Sounds and stories: James Andean explores the relationship between sound and narrative in electroacoustic music
Composer-researcher James Andean’s doctoral degree delves into acousmatic music and its narrative aspects.
Acousmatic music is a form of electroacoustic music composed for presentation using speakers. It uses recorded sound from the real world as music – for example the sound of footsteps makes a musical rhythm, or the sound of a train whistle or a car driving by is used as a musical phrase or gesture. Andean is interested in the ability of recorded sound to express both musical and non-musical information.
“While the listener hears an acousmatic composition as ‘music’, they also recognise the footsteps as footsteps, the car as a car. So they start thinking about footsteps or cars at the same time as they are enjoying the music. The images that these sounds create in the listerer’s mind is what is meant here by ‘non-musical information’”, Andean explains. “This project gave me the opportunity to explore how the listening experience can be shaped into a kind of storytelling.”
Andean’s doctoral work comprises 8 research articles and 9 electroacoustic compositions. The project aims to develop an advanced narrative approach to acousmatic music and to illustrate this approach through the compositions.
The compositions included in the degree were performed in a solo concert in December 2014. Seven of these were released in 2019 by empreintes DIGITALes, an internationally renowned label specialising in acousmatic music. Each of these compositions serves as a “case study” for examining the narrative qualities of acousmatic music.
In his research, Andean has identified various narrative modes that listeners utilise when experiencing acousmatic compositions. These modes offer new insights into how sound can convey stories in a deeply personal yet universal manner. Andean’s doctoral degree advances academic understanding while also enriching the creative field of electroacoustic music.
James Andean is finishing his doctoral degree in the Centre for Music Technology at the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki, as part of the Applied Study Programme of the MuTri Doctoral School. The public examination of Andean’s doctoral degree will be held on 7 September 2024 at the Helsinki Music Centre. Read more about the event
More information
James Andean
james.andean@dmu.ac.uk