Conservatory of Music
Lecture: Orchestration with FFTs
Expansion of Orchestration Technique through the use of a Spectrally Based Computerized Orchestration-Aid
Lecture by Francois Rose presented at:
- Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, Poland
- Academy of Music in Cracow, Poland
- Musikene in San Sebastian, Spain
- IRCAM (Institut de Recherche Coordination Acoustique et Musique) in Paris, France.
A computerized aid to orchestration that greatly extends the use of spectral analysis in orchestration is introduced. It is made of two parts: a bank of Fast Fourier Transforms (FFTs) accessed by a group of sub-routines designed to either perform sound analysis or propose different orchestrations that imitate a reference sound.
The tool’s potential to perform quasi-instantaneous analysis of any sounds is illustrated with a reference to Schoenberg’s Five Pieces for Orchestra op.16, III.
The tool’s ability to propose sound mixtures that imitate a reference sound is demonstrated with examples from the Rose’s work L’identité voilée for clarinet, violin, and piano, where the trio imitates a clarinet multiphonic. Finally, a reference to Xenakis’ Orient-Occident is made to illustrate the tool’s potential in the context of electroacoustic music.