Faye-Ellen Silverman
Layered Lament
Year: 1983
Duration (in minutes): 5'39;37'34;
Difficulty: High (professional)
Category: mixed instrument ensemble, solo instrument other than piano
Instruments: any brass, any woodwind, electronics, English horn, horn, tape
Publisher: Subito Music Corporation
Description: In “Layered Lament” creates layers of a lament with electronic tape (itself created by layering techniques) and English horn. The tape part was fashioned entirely from pre-recorded string sounds, furnished by Vladimir Ussachevsky. Through processing, sustained string sounds were changed to resemble a human lament, then modified pizzicato sounds were superimposed for added tension. The English horn part, written with James Ostryniec in mind, is built on sounds found on the tape.
The tape part was realized at the University of Utah Electronic Studio in the spring of 1982. The English horn part, begun in 1982, was finished in 1983 – just in time for its premiere at the Thirteenth International Festival of Experimental Music in Bourges, France.