Acustica

Composed between 1968 and 1970, Acustica, for “experimental sound devices” and speakers, is one of the most radical and extraordinary examples of Mauricio Kagel's sound research.

In his constant attempts to escape the constraints and conventions of traditional musical performance, Kagel leads us into a world of sound generated by exotic instruments and surreal inventions.

Acustica's instrumentarium is immense: it ranges from instruments from all cultures and historical periods to Kagel's own inventions, all meticulously notated.
Some examples taken from the notes on the first recording, now out of print and reissued by AGP, where you can download it in FLAC format (lossless compression):

Nail-Violin, a friction instrument invented in the mid-19th century 18th-century, in which iron rods of equal diameter but different lengths are set in vibration by a bow.
Roundpeg violin, as above, but with wooden rods.
Scabella, noisy sandals worn by choirmasters in ancient Rome.
Hinged board (Crepitacolo), a wooden plate to which various metal pieces are attached that act as clappers when the plate is shaken.
Metal tongues set in vibration by a crankshaft.
Various types of needles to explore deviant approaches to low fidelity: e.g. A gramophone with a knife blade inserted into a tin can instead of a needle.
Megaphones of various types.
Cross-blower for modulating the timbre of book pages.
Balloons used as resonators in wind instruments or as air reserves.
Pipe branch, a long tube connected to organ pipes, powered by a cylinder filled with compressed air.
Mutes for wind instruments equipped with a speaker connected to a recorder on which wind instrument notes are recorded.

The piece consists of the superposition of two different levels:

A pre-recorded 4-channel tape composed primarily of electronic sounds, but also of unmodified instrumental and vocal sounds.
The actions of the instrumentalists, varying in number from two to five.

In addition to the instructions for building the instruments, the score is composed of 200 filing cards, each with the symbol of the instrument used in the upper right corner.
The order of the cards is completely free, but the action indicated on each card is precisely described. The behavior of the performers and their facial expressions are also detailed on the cards. The performers decide the order in which they use them, as well as their entry times.

In the recording released by AGP, recorded in Cologne in 1971 under Kagel's direction, the first two parts are live and include five performers and the tape, controlled by the composer. Parts 3 and 4 are a studio assembly. They are not expected to be listened to consecutively.

What follows, however, is a performance by Acustica found on YouTube.
Performers: Kölner Ensemble für Neue Musik

A version by Tempo Reale.
Design and dramaturgy: Jonathan Faralli, Francesco Giomi
Performers: Monica Benvenuti, Francesco Canavese, Jonathan Faralli, Francesco Giomi
Sound direction: Damiano Meacci

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