Prologue to Sounden Horn: A Phonetic Composition for Chamber Orchestra

Abstract

'Prologue to Sounden Horn' is a phonetic composition for chamber orchestra. Phonetic Composition is the orchestration of speech sounds for standard acoustic instruments. Spectrograms of audio recordings are used as a basis for musical content. The primary elements derived from spectrograms are speech formants – their relative ratios, transitions, and amplitudes. Function is then established based on applications of phonetics and phonology to determine organizational strategies including durational parameters and orchestration tools. Sculpting this data into a musically aesthetic work, based on and resembling the original speech recording, is the ultimate goal of Phonetic Composition. This document details that process.