A History of Electroacoustic Music in Portugal - Revision history

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 Lately, the above composers have been joined by a younger generation of Portuguese composers giving a much needed impetus and dynamic to the Portuguese contemporary musical scene. New venues (festivals, competitions) for the diffusion and performance of electroacoustic music, stronger pedagogic efforts in some institutions, as well the already mentioned availability of music dedicated software and hardware enabled all these composers to be more easily represented in a public context, both nationally and internationally.
-[[File:Carlos Zingaro by Nuno Martins.jpg|thumb|Carlos Zíngaro - Photo by Nuno Martins]]The co-existence of divergent aesthetics proposals in the music scene can be traced to the relatively recent opening of Portuguese society to cultural exchange. This openness sustained a resistance to an eventual fixation by local stylistic schools and enabled the creation of several artistic networks. The resulting empowerment of individuals was responsible for much stimulating music that has been made outside the formal circuits. On the other hand, a certain way of thinking states that formal analysis is not one of the valued characteristics of Portuguese thought and whenever it must nevertheless be dealt with, it appears to be looked upon with suspicion, as a kind of betrayal of the “original”, “poetic” Portuguese culture. Whatever the weight or pertinence of these assertions, it is true that one can perceive a native dislike of systematic organisation. Nowhere is this more visible (or audible) than in the field of music improvisation, an area of immense activity in Portugal. One of the archetypal mavericks of the music improvisation scene is [[Carlos Zíngaro]], a performer/composer who started with an acoustic instrument, the violin gradually spread his activity to electronics and he has been a prolific collaborator with dancers, choreographers, film directors and musicians, like Richard Teitelbaum, all the way since the 1970s. Using a Midi violin with several analogic and digital electronic modules he deals with music structures both from free jazz and textures more connected with electroacoustic music. Likewise, the duo [[Telectu]] ([[Vítor Rua]] and [[Jorge Lima Barreto]]) was very active in the live-electronics and improvisation musical scene, especially during the decades of 1980s and 1990s. These two composers/improvisers performed with countless musicians, video artists and live performers, creating in many of their actuations a provocative climate not unlike the Fluxus group of artists.
+[[File:Carlos Zingaro by Nuno Martins.jpg|thumb|Carlos Zíngaro - Photo by Nuno Martins]]The co-existence of divergent aesthetics proposals in the music scene can be traced to the relatively recent opening of Portuguese society to cultural exchange. This openness sustained a resistance to an eventual fixation by local stylistic schools and enabled the creation of several artistic networks. The resulting empowerment of individuals was responsible for much stimulating music that has been made outside the formal circuits. On the other hand, a certain way of thinking states that formal analysis is not one of the valued characteristics of Portuguese thought and whenever it must nevertheless be dealt with, it appears to be looked upon with suspicion, as a kind of betrayal of the “original”, “poetic” Portuguese culture. Whatever the weight or pertinence of these assertions, it is true that one can perceive a native dislike of systematic organisation. Nowhere is this more visible (or audible) than in the field of music improvisation, an area of immense activity in Portugal. One of the archetypal mavericks of the music improvisation scene is [[Carlos Zíngaro]], a performer/composer who started with an acoustic instrument, the violin gradually spread his activity to electronics and he has been a prolific collaborator with dancers, choreographers, film directors and musicians, like Richard Teitelbaum, all the way since the 1970s. Using a Midi violin with several analogic and digital electronic modules he deals with music structures both from free jazz and textures more connected with electroacoustic music. Likewise, the duo [[Telectu]] ([[Vítor Rua]] and [[Jorge Lima Barreto]]) was very active in the live-electronics and improvisation musical scene, especially during the decades of 1980s and 1990s. These two composers/improvisers performed with countless musicians, video artists and live performers, creating in many of their performances a provocative climate not unlike the Fluxus group of artists.
