Implementing spherical amplification in contemporary guitar practice - Francesco Palmieri and Giuseppe Silvi
Eckdaten
The dynamic limitations of the classical guitar, and the spatial behaviour of the electric guitar’s sound, have always been problematic aspects of these instruments. Implementing spherical amplification strategies in guitar performance practice would allow overcoming these issues, opening up unprecedented musical possibilities. Through the research conducted at and funded by the HSM Basel FHNW as well as the ICST (ZHdK) during the last year, we developed S.T.OOGE, the first outward-radiating spherical loudspeaker array specifically designed for guitar amplification. Even at this early stage, S.T.OOGE showed enormous potential in allowing total integration of acoustic and electroacoustic listening experiences, restoring fundamental interpretational tools that have been lost in the use of traditional amplification strategies. Integrating S.T.OOGE in one’s own performance practice means deeply redefining the scope of such, gaining awareness of basic interactions between instrument/s, body and space.
The lecture presents the outcomes of the research conducted until today, the technical choices that led to the construction of S.T.OOGE and a practical demonstration of its functioning will be given.
The research project S.T.OOGE was conducted as part of the test projects for the new MA SP Music and Research.
Francesco Palmieri (*1996, IT) is a Basel-based classical and electric guitarist.
He performed in numerous festivals and concert halls including Ruhrtriennale, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and Darmstädter Ferienkurse, collaborating with renowned composers, such as Salvatore Sciarrino, Beat Furrer, Enno Poppe, Simon Steen-Andersen, and ensembles, including Ensemble Musikfabrik, Collegium Novum Zurich and Ensemble Phace. His recordings are released for Kairos, Brilliant Classics, Contrastes Records and Liquen Records. He is a member of the musical collective Opificio Sonoro. After his studies in Fermo, Seville and Bern, in 2022 he graduated with a MA SP in Contemporary Music Performance from the Basel Hochschule für Musik.
Giuseppe Silvi (*1981, IT) is an electroacoustic musician and saxophonist.
He studied saxophone with Enzo Filippetti, electronic music with Giorgio Nottoli, Nicola Bernardini and Michelangelo Lupone, and electroacoustics with Piero Schiavoni at Conservatorio di Musica S. Cecilia of Rome. His research on sound space and musical dimensions led him to the construction of electroacoustic prototypes and software for music production. He is a member and sound director of the EMUfest staff, and a specialized sound engineer in surround recordings for Tactus, Naxos, Brilliant Classic and Sony. He is professor of electroacoustic music at the Conservatorio di Musica of Bari.