White Clouds
Wishart, Trevor
About the work
White Clouds was devised in workshops by performers from COMA under the artistic direction of Trevor Wishart. The text ‘white clouds in anticipation’ (alternatively ‘white clouds in an agitation’) and a set of pitches, were used as the basis for the groups composing using a variety of extended vocal techniques. Trevor Wishart also made recordings of the spoken and sung text, and transformed these materials on a computer using his own software, to produce the backing tape part of the piece. White Clouds is a piece for 20-30 voices with backing tape. The tape is structured in four sections. Voice parts based on the use of extended voice techniques were developed for each of these sections in a series of four workshops sessions. The piece lasts a total of 5′ 59″.
First Performance: CoMA, 22nd June 1996, Meltdown Festival, Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
Technical notes
The materials and instructions contained within this pack will enable others to re-perform the work in a manner that will reflect the spirit of the original, and which are firmly based on the musical principles embodied in the accompanying prerecorded backing tape.
Origin
The South Bank Centre in association with COMA