 Born in Brazil, Emanuel Dimas de Melo Pimenta lives in Portugal since 1986 and has been a prolific composer of experimental music, much of it using electroacoustic media. Trained as an architect, his interest spans from graphic design to architectural metaphors applied to music composition. Other composers/performers, some with a background in cinema, design or coming from the rock/punk scene are at the forefront of the international presence of Portuguese music. People like Rafael Toral, Nuno Rebelo and Paulo Raposo/Carlos Santos (as the duo Vitriol) got their influences outside the institutional field, but have already an extensive curriculum of performances, cd editions and collaborations with national and international musicians in the field of electronic music. Using electronic devices (Rafael Toral uses the Etherevox, a Theremin recreation built by R. Moog), laptops with Max/MSP software, electric guitars, and other low tech devices, they are responsible for some stimulating music and are a big contribution to the international presence of Portugal in the electronic music scene during the decade of 1990s.

@@ Line 54: / Line 54: @@
 Lately, the above composers have been joined by a younger generation of Portuguese composers giving a much needed impetus and dynamic to the Portuguese contemporary musical scene. New venues (festivals, competitions) for the diffusion and performance of electroacoustic music, stronger pedagogic efforts in some institutions, as well the already mentioned availability of music dedicated software and hardware enabled all these composers to be more easily represented in a public context, both nationally and internationally.
-[[File:Carlos Zingaro by Nuno Martins.jpg|thumb|Carlos Zíngaro - Photo by Nuno Martins]]The co-existence of divergent aesthetics proposals in the music scene can be traced to the relatively recent opening of Portuguese society to cultural exchange. This openness sustained a resistance to an eventual fixation by local stylistic schools and enabled the creation of several artistic networks. The resulting empowerment of individuals was responsible for much stimulating music that has been made outside the formal circuits. On the other hand, a certain way of thinking states that formal analysis is not one of the valued characteristics of Portuguese thought and whenever it must nevertheless be dealt with, it appears to be looked upon with suspicion, as a kind of betrayal of the “original”, “poetic” Portuguese culture. Whatever the weight or pertinence of these assertions, it is true that one can perceive a native dislike of systematic organisation. Nowhere is this more visible (or audible) than in the field of music improvisation, an area of immense activity in Portugal. One of the archetypal mavericks of the music improvisation scene is [[Carlos Zíngaro]], a performer/composer who started with an acoustic instrument, the violin gradually spread his activity to electronics and he has been a prolific collaborator with dancers, choreographers, film directors and musicians, like Richard Teitelbaum, all the way since the 1970s. Using a Midi violin with several analogic and digital electronic modules he deals with music structures both from free jazz and textures more connected with electroacoustic music. Likewise, the duo [[Telectu]] ([[Víctor Rua]] and [[Jorge Lima Barreto]]) was very active in the live-electronics and improvisation musical scene, especially during the decades of 1980s and 1990s. These two composers/improvisers performed with countless musicians, video artists and live performers, creating in many of their actuations a provocative climate not unlike the Fluxus group of artists.
+[[File:Carlos Zingaro by Nuno Martins.jpg|thumb|Carlos Zíngaro - Photo by Nuno Martins]]The co-existence of divergent aesthetics proposals in the music scene can be traced to the relatively recent opening of Portuguese society to cultural exchange. This openness sustained a resistance to an eventual fixation by local stylistic schools and enabled the creation of several artistic networks. The resulting empowerment of individuals was responsible for much stimulating music that has been made outside the formal circuits. On the other hand, a certain way of thinking states that formal analysis is not one of the valued characteristics of Portuguese thought and whenever it must nevertheless be dealt with, it appears to be looked upon with suspicion, as a kind of betrayal of the “original”, “poetic” Portuguese culture. Whatever the weight or pertinence of these assertions, it is true that one can perceive a native dislike of systematic organisation. Nowhere is this more visible (or audible) than in the field of music improvisation, an area of immense activity in Portugal. One of the archetypal mavericks of the music improvisation scene is [[Carlos Zíngaro]], a performer/composer who started with an acoustic instrument, the violin gradually spread his activity to electronics and he has been a prolific collaborator with dancers, choreographers, film directors and musicians, like Richard Teitelbaum, all the way since the 1970s. Using a Midi violin with several analogic and digital electronic modules he deals with music structures both from free jazz and textures more connected with electroacoustic music. Likewise, the duo [[Telectu]] ([[Vítor Rua]] and [[Jorge Lima Barreto]]) was very active in the live-electronics and improvisation musical scene, especially during the decades of 1980s and 1990s. These two composers/improvisers performed with countless musicians, video artists and live performers, creating in many of their actuations a provocative climate not unlike the Fluxus group of artists.
