Silhouette

Violin and Tape; 7 minutes


A simple idea lies behind Silhouette for Violin and Tape. The live violin is echoed by the tape part, and the tape part is echoed by the violin. Most of the sounds on the tape part are processed audio samples of a recorded violin. The tape and violin never quite line up, creating out-of-sync music phrases or "silhouettes." The processed sounds combine with unprocessed samples and the live violin in a fabric of sound which exploits their common qualities and stark differences.

This piece was composed in the University of Toronto's Electronic Music Studio during the 1999-2000 academic year. Using a recording of an actual violin, the samples were put through various processes and manipulations with a computer. Using Steinberg's Cubase software, these "new" sounds were then arranged, layered, and combined with some MIDI data.

Premiered October 22, 2000 at Walter Hall, University of Toronto.


Scott St. John, violin




Recorded excerpts


Silhouette received first place in the 2000 SOCAN Awards for Young Composers, and second place in the CBC National Competition for Young Composers 2001.

Silhouette was performed by Victor Constanzi for the CBC competition, March 26, 2001.

A MIDI demo of the entire piece can be heard here: Real Audio
Score samples can be viewed here.