In My Ears (for Maryanne)

Estelle Schorpp

In My Ears (for Maryanne) has been performed in Montréal and San Francisco…

In My Ears (for Maryanne) is a tribute to the work of American composer and sound artist Maryanne Amacher. Algorithmically composed using SuperCollider, the album highlights several aspects of her work: amplitude dynamics, sound-walk-inspired temporal structure and, above all, the musical exploration of distortion product otoacoustic emissions. The composition encourages the creation of “perceptual geographies,” to use Amacher’s terms, by making space, body and ear resonate at the same time. Thus, by alternating scales of perception within the temporality of an unfolding landscape, In My Ears (for Maryanne) is a sound experience that is both delicate and visceral, essentially physical. Distortion product otoacoustic emissions are sounds emitted by the inner ear when it is stimulated by two pure tones of close frequencies, generally between 1000 hz and 4000 hz at a certain amplitude. In response, the inner ear produces harmonic artifacts, resulting in a buzzing effect in the auditory canal.

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