Music Composition Resources

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Archives for December 2007

Doggiebox: New Beta Release

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Zygoat has recently released a new beta version of their drum machine application, Doggiebox. Ben Kennedy developer of Doggiebox made the announcement some days ago through the Zygoat Doggiebox discussion list.

Changes in this build (1F2) since version 1.3.1 (1E15):

  • Now a Universal Binary (will run natively on Intel-based Macs).
  • Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) is now required.
  • The framework for loading and saving sound file on disk has been replaced with entirely new code.

Known issues:

  • Sound playback is inconsistent under Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard).
  • Exporting to some file types (e.g. MP3) does not work properly.

Areas for testing:

Make backup copies of your song and drum kit files before re-saving them with this version of Doggiebox, particularly if running on an Intel-based Mac. With this in mind, test to make sure that files you create with this build still open and work properly in Doggiebox 1.3.1. Also verify sound file importing and exporting and note any problems with compatibility of output files or the user interface.

This Beta version of Doggiebox is only available to registered users. If you would like to subscribe to Doggiebox’s mailing list, you can do so either via this web-based form or by sending an empty message to doggiebox-subscribe@lists.zygoat.ca.

Other comments:

The move to Univeral Binary has meant increasing the minimum supported Mac OS version from 10.3 (Panther) to 10.4 (Tiger). This is a side effect of portability; put simply, the routines that Doggiebox has used since 1.0 for handling sound files (a library called libsndfile by Erik de Castro Lopo) is hard to build for both PowerPC and Intel without involving two physically different computers. Fortunately, starting in 10.4, the Mac OS has provided similar sound-file services. Thus the decision has been made to retire libsndfile in favour of the OS-provided code. Aside from the Universal Binary build, this is the new major change in this build.

The playback problems under Leopard still persist for the moment, but this issues
will be addressed soon.

The 2008 Salvatore Martirano Memorial Composition Award

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(We would like to thank Mr. Zack Browning for letting us know about this)

“The Salvatore Martirano Memorial Composition Award is an international composers’ competition held annually in memory of Mr. Martirano who was a faculty member at the University of Illinois from 1963 to 1995. Since its inception in 1996, the competition has attracted over 1,000 entries from over 30 countries. The first place prize consists of $1000.00 and a performance of the winning composition by the University of Illinois New Music Ensemble at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. Zack Browning who is an Associate Professor of Music at the University of Illinois directs the competition.” You can read more about Salvatore Martirano here.

The University of Illinois School of Music presents.
The 2008 Salvatore Martirano Memorial Composition Award.

Eligibility: Any composer, regardless of age or nationality.

Awards: First Prize cash award of $1000 and second prize cash award of $500 plus performances by the University of Illinois New Music Ensemble in the fall of 2008 at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. Additional awards and performances may be given at the discretion of the judges.

Judges: A panel of judges consisting of University of Illinois music composition faculty members will select the winning compositions. The winning composers are expected to attend the award concert/reception and will be responsible for their transportation costs (the competition will provide a stipend for lodging). The winning composers will assume full responsibility for providing adequate performance materials upon request.

Guidelines:
1. Medium: Full scores of any style or aesthetic direction for one to fifteen performers (including vocalists) may be submitted. Works for tape, electronics and/or mixed media with or without instruments/voices are eligible.
2. Duration: 20 minutes maximum
3. Limit: One entry per composer
4. Entry fee: A non-refundable entry fee of fifteen U.S. dollars ($15.00) in the form of a check must be included with each submission. All checks must be payable to the University of Illinois, and must be an international money order or drawn on a U.S. bank.
5. Anonymous Submission: The composer’s name must not appear on the score itself or on any item (tape, CD, etc.) submitted in supplement to the application. A sealed envelope must accompany the score and contain the composer’s name, address, telephone number/e-mail (if applicable) and a brief biographical sketch. If a recording of the work is available, it should accompany the score and be identified only by the title of the composition.
6. Return of Materials: Scores will not be returned unless a self-addressed, stamped envelope of the proper size is enclosed.

Send submissions to:
2008 Martirano Composition Award
Attn: Zack Browning, Director, Martirano Award
2136 Music Building
University of Illinois
1114 West Nevada
Urbana, IL 61801 USA
zbrownin@uiuc.edu
http://www-camil.music.uiuc.edu:16080/comptheory/Awards/Martirano.html
All submissions must be postmarked by February 29, 2008.

Karlheinz Stockhausen dies at 79

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An icon of contemporary classical music, Karlheinz Stockhausen passed away on December 5th 2007 at his home in Kuerten-Kettenberg. Stockhausen and his music have been both controversial and influential. He composed a total 362 works, including the world’s longest opera, Licht, a sequence of seven pieces – one for every day of the week. The whole piece lasts 29 hours and composed over a 25 years period, beginning in 1977. Licht is due to be performed in full for the first time next year at The European Centre for the Arts Hellerau in Dresden, Germany. His early pieces remain significant and influential steps in the development of of postwar music. Stockhausen was also a crucial figure in the history of electronic music and remains one of its most accomplished exponents. The works which were composed until 1969 are published by Universal Edition in Vienna, and all works since then are published by the Stockhausen-Verlag. Numerous texts by Stockhausen and about his works have been published by the Stockhausen Foundation for Music. He was 79 years old.