- United States
Bob Gluck
SUNY: University at Albany, Music, Faculty Member
Research Interests:
eSaz: a non-Western instrument in the context of a live electronic performance system
Since the 1980s, composers from cultures outside of Europe and North America have begun to integrate traditional elements within electroacoustic music. This has included the use of non-Western musical instruments, sometimes expanded by... more
Since the 1980s, composers from cultures outside of Europe and North America have begun to integrate traditional elements within electroacoustic music. This has included the use of non-Western musical instruments, sometimes expanded by the use of electronics, sounds from local cultural environments, speech sounds in a native tongue, and non-Western aesthetic concepts and musical forms. A number of these approaches are discussed, accompanied by musical examples and analysis of what motivates composers to follow these directions. Implications for musical practice are also addressed, with a focus on first hand composer narratives and observations. 1
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It has often been a challenge to secure adequate financial and institutional support to present electro-acoustic music in appropriate physical spaces, with sufficient staffing and technical infrastructure. A handful of unusual... more
It has often been a challenge to secure adequate financial and institutional support to present electro-acoustic music in appropriate physical spaces, with sufficient staffing and technical infrastructure. A handful of unusual opportunities arose in the late 1960s for partnerships between a business and artists. One of these was the Electric Circus, a discotheque in New York City, based upon an artistic conception by electronic composer Morton Subotnick in collaboration with visual artist Tony Martin. This paper explores the dynamics between artistic and commercial values at the Electric Circus and in a series of new music venues that ensued. It also offers as a counter example the highly non-commercial activity that flowed from Subotnick’s open access studio housed at New York University, sparking the careers of a group of young composers of note.
Research Interests:
Sounds of a Community (2001 2003), is a sound installation in which visitors explore multi-level relationships between traditional cultural identity, religious ritual and musical expression. The premise of this work is that technology can... more
Sounds of a Community (2001 2003), is a sound installation in which visitors explore multi-level relationships between traditional cultural identity, religious ritual and musical expression. The premise of this work is that technology can be a humanizing influence, encouraging people to cross boundaries between conventional and new musical aesthetics, traditional cultures and modern life, and religious and secular sensibilities. The installation is designed to be flexible, accessible, musically responsive, technologically subtle and emotionally compelling.
Research Interests:
Throughout its history, electroacoustic music has viewed itself as distinct from what are perceived as popular musical forms. This is problematic because a parallel experimental musical universe has existed within jazz and other... more
Throughout its history, electroacoustic music has viewed itself as distinct from what are perceived as popular musical forms. This is problematic because a parallel experimental musical universe has existed within jazz and other African-American musical traditions. This presentation explores collaborations between electroacoustic and jazz musicians during the 1960s and early 1970s, through the lens of the personal experiences of members of Herbie Hancock's "Mwandishi" band, and of electroacoustic musicians including Richard Teitelbaum and Gordon Mumma. The discussion interrelates racial and musical segregation, and argues for the inclusion of jazz and "creative music" forms within the domain of electroacoustic music.
Research Interests:
For twelve years, The Festival of Arts Shiraz / Persepolis in Iran hosted musical, theater and dance performances mixing traditional Persian arts with contemporary avant-garde works by Western composers, including electronic music by... more
For twelve years, The Festival of Arts Shiraz / Persepolis in Iran hosted musical, theater and dance performances mixing traditional Persian arts with contemporary avant-garde works by Western composers, including electronic music by Xenakis, Stockhausen, Cage, Tudor and Mumma. A proposed center for the arts, designed by Xenakis, unfortunately never came to fruition. A new generation of Iranian musicians was inspired by the presence of visiting artists, some studying abroad to further the country's art institutions. Iran during the final days of the Shah also presents a situation where artistic expression co-existed in an ultimately untenable balance with the political repression of Iranian citizens.
Page 1. ELECTRONIC ART AND ANIMATION CATALOG ART GALLERY 75 2D/3D Cynthia Beth Rubin/Bob Gluck ARTIST STATEMENT The nonlinear narrative of Layered Histories is drawn from the possible wanderings of the Marseilles Bible. ...