 Born in Brazil, Emanuel Dimas de Melo Pimenta lives in Portugal since 1986 and has been a prolific composer of experimental music, much of it using electroacoustic media. Trained as an architect, his interest spans from graphic design to architectural metaphors applied to music composition. Other composers/performers, some with a background in cinema, design or coming from the rock/punk scene are at the forefront of the international presence of Portuguese music. People like Rafael Toral, Nuno Rebelo and Paulo Raposo/Carlos Santos (as the duo Vitriol) got their influences outside the institutional field, but have already an extensive curriculum of performances, cd editions and collaborations with national and international musicians in the field of electronic music. Using electronic devices (Rafael Toral uses the Etherevox, a Theremin recreation built by R. Moog), laptops with Max/MSP software, electric guitars, and other low tech devices, they are responsible for some stimulating music and are a big contribution to the international presence of Portugal in the electronic music scene during the decade of 1990s.

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 From his vast catalogue of compositions several were made with electroacoustic and computer techniques: ''Oceanos'' (1978-1980), ''Toiles II'' (1978-1980), ''Toiles IV'' (1978-1980), ''Toiles III'' (1978-1981), ''A-mér-es'' (1978-1979), ''Músicas da Terra'' (1982), ''Autómatos da Areia'' (1978-1984), ''Galets'' (1982-1983), ''Lendas de Neptuno'' (1987) and ''Música dos objectos e do acaso'' (1991) for multimedia.
-One has to also mention composer [[Álvaro Salazar]] (1938) who with the help of the Gulbenkian Foundation, studied with Pierre Schaeffer at the GRM in Paris in 1970 and was a teacher of electroacoustic composition at the Escola Superior de Música do Porto – later called ESMAE. And composer José Lopes e Silva (1937) who studied with F. Pires, J. Peixinho, [[Gy%C3%B6rgy_Ligeti|G. Ligeti]] and [[Iannis Xennakis|I. Xennakis]], among others and produced some electroacoustic compositions: ''Fragmentos'' (1974) and ''Tentações for dancers and tape'' (1990).
+One has to also mention composer [[Álvaro Salazar]] (1938) who with the help of the Gulbenkian Foundation, studied with Pierre Schaeffer at the GRM in Paris in 1970 and was a teacher of electroacoustic composition at the Escola Superior de Música do Porto – later called ESMAE. And composer José Lopes e Silva (1937) who studied with F. Pires, J. Peixinho, [[Gy%C3%B6rgy_Ligeti|G. Ligeti]] and [[Iannis Xenakis|I. Xenakis]], among others and produced some electroacoustic compositions: ''Fragmentos'' (1974) and ''Tentações for dancers and tape'' (1990).
 === 3.2 Creating possibilities ===
@@ Line 54: / Line 54: @@
 Lately, the above composers have been joined by a younger generation of Portuguese composers giving a much needed impetus and dynamic to the Portuguese contemporary musical scene. New venues (festivals, competitions) for the diffusion and performance of electroacoustic music, stronger pedagogic efforts in some institutions, as well the already mentioned availability of music dedicated software and hardware enabled all these composers to be more easily represented in a public context, both nationally and internationally.
