Works » By Title » F » Forty-three (1984)

The idiosyncratic process of composing electroacoustics gives rise to intriguing challenges, one being the creation of sounds of long duration which sustain listeners’ interest. The sounds of Forty-three are structured in complicated layers that induce a kind of X-ray hearing, to focus on different events within the strata. Rich, extended textures constantly shift internally, overlapped with percussive phrases and punctuated by struck notes. Some of the timbres derive from instrumental sources, such as trombone and percussion. Forty-three is the composer’s forty-third work composed at the Columbia University Electronic Music Center.