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the history of electronic music composition, technologies and institutions is traced from the founding of the state of israel in 1948. core developments are followed beginning with the founding generation including joseph tal, tzvi avni... more
the history of electronic music composition, technologies and institutions is traced from the founding of the state of israel in 1948. core developments are followed beginning with the founding generation including joseph tal, tzvi avni and yizhak sadai, continuing with the second and third generations of musicians and researchers, living in israel and the united states. the institutional and political dynamics of the field in this country are explored, with a focus on the challenges of building an audience and institutional support, as well as prospects for the future.
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eSaz is a performance system for live electronic music centred around a classical Turkish lute fitted with electronic sensors and linked to a software interface designed in Max/MSP. Placement of sensors and the design of its digital... more
eSaz is a performance system for live electronic music centred around a classical Turkish lute fitted with electronic sensors and linked to a software interface designed in Max/MSP. Placement of sensors and the design of its digital signal processing build upon the physical characteristics, and expand upon the acoustical features, of this traditional instrument. Its design facilitates the integration of real-time recorded, as well as pre-recorded sounds, into an unfolding montage of sound. The system is discussed from both a technical point of view and from the perspective of a Western electronic musician addressing a non-Western acoustical instrument. Relevant questions about cross-cultural borrowing and the impact of electronics on the sounds and performance technique of a traditional instrument are discussed. The author addresses the role played by his Jewish identification, as a member of an ethno-religious group with a historical connection to Ottomon musical traditions, on the...
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The phenomenon of contemporary composers reaching across cultures in search of inspiration, musical materials and forms, and new ideas is not a new one, but it is occurring now with greater frequency. Some seek to join inherited... more
The phenomenon of contemporary composers reaching across cultures in search of inspiration, musical materials and forms, and new ideas is not a new one, but it is occurring now with greater frequency. Some seek to join inherited traditions from within their own ancestral cultures with new traditions from the West or with new technologies. Some are Westerners exploring traditional musical forms and aesthetics from cultures different from their own. The process of engaging interculturally raises complex issues, at times challenging historical attitudes towards the culture of ‘the other’. The author considers a wide range of motivations for this emerging body of work, surveying the range of approaches that composers have taken, and urges the cultivation of cultural sensitivity. This essay proposes what the author terms a ‘reflective compositional process’ with which composers can explore their motivations and compositional strategies and consider the relationships inhering between mate...
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... it was worth the chance to find out if I could make it there” [4]. A practical matter remained: Subotnick's salary from the Lincoln Center Repertory ... Next to be played was recorded rock music, for which David Rosenboom and... more
... it was worth the chance to find out if I could make it there” [4]. A practical matter remained: Subotnick's salary from the Lincoln Center Repertory ... Next to be played was recorded rock music, for which David Rosenboom and Michael Sahl, both needing work, were hired as DJs. ...
Research Interests:
Iran in the 1970s was host to an array of electronic music and avant-garde arts. In the decade prior to the Islamic revolution, the Shiraz Arts Festival provided a showcase for composers, performers, dancers and theater directors from... more
Iran in the 1970s was host to an array of electronic music and avant-garde arts. In the decade prior to the Islamic revolution, the Shiraz Arts Festival provided a showcase for composers, performers, dancers and theater directors from Iran and abroad, among them Iannis Xenakis, Peter Brook, John Cage, Gordon Mumma, David Tudor, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Merce Cunningham. A significant arts center, which was to include electronic music and recording studios, was planned as an outgrowth of the festival. While the complex politics of the Shah's regime and the approaching revolution brought these developments to an end, a younger generation of artists continued the festival's legacy.
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... The ColumbiaPrinceton Electronic Music Center (CPEMC) in New York City was established in 1959 by founding ... by the author) and documentary sources (largely from the CPEMC archives), this article ... Studio logs (see Figure 1) from... more
... The ColumbiaPrinceton Electronic Music Center (CPEMC) in New York City was established in 1959 by founding ... by the author) and documentary sources (largely from the CPEMC archives), this article ... Studio logs (see Figure 1) from the archives proved invaluable resources. ...