-The co-existence of divergent aesthetics proposals in the music scene can be traced to the relatively recent opening of Portuguese society to cultural exchange. This openness sustained a resistance to an eventual fixation by local stylistic schools and enabled the creation of several artistic networks. The resulting empowerment of individuals was responsible for much stimulating music that has been made outside the formal circuits. On the other hand, a certain way of thinking states that formal analysis is not one of the valued characteristics of Portuguese thought and whenever it must nevertheless be dealt with, it appears to be looked upon with suspicion, as a kind of betrayal of the “original”, “poetic” Portuguese culture. Whatever the weight or pertinence of these assertions, it is true that one can perceive a native dislike of systematic organisation. Nowhere is this more visible (or audible) than in the field of music improvisation, an area of immense activity in Portugal. One of the archetypal mavericks of the music improvisation scene is [[Carlos Zíngaro]], a performer/composer who started with an acoustic instrument, the violin gradually spread his activity to electronics and he has been a prolific collaborator with dancers, choreographers, film directors and musicians, like Richard Teitelbaum, all the way since the 1970s. Using a Midi violin with several analogic and digital electronic modules he deals with music structures both from free jazz and textures more connected with electroacoustic music. Likewise, the duo [[Telectu]] ([[Víctor Rua]] and [[Jorge Lima Barreto]]) was very active in the live-electronics and improvisation musical scene, especially during the decades of 1980s and 1990s. These two composers/improvisers performed with countless musicians, video artists and live performers, creating in many of their actuations a provocative climate not unlike the Fluxus group of artists.
+[[File:Carlos Zingaro by Nuno Martins.jpg|thumb|Carlos Zíngaro - Photo by Nuno Martins]]The co-existence of divergent aesthetics proposals in the music scene can be traced to the relatively recent opening of Portuguese society to cultural exchange. This openness sustained a resistance to an eventual fixation by local stylistic schools and enabled the creation of several artistic networks. The resulting empowerment of individuals was responsible for much stimulating music that has been made outside the formal circuits. On the other hand, a certain way of thinking states that formal analysis is not one of the valued characteristics of Portuguese thought and whenever it must nevertheless be dealt with, it appears to be looked upon with suspicion, as a kind of betrayal of the “original”, “poetic” Portuguese culture. Whatever the weight or pertinence of these assertions, it is true that one can perceive a native dislike of systematic organisation. Nowhere is this more visible (or audible) than in the field of music improvisation, an area of immense activity in Portugal. One of the archetypal mavericks of the music improvisation scene is [[Carlos Zíngaro]], a performer/composer who started with an acoustic instrument, the violin gradually spread his activity to electronics and he has been a prolific collaborator with dancers, choreographers, film directors and musicians, like Richard Teitelbaum, all the way since the 1970s. Using a Midi violin with several analogic and digital electronic modules he deals with music structures both from free jazz and textures more connected with electroacoustic music. Likewise, the duo [[Telectu]] ([[Víctor Rua]] and [[Jorge Lima Barreto]]) was very active in the live-electronics and improvisation musical scene, especially during the decades of 1980s and 1990s. These two composers/improvisers performed with countless musicians, video artists and live performers, creating in many of their actuations a provocative climate not unlike the Fluxus group of artists.
 Born in Brazil, Emanuel Dimas de Melo Pimenta lives in Portugal since 1986 and has been a prolific composer of experimental music, much of it using electroacoustic media. Trained as an architect, his interest spans from graphic design to architectural metaphors applied to music composition. Other composers/performers, some with a background in cinema, design or coming from the rock/punk scene are at the forefront of the international presence of Portuguese music. People like Rafael Toral, Nuno Rebelo and Paulo Raposo/Carlos Santos (as the duo Vitriol) got their influences outside the institutional field, but have already an extensive curriculum of performances, cd editions and collaborations with national and international musicians in the field of electronic music. Using electronic devices (Rafael Toral uses the Etherevox, a Theremin recreation built by R. Moog), laptops with Max/MSP software, electric guitars, and other low tech devices, they are responsible for some stimulating music and are a big contribution to the international presence of Portugal in the electronic music scene during the decade of 1990s.

