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Breathe

The document is a program note for the composer's piece "Breathe", which explores the human body's sonic world by processing recorded breathing samples alongside synthesizer sounds. The piece aims to make the listener more aware of the importance of breathing to life. It combines samples of different human emotions and breathing patterns with electronic sounds in surround sound. The composer hopes to investigate the artistic potential of human instincts and the sonic capabilities of the body, believing sounds of emotions like laughter or crying can be understood universally without translation.

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Parsa Shomali
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45 views1 page

Breathe

The document is a program note for the composer's piece "Breathe", which explores the human body's sonic world by processing recorded breathing samples alongside synthesizer sounds. The piece aims to make the listener more aware of the importance of breathing to life. It combines samples of different human emotions and breathing patterns with electronic sounds in surround sound. The composer hopes to investigate the artistic potential of human instincts and the sonic capabilities of the body, believing sounds of emotions like laughter or crying can be understood universally without translation.

Uploaded by

Parsa Shomali
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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“Breathe”

A composition to investigate the human body’s sonic world


by
Parsa MohammadiNejadShomali
Submitted on June 22, 2020
Knowing in Performing – Artistic Research at the mdw (Lecture Series) 02

“The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of
contemplation rather than upon mere survival.” Aristotle

To breathe life is the greatest gift nature can offer us and through this piece
the importance of breathing is hopefully realized. “Breathe”, is made by the
combination of processed field recorded samples (each collected in different
situations including different human emotions) alongside samples made by
modular and other type of synthesizers which are acousmatic. The balance
between these two sources implemented into surround sound originally
meant to make individual inner visual pictures and for a moment it reminds
you how important breathing is to life. A cliché quote which demonstrates with
music would be Nietzsche’s quote “without music, life would be a mistake”,
though in terms of this dilemma we are in, without breathing, life would not
exist.

The text above is the program note of my composition “Breathe” where I


experimented with and examined the human body’s sonic capabilities. In my
understanding, every human being has common instinctive ways to communicate
with one another. Despite all of our cultural, social and individual differences,
there are certain emotions that we all understand. For example, Laughing, crying,
love, caring or empathy do not require much effort or translation to be understood
and therefore the sonic environment created out of those instincts and emotions
are understandable for all of us.

This point of view can also be traced in the field of music semiology which is the
study of signs as they relate to music on different levels.

I realized when a human being starts to pant, to breathe heavily or to show any
signs of problems in breathing, my empathy would be triggered to a level that I
feel I should either help or stop that person from having that experience. Extreme
breathing noises can be as expressive as a piece of classical music to me and I
would love to investigate this topic.

After watching Professor Henry Daniel’s lecture, I feel I am on the right track and
I am keen to explore the artistic capabilities of the human body and instincts
deeper. To a certain extent, I also think what we call unconscious, can deliver
enormous amount of information and by going deeper into human’s sonic world, I
am hoping to find new perspectives of what can be art and how it may/could be
regarded, valued and expressed.

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