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Sounds of a Community (2001–2003), a sound installation, is a series of sculptures modeled upon traditional Jewish ritual objects. The sculptures also serve as musical instruments. The installation is designed to offer an engaging musical... more
Sounds of a Community (2001–2003), a sound installation, is a series of sculptures modeled upon traditional Jewish ritual objects. The sculptures also serve as musical instruments. The installation is designed to offer an engaging musical experience but also a means by which people can explore complex issues relating to religious and cultural identity. Basic issues involved in the design, construction and programming of this work are presented, along with an exploration of how this work seeks to engage visitors in questions about their relationship to religious settings that involve the place of an individual within a group.
Research Interests:
Throughout its history, electroacoustic music has viewed itself as distinct from what are perceived as popular musical forms. This is problematic because a parallel experimental musical universe has existed within jazz and other... more
Throughout its history, electroacoustic music has viewed itself as distinct from what are perceived as popular musical forms. This is problematic because a parallel experimental musical universe has existed within jazz and other African-American musical traditions. This presentation explores collaborations between electroacoustic and jazz musicians during the 1960s and early 1970s, through the lens of the personal experiences of members of Herbie Hancock's "Mwandishi" band, and of electroacoustic musicians including Richard Teitelbaum and Gordon Mumma. The discussion interrelates racial and musical segregation, and argues for the inclusion of jazz and "creative music" forms within the domain of electroacoustic music.
Research Interests:
It has often been a challenge to secure adequate financial and institutional support to present electro-acoustic music in appropriate physical spaces, with sufficient staffing and technical infrastructure. A handful of unusual... more
It has often been a challenge to secure adequate financial and institutional support to present electro-acoustic music in appropriate physical spaces, with sufficient staffing and technical infrastructure. A handful of unusual opportunities arose in the late 1960s for partnerships between a business and artists. One of these was the Electric Circus, a discothèque in New York City, based upon an artistic conception by electronic composer Morton Subotnick in collaboration with visual artist Tony Martin. This paper explores the dynamics between artistic and commercial values at the Electric Circus and in a series of new music venues that ensued. It also offers as a counter example the highly non-commercial activity that flowed from Subotnick’s open access studio housed at New York University, sparking the careers of a group of young composers of note.
Research Interests:
While the relationship between music making and technology has been, for some, a controversial topic, all musical instruments are actually inherently technological. This essay traces the evolving history of musical instrument builders... more
While the relationship between music making and technology has been, for some, a controversial topic, all musical instruments are actually inherently technological. This essay traces the evolving history of musical instrument builders harnessing electronic technologies, from the Theremin to David Tudor, the Sonic Arts Union, and more recent interactive developments, including the early work of the author. From Tav+ (Haifa), 2007.
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Beyond the writings of George Lewis (Lewis 1996, 2002, 2007, 2008), little attention has been given within the electroacoustic scholarly community, to African-American musicians. The work of black musicians who have engaged with... more
Beyond the writings of George Lewis (Lewis 1996, 2002, 2007,
2008), little attention has been given within the electroacoustic scholarly community, to African-American musicians. The work of black musicians who have engaged with electronics outside of popular music, for example Charles Stepney, Eddie Harris, Muhal Richard Abrams and Miles Davis has been treated with controversy and skepticism. A fascinating and little discussed example may be found in the music of the Herbie Hancock Sextet, a group active in the early 1970s. Popularly known as the Mwandishi band, this group evolved from an excellent, largely acoustic jazz ensemble into one that engaged electroacoustic music aesthetics and practice. The argument of this essay is that Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi Band belongings simultaneously and fully within the worlds of jazz and electroacoustic music. This paper prepared for Electroacoustic Music Studies Network (Sorbonne, Paris, June 2008) was a precursor to the author's book "You'll Know When You Get There: Herbie Hancock and the Mwandishi Band" (University of Chicago Press, 2012; paperback 2013).
