Alvin Lucier and the Physics of Listening

I listened to a recording of In Memoriam Jon Higgins by Alvin Lucier today; I’ve included a version of this on youtube below:

The piece is for clarinet in A and pure wave oscillator; the oscillator gradually ascends in frequency from 130.8 Hz to 1244.5 Hz, the range of the clarinet, whilst the clarinet intones with held notes across the ascending wave as the oscillator either approaches or departs from the tone. In the case of this video, the process takes about 20 minutes. The idea being that audible beating patterns emerge slowing or quickening in frequency as the clarinet and oscillator become closer or further apart, providing an odd sense of satisfaction as they reach unison. There’s a really interesting article on the physics of beating patterns and Tartini tones here.

I suppose what really interested me about this piece is that the interesting thing or even the objective, is neither the clarinet, nor the oscillator, nor the actual process itself. There is no notable motif or harmony in either part and the process is the same all the way through, so there is no surprising twist or conclusion. The focus here is purely on the actual physical manifestation of the sound, and the effects that listening to it produce for the listener. So what I’m listening to is not the actual ‘music’, but the sound my ears make when two tones approach each other in frequency. I’m listening to my listening.