give me. Due to the audio balance of the recording, I had no way of post-editing it. The sound of each instrument bleeds into every microphone, and I could adjust the level of every single instrument to a small degree.
Released version:
Recording
Our recording was done in “Orgelsalen” at the Department of Music, NTNU, and I did the recording, mixing, and artwork for the cover myself.
We had one day to prepare the music before the recording. That day, we tried out the different concepts and discussed various playing techniques. I did not want this session to be too much about technique or gamelan concepts, but more directed toward music and sound. Apart from Tor Haugerud, Michael Duch and Eirik Hegdal are not percussionists. Nevertheless, I find it interesting to work with non-percussion musicians playing percussion because they tend to focus on other aspects of making music. Especially jazz musicians have an open mind and are used to interacting with other musicians where the rules are not set.
We had scheduled two days of recording. These recordings were quite straightforward: recording one version and discussing what to try in the next version. As long as I got the sonic landscape I was seeking, I did not see any reasons for discussing this more and trying it in totally different ways. It was more about playing less in various parts, making "that part" longer, and doing things like that. However, the music became like I had hoped because I had prepared much of this session in advance, like making the instrument setup, deciding the total musical form, and choosing the right musicians and their roles.
One thing I wanted to avoid was the focus on intonation, where you get, in my view, a problematic interference between the Western-tempered system and the non-tempered tuning of the gamelan. One of the goals of my preparation, from choosing musicians and instruments to concepts and compositions, was to make the tuning/intonation as smooth as possible. Piece 1 was mostly percussion-based, and the interaction with the double bass, the only Western instrument in this piece at the ending, was more related to soundscapes than actual tones. In Piece 2, the gamelan with an exact pitch, like the gangsa and the tuned gong, set the navigation point(s) for intonation. The intonation issue was something we did not talk about during the session. I believe this was because of my preparation, the gamelan instruments I chose, and the musicians involved. We all had this common understanding of how to interact with our surroundings.
Concept, Inspiration, and Musical Goals
This project is all about the inspiration from the gamelan instruments, not so much about compositional concepts from gamelan. During my research, I have recorded myself improvising on the gamelan instruments, layering recordings to make a framework for a percussion composition for gamelan. One of these experiments led to the solo piece “Waves", presented and commented in part 2.1.
The other material I made had a very open approach, and I thought that if I could find the right musicians, I could make a musical project with similar aesthetics but without the framework of written music. Here are some examples of recordings I made:
During my research, I investigated the field of composers and performers with similar approaches to mine for using gamelan and instruments connected to the South-East Asian region. I have written about this in the chapter 1.3. “Gamelan and Its Function in the Research,” where I, among other subjects, talk about John Cage’s “Haikai—for gamelan” and Alvin Lucier’s “Music for Gamelan Instruments, Microphones, Amplifiers and Loudspeakers.” These two compositions inspired me while I was preparing for this recording session, not mainly because of the compositions themselves, but more related to the concept of composers making music inspired by the gamelan instruments, not so much the culture to which they belong. I found this concept liberating. It opens a space for more reference-free music, but still has an aura of the South-east Asian sonical texture.
In the same chapter, 1.3., I talked about Dewa Alit and his contemporary use of gamelan instruments, which affected my way of working with these instruments. He is a native Balinese and was brought up in the Balinese gamelan tradition. Consequently, his knowledge of this music comes from within. Obviously, I am learning gamelan as an outsider/foreigner. Learning gamelan directly from traditional masters, such as Tjokorda Raka, I feel makes me more aware of the traditional elements in gamelan music, even though I use it in a contemporary Western setting.
My experience working with improvisation and contemporary music for about 30 years is the closest music style I can say is my “native” music tradition. I have tried to set this background as a framework for working with gamelan instruments throughout this project.
I have also been inspired by other contemporary music I have studied/performed earlier, like Karlheinz Stockhausen’s “Zyklus” (1959), Arne Nordheim’s “Response” (Version for 2/4 percussion and organ 1977), and Gerard Grisey “Partiels” (1975). Under are some shore excerpts from these compositions:
This example is an open improvisation in which I work by trying to blend gamelan instruments in a more experimental way.
In this experiment, I try to find a way of including the big tuned gong, reyongs, and gangsa with other Western instruments such as piano and vibraphone.