2008), little attention has been given within the electroacoustic scholarly community, to African-American musicians. The work of black musicians who have engaged with electronics outside of popular music, for example Charles Stepney, Eddie Harris, Muhal Richard Abrams and Miles Davis has been treated with controversy and skepticism. A fascinating and little discussed example may be found in the music of the Herbie Hancock Sextet, a group active in the early 1970s. Popularly known as the Mwandishi band, this group evolved from an excellent, largely acoustic jazz ensemble into one that engaged electroacoustic music aesthetics and practice. The argument of this essay is that Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi Band belongings simultaneously and fully within the worlds of jazz and electroacoustic music. This paper prepared for Electroacoustic Music Studies Network (Sorbonne, Paris, June 2008) was a precursor to the author's book "You'll Know When You Get There: Herbie Hancock and the Mwandishi Band" (University of Chicago Press, 2012; paperback 2013).
Research Interests:
The Reconstructionist Journal, Spring/Fall 1997.
Situating music within an evolving historical perspective of the Jewish people.
Situating music within an evolving historical perspective of the Jewish people.
Research Interests:
Reconstructionism Today (6:4, Summer 1999) "... We often settle for the lowest common denominator of aesthetic value in synagogue music, choosing functional simplicity over profundity. What can be easily sung by the group prevails. This... more
Reconstructionism Today (6:4, Summer 1999)
"... We often settle for the lowest common denominator of aesthetic value in synagogue music, choosing functional simplicity over profundity. What can be easily sung by the group prevails. This was a point made by Judith Kaplan Eisenstein, who bemoaned lack of regard for the rhythms of poetry and for all but the most obvious musical forms. She missed the subtlety of traditional Jewish liturgical music, how its modes reflected the nuances of different times of day and seasons."
"... We often settle for the lowest common denominator of aesthetic value in synagogue music, choosing functional simplicity over profundity. What can be easily sung by the group prevails. This was a point made by Judith Kaplan Eisenstein, who bemoaned lack of regard for the rhythms of poetry and for all but the most obvious musical forms. She missed the subtlety of traditional Jewish liturgical music, how its modes reflected the nuances of different times of day and seasons."
Research Interests:
In 1953, four composers were excitedly experimenting with a new musical approach using recorded and electronic sounds. Juan Amenabar and José Vincente Asuar were in Chile, Mauricio Kagel in Argentina, and Toshiro Mayuzumi in Japan. Their... more
In 1953, four composers were excitedly experimenting with a new musical approach using recorded and electronic sounds. Juan Amenabar and José Vincente Asuar were in Chile, Mauricio Kagel in Argentina, and Toshiro Mayuzumi in Japan. Their number increased three years later,when they were joined by Reginaldo Carvalho in Brazil and Toru Takemitsu in Japan. What was exceptional for the time was that these composers were situated neither in Europe nor North America..."
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Journal SEAMUS 2006
Expansion of a culturally specific musical instrument within an electracoustic music performance context.
Expansion of a culturally specific musical instrument within an electracoustic music performance context.
Research Interests:
From Proceedings of ICMC 2004. Sounds of a Community (2001-2003), is a sound installation in which visitors explore multi-level relationships between traditional cultural identity, religious ritual and musical expression. The premise of... more
From Proceedings of ICMC 2004.
Sounds of a Community (2001-2003), is a sound installation in which visitors explore multi-level relationships between traditional cultural identity, religious ritual and musical expression. The premise of this work is that technology can be a humanizing influence, encouraging people to cross boundaries between conventional and new musical aesthetics, traditional cultures and modern life, and religious and secular sensibilities. The installation is designed to be flexible, accessible, musically responsive, technologically subtle and emotionally compelling.
Sounds of a Community (2001-2003), is a sound installation in which visitors explore multi-level relationships between traditional cultural identity, religious ritual and musical expression. The premise of this work is that technology can be a humanizing influence, encouraging people to cross boundaries between conventional and new musical aesthetics, traditional cultures and modern life, and religious and secular sensibilities. The installation is designed to be flexible, accessible, musically responsive, technologically subtle and emotionally compelling.
