Four Month Burst: Computer Music from 1984, by Cos Chapman

Four Month Burst: Computer Music from 1984

by Cos Chapman

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1.	EF Nineveh 03:30	buy track
2.	EF Akhetaten 04:04	buy track
3.	EF Yeha 02:16	buy track
4.	EF Harappa 03:58	buy track
5.	EF Divipantara 03:48	buy track
6.	EF6 01:09	buy track
7.	EF7 00:51	buy track
8.	EF8 01:30	buy track
9.	EF9 01:13	buy track
10.	EF10 01:36	buy track
11.	EF11 00:52	buy track
12.	EF12 01:00	buy track
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18.	EF18 00:41	buy track
19.	Etude 19 00:18	buy track
20.	Etude 20 00:41	buy track
21.	Etude 21 00:47	buy track
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35.	Etude 35 00:51	buy track
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42.	Etude 42 00:35	buy track
43.	Etude 43 00:50	buy track
44.	Etude 44 00:53	buy track
45.	Etude 45 00:56	buy track
46.	Etude 46 00:58	buy track
47.	Etude 47 00:25	buy track
48.	Etude 48 00:28	buy track
49.	Etude 49 00:23	buy track
50.	Etude 50 00:37	buy track
51.	Etude 51 00:15	buy track
52.	Etude 52 00:28	buy track
53.	Etude 53 00:34	buy track
54.	Etude 54 00:49	buy track
55.	Etude 55 00:32	buy track
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59.	Etude 59 00:24	buy track
60.	Etude 60 00:29	buy track
61.	Etude 61 00:27	buy track
62.	Etude 62 00:30	buy track
63.	Etude 63 00:53	buy track
64.	Etude 64 00:44	buy track
65.	Etude 65 00:39	buy track

about

All sounds, sequencing and programming created using a Yamaha CX5M 1 computer by Cos Chapman: Norwich 1984.
With grateful thanks to Sarah for her forbearance and to Rebecca with love.
And apologies for cultural appropriation - it was in an effort to understand, honest.

In 1984 I splashed out on a Yamaha CX5M computer. What followed was a four-month burst of musical activity. It came with a keyboard, an editor for its built in four operator FM synth (no pre-sets*) and a score based sequencer**. All that was needed was detailed knowledge FM synthesis and music notation - hmmmmm... Well I already used subtractive synthesis with the lovey EDP Wasp, programmed computers at work, and was (sort of) getting my head around music theory and acoustics via library books. FM synthesis was learnt by first imitating flute, guitar and piano - progressing to drums, wood-blocks, vibraphone and gongs - then pure electronics and evolving textures. These sounds were applied in these 65 short pieces.

The Can series of the same name inspired the Ethnic Forgeries (EF).
I was interested in non-western non-"art" music and as you can hear much was picked up from books without ever hearing the real thing - it was difficult to find “world music” in 80s Norwich. I also tried to imagine the lost music of ancient civilisations, reading about Mesopotamian, Harappan (Indus Valley), Olmec and early Indonesian cultures. We have the buildings, statues and some words, but what was the music like?

The Etudes include attempts at species counterpoint, functional harmony, 12-note serial the techniques and other bits of applied theory. A few years later Antony Pople heard Etudes 61 to 65.

“Who’s this?” he asked,
“Me” I replied.
“Would you like to study Composition?”
My jaw dropped. He was Lancaster University’s Professor of Music. “… er… Yes please…”

But that’s another story…

* It was capable of playing up to eight different sounds at once, with a limit of eight voices: one sound playing eight note chords or eight different sounds playing one note each. There were no pre-set sounds.

** The sequencer/score software used musical notation with things like ties, slurs, fermata, accidentals, bis, accel., rit., pizz, legato, sfz, volume controlled by “pp" and ffff", duplets, and durations from semibreve down to hemi-demi-quaver triplet. A lot about written music was learnt without playing from a score.

www.coschapman.com

credits

released July 1, 2020

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beauty and disgust recordings London, UK

Beauty & Disgust releases music which can contain elements of beauty or/and disgust. Sometimes other sounds/feelings too!
It started in 1989 as a cassette label, then became a net-label in 2015 and since releasing on physical format, it's now just a label. ... more

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