bass clarinet and fixed electronics (2003)
Harry Sparnaay, bass clarinet
Ónice is available on Innova Recordings 662 (Alexandra Gardner, Luminoso)
instrumentation
Bb bass clarinet
stereo audio file
details
Duration: 9:15
Commissioned by: Phonos Foundation
Premiere: December 6, 2003
Harry Sparnaay at Centro Cultural Conde Duque, Madrid, Spain
purchase music
DIGITAL / PDF
Score + Audio File + Reference MP3 — $30
program note
Ónice (the Spanish word for onyx) was written for bass clarinetist Harry Sparnaay and composed at the IUA/Phonos Foundation studios in Barcelona, Spain. As with many of my works for instrument and electronic sounds, the two parts are woven into an aural landscape of shifting rhythms and textures based on the acoustic instrument’s sonic material. In this case, the recorded bass clarinet sounds have been processed into entirely different forms, creating a sonic space in which the performer places themselves through active listening.
Traditionally, the stone called onyx is believed to absorb and transform negative energy – helping bring us into contact with our true realities by assisting in the gradual release of all that is not in harmony with our present lives.