Research Interests:
Published in Zaman (Iran), 2010. Valda Setterfield de la Merce Cunningham Dance Company dans une performance de Rainforest en 1968 avec des coussins conçus par Andy Warhol. Utilisant les mêmes coussins, Rainforest fut présenté à Shiraz... more
Published in Zaman (Iran), 2010.
Valda Setterfield de la Merce Cunningham Dance Company dans une performance de Rainforest en 1968 avec des coussins conçus par Andy Warhol. Utilisant les mêmes coussins, Rainforest fut présenté à Shiraz Event au Festival des arts de Shiraz de 1972 (Photo reproduite avec l'aimable autorisation de James Klosky)
Valda Setterfield de la Merce Cunningham Dance Company dans une performance de Rainforest en 1968 avec des coussins conçus par Andy Warhol. Utilisant les mêmes coussins, Rainforest fut présenté à Shiraz Event au Festival des arts de Shiraz de 1972 (Photo reproduite avec l'aimable autorisation de James Klosky)
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Living Music Journal, 2007. Electroacoustic composers drawing from within their own traditional cultures within a field that had historically defined itself in Eurological terms.
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A paper delivered at the “Architect of the Jewish Future: A Conference on the Life, Work, and Legacy of Rabbi Mordecai M. Kaplan.” At Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., March 2014. Mordecai Kaplan's understanding of Art was... more
A paper delivered at the “Architect of the Jewish Future: A Conference on the Life, Work, and Legacy of Rabbi Mordecai M. Kaplan.” At Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., March 2014.
Mordecai Kaplan's understanding of Art was communal in focus, and thus from the from the perspective of artists, limited. The legacy regarding the Arts, however, continues to be visionary. "On one hand, Jews as individuals continue to be in the forefront of the farthest reaches of the worlds of Art, music, dance, film, and multimedia. On the other hand, Jews appear to collectively and institutionally support work that is generally the most comfortable and familiar, and thus often the most conservative... Truly, Kaplan’s optimism continues to inspire, challenge, and maybe rebuke, when we recall his observation, more than 65 years ago, that “we are only at the very beginning in the process of creating a modern Jewish art.”
Mordecai Kaplan's understanding of Art was communal in focus, and thus from the from the perspective of artists, limited. The legacy regarding the Arts, however, continues to be visionary. "On one hand, Jews as individuals continue to be in the forefront of the farthest reaches of the worlds of Art, music, dance, film, and multimedia. On the other hand, Jews appear to collectively and institutionally support work that is generally the most comfortable and familiar, and thus often the most conservative... Truly, Kaplan’s optimism continues to inspire, challenge, and maybe rebuke, when we recall his observation, more than 65 years ago, that “we are only at the very beginning in the process of creating a modern Jewish art.”
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Delivered at the 12th Biennial Symposium on Arts and Technology, Connecticut College, February 2010. Electro-acoustic music has historically been viewed as exclusively an outgrowth of European aesthetics and technologies. This paper... more
Delivered at the 12th Biennial Symposium on Arts and Technology, Connecticut College, February 2010.
Electro-acoustic music has historically been viewed as exclusively an outgrowth of European aesthetics and technologies. This paper considers some of the obstacles that prevented music that crossed boundaries between electro-acoustic music and jazz, a musical tradition that emerged from African-American roots. Examples of boundary crossing are explored, with a focus on the Anthony Braxton - Richard Teitelbaum duets and Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi band of the early 1970s. Such collaborations challenge the notion that the two traditions have always been racial and aesthetically segregated from one another and suggest the possibilities for further creative endeavors.
Electro-acoustic music has historically been viewed as exclusively an outgrowth of European aesthetics and technologies. This paper considers some of the obstacles that prevented music that crossed boundaries between electro-acoustic music and jazz, a musical tradition that emerged from African-American roots. Examples of boundary crossing are explored, with a focus on the Anthony Braxton - Richard Teitelbaum duets and Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi band of the early 1970s. Such collaborations challenge the notion that the two traditions have always been racial and aesthetically segregated from one another and suggest the possibilities for further creative endeavors.