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-The following article from the MIC.PT Archive, “A History of Electroacoustic Music in Portugal” by the Portuguese composer [[António Ferreira]], has been republished here with the kind permission of the Portuguese Music Research & Information Centre – wwww.mic.pt. You can read the original article by clicking [http://mic.pt/dispatcher?where=3&what=2&show=0&edicao_id=6383&lang=EN here].
+[[File:AS foto03 high.jpg|thumb|Álvaro Salazar. Photo by Perseu Mandillo, sourced from the Portuguese Music Research & Information Centre – MIC.PT]]The following article from the MIC.PT Archive, “A History of Electroacoustic Music in Portugal” by the Portuguese composer [[António Ferreira]], has been republished here with the kind permission of the Portuguese Music Research & Information Centre – wwww.mic.pt. You can read the original article by clicking [http://mic.pt/dispatcher?where=3&what=2&show=0&edicao_id=6383&lang=EN here].
 '''A History of Electroacoustic Music in Portugal'''
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 == 2. The elusive quest for an electroacoustic music studio in Portugal ==
-The availability and affordability of recent technology allowed for the creation of numerous private studios. Indeed, many recent and old compositions were created outside traditional institutions, whose tackling of electroacoustic composition, either by the creation or modernization of dedicated studios is relatively recent. Most Portuguese composers either with institutional or private funds established the first contacts and produced their first compositions in foreign institutions and centres. Pioneers like [[Jorge Peixinho]] - who worked in the Electronic Studio of Bilthoven, the Netherlands (1960) and in the IPEM studio in Ghent, Belgium (1972) – produced one of his compositions in the Electronic Studio of GMEB-Bourges, France in 1977. Others like [[Cândido Lima]] worked and produced pieces on the UPIC system at the CEMAMu in Vincennes, France (1977-1981). Both [[Filipe Pires]] and [[Álvaro Salazar]] worked in the GRM studios in Paris, France between 1971 and 1972.
+[[File:FP foto02 high.jpg|thumb|Filipe Pires. Photo by Perseu Mandillo, sourced from the Portuguese Music Research & Information Centre – MIC.PT]]The availability and affordability of recent technology allowed for the creation of numerous private studios. Indeed, many recent and old compositions were created outside traditional institutions, whose tackling of electroacoustic composition, either by the creation or modernization of dedicated studios is relatively recent. Most Portuguese composers either with institutional or private funds established the first contacts and produced their first compositions in foreign institutions and centres. Pioneers like [[Jorge Peixinho]] - who worked in the Electronic Studio of Bilthoven, the Netherlands (1960) and in the IPEM studio in Ghent, Belgium (1972) – produced one of his compositions in the Electronic Studio of GMEB-Bourges, France in 1977. Others like [[Cândido Lima]] worked and produced pieces on the UPIC system at the CEMAMu in Vincennes, France (1977-1981). Both [[Filipe Pires]] and [[Álvaro Salazar]] worked in the GRM studios in Paris, France between 1971 and 1972.
 In more recent times the trend continued. Composers like [[João Pedro Oliveira]], [[Amílcar Vasques-Dias]], [[Isabel Soveral]], [[Tomás Henriques]], [[António Ferreira]] worked in several international institutions ranging from the Institute of Sonology, Den Haag, the Netherlands to American Universities with connections to the composition of what American composers called “electronic tape music” – Columbia University, University of New York-Stony Brook, Buffalo University, etc. Others like [[António de Sousa Dias]], [[João Rafael]], [[Virgílio de Melo]] and [[Miguel Azguime]] either worked and maintained contacts with music centers in France, Belgium, Germany or - like [[Pedro Rebelo]] at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland - established themselves in other countries. Even composers connected to the improvisation scene like [[Rafael Toral]] became notorious after their stay and performances in the USA. Because of a chronic lack of institutional support or interest the notion of the traditional electroacoustic studio based on the idea of providing composers with idiosyncratic technology with assistance from technicians and musical assistants was never a reality in Portugal, in contrast with other countries (Germany, Italy, France) in the 1950s and 1960s.
