SHE, a SOLO (1973)

music for mezzo-soprano and electronic tape

In She, a Solo I created a complex acoustic environment within which a personality, that created by the voice, could emerge and develop. The tape at first is driving and overpowering for the soloist whose own confusion is expressed by numerous vignettes or styles of vocalization suggesting different characters. As the energy of the tape subsides, the soloist emerges into a solo lyrical role that progressively becomes more florid. Suddenly, the voice changes and the tape reappears, and the two interact now on a more equal basis, leading to a final state of peaceful equilibrium. The work is dedicated to Janneke Ritsema van Eck.

Working on the score for She, a Solo in an attic room in Utrecht, 1973

The score "drying", Utrecht, 1973

She, a Solo is available on the Melbourne album Sonic Landscapes and the Cambridge Street Records CD Twin Souls.

... She, a Solo is written for mezzo-soprano and tape and is sung by Phyllis Mailing. Her rendition is mesmerizing, easily going from singing into speaking or chanting, or using advanced vocal techniques. The marked angularity of the work makes it a very compelling piece. - alcides lanza, Computer Music Journal 27(2), 2003, p. 119.

Production Note
She, a Solo was composed at the Institute of Sonology, Utrecht, on a commission from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, while the composer was assisted by an Arts Bursary from the Canada Council. The tape was realized with mainly electronic sources and a small amount of added vocal material, and was mixed at the Institute of Sonology.

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