Gentle Fire

for any number of synthesizers (Alvin Lucier, 1971)

Collect, on tape, examples of ambient sound events such as those made by:

Screeching brakes
Chattering guests
Warring gangs
Rioting prisoners
Stalling motots
Colliding meteors
Orating politicians
Arguing lawyers
Heating kilns
Shooting rifles
Coughing engines
Droning turbines
Squaling tires
Maneuvering tanks
Drilling squads
Buzzing saws
Landing jets
Drilling rigs
Knocking radiators
Dragging tailpipes
Hawking newsboy
Squaking shoes
Tapping canes
Wailing sirens
Sporting blood
Roarding trains
Hissing cats
Rattling snakes
Raging fires
Snarling dogs
Collapsing mines
Bursting bombs
Burning houses
Sinking ships
Nagging wives
Snoring husbands
Braking trucks
Crashing planes
Diving bombers
Ripping fabric
Tearing paper
Falling trees
Breaking windows
Shattering glass
Gnashing teeth
...

Using an electronic music synthesizer or any equivalent configuration of
electronic components, process these examples in such a way that they become
transformed into what could be perceived as sound events of different origin
such as those made by

Snapping twigs
Swishing tails
Hammering nails
Opening jails
Laying rails
Emptying pails
Stacking bales
Wiring speakers
Frying eggs
Making beds
Painting reds
Buttering muffins
Erasing errors
Assuaging terrors
Stopping bottles
Screwing corks
Entering ports
Swaying dacers
Healing cancers
Cheering teams
Jumping beans
Splittering jeans
Waving queens
Scuttling crabs
Honking geese
Winding tape
Hanging crepe
Smacking lips
Bumping hips
Creaking ships
Clapping hands
Marching bands
Rattling bones
Heweing beams
Rubbing towels
Turning cogs
Nibbling mice
Passing floats
Weaving strands
Watering hoses
Easing throttles
...

For example, snarling dogs become crunching snow; crashing planes, laughing
girls; and maneuvering tanks, ocean waves.
Record these transformations on tape in any sequence on any number of channels,
using any manner of mixing, overlapping, or fading, taking care only that the
process of change from each original sound event to its final state of
transformation is slowly, gradually, and clearly heard.
Deploying microphones in remote places, bring about these transformations in
real time by the human manipulation of the synthesizer or with the help of
self-governing control systems.
Based on these procedures and experiences, design for your personal use and
store in your mind an imaginary synthesizer with which, when using in
conjunction with blocking, maskin, and pattern recognition techniques, you can
will fully bring about such transformations at any time in any place without the
help of external equipment.