En écho

An excerpt from a piece by Philippe Manoury (En écho, 1993-1994, text by Emmanuel Hocquart) in which the computer generates sounds in real time following the soprano's performance. In practice, the computer is able to listen to the performer and, based on the score, can follow them despite any slowing down or speeding up.

In this case, everything is made simpler by the fact that the performer is a soloist and not an ensemble, so only one voice has to be followed, but even so, it's not a trivial matter.

Written in collaboration with programmer Miller Puckette, “En Echo” uses real time score-following software which responds to the singer’s voice. In Emille Hocquart’s text, a young woman recollects a heated affair.

“The computer is automatically following the voice,” Mr. Manoury explained. “It functions as what we call a ‘score-follower.’ The singer sings in tempo, or with an acceleration, and the computer synchronizes to make synthetic sounds that are deduced from alterations in the voice — not precalculated, but produced in real time. If the voice modifies the vowels, for example, it modifies the electronics.” Messrs. Manoury and Puckette have worked since the latter moved from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1989 and joined Mr. Manoury at the famous studios at IRCAM (l’Institut de Recherche et de Coordination Acoustique/Musique), which Pierre Boulez founded in Paris.

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