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 === 3.2 Creating possibilities ===
-Since the beginning of 1980s the Portuguese musical scene (at least some parts of it) got a breath of fresh ideas and attitudes both in the field of music teaching and information availability while there was an increase of the international circulation of people and ideas. But as for electroacustic composition, composers still needed to make an international trek to foreign centres in order to get information, contacts and specific technical training. On the other hand, this partial renovation of the Portuguese musical scene allowed for the development of a generation of composers with improved technical competences, especially in the restricted area of electroacoustic music. In addition, electronic instruments (synthesizers and MIDI controllers), personal computers and music related software, both commercial and noncommercial (Csound in 1986, Max in 1988), were all starting to become available at an affordable price. This enabled some composers to build electroacoustic music studios in educational institutions as well as private studios. Three composers stand out especially for their relevant work teaching electroacoustic music composition to the present generation of Portuguese composers. [[Amílcar Vasques-Dias]] (1945), following a grant to study in the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, the Netherlands in 1982, established himself in that country for 14 years. Following studies in the Columbia University, USA and Simon Fraser University, Canada he came back to Portugal to teach, first at the Aveiro University and then at the Évora University. During his stay in Holland he studied with L. Andriessen, P. Schat and I. Van Bergej with whom he learned electroacoustic techniques. He created electroacoustic compositions: ''Dia d’ira'' (1979-1980), ''Ave'' (1983), ''Galexpo'' (1984) and ''Energiate'' (1993) for multimedia.
+[[File:AVD foto03 high.jpg|thumb|Amílcar Vasques Dias in 2003. Photo by Perseu Mandillo, sourced from the Portuguese Music Research & Information Centre - MIC.PT website]]Since the beginning of 1980s the Portuguese musical scene (at least some parts of it) got a breath of fresh ideas and attitudes both in the field of music teaching and information availability while there was an increase of the international circulation of people and ideas. But as for electroacustic composition, composers still needed to make an international trek to foreign centres in order to get information, contacts and specific technical training. On the other hand, this partial renovation of the Portuguese musical scene allowed for the development of a generation of composers with improved technical competences, especially in the restricted area of electroacoustic music. In addition, electronic instruments (synthesizers and MIDI controllers), personal computers and music related software, both commercial and noncommercial (Csound in 1986, Max in 1988), were all starting to become available at an affordable price. This enabled some composers to build electroacoustic music studios in educational institutions as well as private studios. Three composers stand out especially for their relevant work teaching electroacoustic music composition to the present generation of Portuguese composers. [[Amílcar Vasques-Dias]] (1945), following a grant to study in the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, the Netherlands in 1982, established himself in that country for 14 years. Following studies in the Columbia University, USA and Simon Fraser University, Canada he came back to Portugal to teach, first at the Aveiro University and then at the Évora University. During his stay in Holland he studied with L. Andriessen, P. Schat and I. Van Bergej with whom he learned electroacoustic techniques. He created electroacoustic compositions: ''Dia d’ira'' (1979-1980), ''Ave'' (1983), ''Galexpo'' (1984) and ''Energiate'' (1993) for multimedia.
 Both João Pedro Oliveira (1959) and António de Sousa Dias (1959) are active in the field of electroacoustic music composition, teaching and application of new technologies to music. António de Sousa Dias, presently researching at the University of Paris VIII, combines formal musical training with an engineering background, being also a composer and sound designer for cinema. His interest in jazz – like Amílcar Vasques-Dias – led him to write several compositions exploring interactive music composition using computer controlled MIDI synthesizers with Max software. At the Lisbon Superior School of Music (ESML) he created one of the first dedicated electroacoustic music studios. Some of his electroacoustic/electronic compositions are: