Clarence Barlow
Encyclopedia
Clarence Barlow is a composer
of classical and electroacoustic
works.
in London
(Calcutta Centre), at the Hochschule für Musik Köln
(Music University Cologne) and at the Institute of Sonology
at Utrecht University
.
He was one of the founders of GIMIK: Initiative Musik und Informatik Köln. In 1988 he was the director of music at the International Computer Music Conference
in Cologne. For several years he was the director of the Institute of Sonology
, at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague
, where he also was titular professor at the Composition Department.
His students have included Georg Hajdu
, Juan Maria Solare
, Juan Sebastian Lach
, Kristoffer Zegers
, Patrick Saint-Denis
and Gabriel Pareyon
. He currently lives in California
where he teaches at the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
of classical and electroacoustic
Electroacoustic music
Electroacoustic music originated in Western art music during its modern era following the incorporation of electric sound production into compositional practice. The initial developments in electroacoustic music composition during the mid-20th century are associated with the activities of composers...
works.
Biography
Barlow was born in Calcutta, a member of the anglophone minority, of British and Portuguese descent. He studied at the Calcutta University, at the Trinity College of MusicTrinity College of Music
Trinity College of Music is one of the London music conservatories, based in Greenwich. It is part of Trinity Laban.The conservatoire is inheritor of elegant riverside buildings of the former Greenwich Hospital, designed in part by Sir Christopher Wren...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(Calcutta Centre), at the Hochschule für Musik Köln
Hochschule für Musik Köln
The Cologne University of Music is a music college in Cologne, and Germany's largest academy of music.-History:The academy was founded by Ferdinand Hiller in 1850 as Conservatorium der Musik in Coeln...
(Music University Cologne) and at the Institute of Sonology
Institute of Sonology
The Institute of Sonology is an education and research center for electronic music and computer music based at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague in the Netherlands.-Background:...
at Utrecht University
Utrecht University
Utrecht University is a university in Utrecht, Netherlands. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe. Established March 26, 1636, it had an enrollment of 29,082 students in 2008, and employed 8,614 faculty and staff, 570 of which are full professors....
.
He was one of the founders of GIMIK: Initiative Musik und Informatik Köln. In 1988 he was the director of music at the International Computer Music Conference
International Computer Music Conference
The International Computer Music Conference is a yearly international conference for computer music researchers and composers. It is the annual conference of the International Computer Music Association ....
in Cologne. For several years he was the director of the Institute of Sonology
Institute of Sonology
The Institute of Sonology is an education and research center for electronic music and computer music based at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague in the Netherlands.-Background:...
, at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague
Royal Conservatory of The Hague
The Royal Conservatory of The Hague is a conservatorium of music, providing higher education in music and dance, it is located in The Hague, Netherlands.-The Conservatory:...
, where he also was titular professor at the Composition Department.
His students have included Georg Hajdu
Georg Hajdu
Georg Hajdu is a German composer of Hungarian descent. His work is dedicated to the combination of music, science and computer technology. He is noted for his opera Der Sprung – Beschreibung einer Oper and the network music performance environment Quintet.net.-Biography:Hajdu was born to Hungarian...
, Juan Maria Solare
Juan María Solare
Juan María Solare is an Argentine composer and pianist.-Education:Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Solare studied and received his diploma in piano , composition and conducting at the Conservatorio Nacional de Música Carlos López Buchardo...
, Juan Sebastian Lach
Juan Sebastian Lach
Juan Sebastian Lach is a Mexican composer of classical, microtonal and electroacoustic works.He has played keyboards and piano in jazz and rock bands in Mexico. He is perhaps best known as one of the members of the progressive Guadalajara-based band Santa Sabina...
, Kristoffer Zegers
Kristoffer Zegers
Kristoffer Zegers is a Dutch composer.Taught by Gilius van Bergeijk, Jan Boerman, Martijn Padding, Clarence Barlow, Diderik Wagenaar at the Royal Conservatory in Den Haag.In Zegers' music microtonal clusters are the main object...
, Patrick Saint-Denis
Patrick Saint-Denis
Patrick Saint-Denis is a Canadian composer currently based in The Hague. His works have been performed at music festivals in North America, Europe and Asia. His composition Les dits de Victoire was awarded first prize in the SOCAN young composers competition in 2003 and the Jules Léger Prize for...
and Gabriel Pareyon
Gabriel Pareyon
Gabriel Pareyon is a polymathic Mexican composer and musicologist, who has published literature on topics of philosophy and linguistics....
. He currently lives in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
where he teaches at the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Compositional style and techniques
Barlow prefers traditional instrumental timbres to electronically synthesized ones because "they sound so much more alive and exciting" (Kaske 1985, 23). Although for this reason most of his works have been written for traditional instruments, he has frequently used the computer to generate the structures of his works. His comprehensive theory of tonality and metrics was first tested in the piano work Çoǧluotobüsişletmesi (1975–79). Spectral analysis and instrumental resynthesis of human speech has also played an important role in his compositions (Wilson 2001).Sources
- Clements, Dominy. 2009. "CLARENCE BARLOW—Interview". MusicWeb International (9 February) (Accessed 22 January 2010)
- Clarence Barlow, the International Artist Database
- Feedback Composers: Klarenz Barlow (Archive from 1 March 2010)
- Kaske, Stephan. 1985. "A Conversation with Clarence Barlow". Computer Music Journal 9, no. 1:19–28.
- Manion, M[ichael]. 2004. "Gimik: Initiative Musik und Informatik Köln r. V.". Cologne: Gimik e. V. (Accessed 22 January 2010)
- Toop, Richard. 2008. "Kulturelle Dissidenten: Die Stockhausen-Klasse der Jahre 1973 und 1974". MusikTexte: Zeitschrift für neue Musik, no. 116 (February): 46–49.
- Wilson, Peter Niklas. 2001. "Barlow, Klarenz [Clarence]". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley SadieStanley SadieStanley Sadie CBE was a leading British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians , which was published as the first edition of the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.Sadie was educated at St Paul's School,...
and John TyrrellJohn Tyrrell (professor of music)John Tyrrell was born in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia in 1942. He studied at the universities of Cape Town, Oxford and Brno. In 2000 he was appointed Research Professor at Cardiff University....
. London: Macmillan Publishers.
External links
- AUTOBUSK - Barlow's "Pitch and Rhythm Generator" software
- Clarence BARLOW page at P-ART
- Official site
- Some MP3s of Barlow's work
- Interview with Clarence Barlow by Bob Gilmore (2007) in Paris Transatlantic Magazine
- Interview with Musicweb International
- archived Culturebase article
- JST, HRM, and IDP site dedicated to Clarence