Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 7, 1963)
Hunter Uses Water Drops and Tape Recorder 10 most people the sound of dripping water is not exactly musical, but Donald I,. Hunter has other ideas. He has composed a musical concert out of water drops Hunter, head of the University library audiovisual department, with the aid of tape recorders made music using water drops as the basic sound for a composi tion presented during a contem porary music concert last sprjng term at the University. Hunter’s modern electronic music composing is an outgrowth of his hobby of finding new means of expression through the tape recorder. Uses Three Recorders To make a modern electronic musical composition, Hunter uses three tape recorders and a signal generator. There is no rule on the number of tape recorders that can he used More tape recorders offer more possibilities. He can take any sound and make music. The tape recorder can manipu late concrete, or natural sounds I he sound can be accelerated or slowed down, patterns repeated by loops or echoed Hunter then applies electrically produced sounds to add greater variety and dimension to the music and then edits and splices the tapes to make music. Horner Keller, associate profes sor of music theory and composi tion, and Hunter have collaborat ed in the development of modern electronic music on the campus. They teach a seminar in elec tronic music composition The University Graduate School has awarded a grant of $1,590 to Hunter and Keller for an analysis of electronic equip ment as a medium for contem porary composition, and to ac quire basic equipment for an electronic lab for the University. Toured Labs Early in September Hunter and Keller toured electronic music labs of the Columbia Princeton center in New York, University of Toronto, and the University of Illinois to gather ideas to help develop an electronic music lab at the University. The Columhia-Princeton elec tronic lab is the site of the devel opment of the first “music syn thesizer” built by RCA, which can imitate any sound known to man. The machine is much like an electronic computer, but in stead of dealing with numbers it deals with sounds. Today, the music synthesizer is considered the ultimate in mod ern electronic music composing. It can imitate anything from a Tchaikovsky piano concerto to “Louie, Louie.” Of all sounds, the human voice is one of the most difficult to imi tate. But as the machine is im proved, the human voice will sound as natural as in real life. New Sounds Sought Neither Hunter nor Keller think the music synthesizer will replace the human performer. The imitation quality is not quite on a par with some musical in struments It is not likely that people will go to a concert with Letters to the Editor, <Continued from f’ai/c 2) tally, or at least partially, inept at lire fighting But a hose in the hand is worth two firemen at the fire house. Since the fire department so petically stated that the men of Bean "really flooded the place out” we would suggest that prior to the beginning of each school year, the dormitories be given a three week cram course in proper methods of putting out dormitory fires. This is most necessary since the Eugene Fire Department answers calls to fires only after the fire has been contained and thus it is necessary to put out the fire properly so as not to be criticized for an obvious ama teur performance. I he firemen contained the fire at 4:37 a m. if and only if you assume that any fire which is contained in the Eugene area is contained by the fire depart ment Since this is their major duty and reason for existing, it is a fair assumption. We can see why the caption under the picture accompanying the article reads "in their at tempt to contain a smoke fire” since by the time the firemen arrived there was nothing left of the fire except smoke The picture shows three figures in the lobby of Moore Hall Two of them are obviously distinguished members of the Eugene Fire Department since they are wearing the traditional ceremonial garb. The third fig ure is more difficult to identify. Who is he? What is he doing there? Is he only a hanger-on who likes to watch fires and be almost overcome by smoke? Is he the person who started the fire* since we know that the criminal returns to the scene of his crime? He is none of these. He is a man from Parsons. Strangely enough he is holding a fire hose (not donated by the Eugene Fire Department) which is be ing used to, of all things, put out the fire which subsequently became a “smoke fire.” Since we obviously usurped the authority vested in the Eu gene Fire Department, we would like to thank and most humbly appreciate the fact that no dis ciplinary action was taken against Parsons Hall or East Dean for tampering with two fire hoses, one fire extinguisher and one or two fire alarms. This could come to a total of $250 in fines. We are also appre ciative of the city government for not taking any action against a volunteer fire brigade for be ing so pretentious as to think that the illustrious Eugene Fire Department would not come to the aid of a stricken living or ganization. Daniel Langnteyer Graduate in Psychology * * * ‘Slanted Fire Story’ Emerald Editor: In regard to your article about the Moore Hall lounge fire in the Nov. 6th edition of the Emerald, I think there has been some "slanted" informa tion given to you. First of all, from the time I heard the fire alarm to the time the firemen arrived, there lapsed a time of at least ten minutes. Secondly, when the men in red did arrive it looked to me as if the fire was already under control and near extinc tion As for the actions of the Par sons Hall men. of which I was not a part but merely an on looker. 1 can say that they did what anyone else would do un der those circumstances. We all stood and watched the fire for about five to seven minutes thinking that the firemen would arrive. At the end of this time, the big windows started to crack and it was evident that the fire was going to get worse; still the redcoats were not present. The men from Parsons then broke the cracked window and doused the fire. One last note: We would not have had to “flood the place out” had we not been doing other peoples jobs for them After all, we were not experi enced fire fighters then. Steve Baker, Social Chairman Parson Hall Words for Pearson Emerald Editor: The remarks o£ State Senator Pearson this past week by their banal character and superficial ity point up several things about the man and about the type of criticism that he and his sym pathizers direct against the Uni versity of Oregon His remarks show both a lack of accurate in formation about the University and a conception of the role of a state university which is great ly different than that which the administration of this Univer sity holds and. I am sure, the majority of the faculty and the students. His ideal of a “good" univer sity seems to be a glorified trade school where the faculty works for subsistance wages because they are “devoted” to teaching, where there is no research and no extracurricular intellectual activity, and where the students study ten or twelve hours a day so they can “get out” in record time and get jobs. He seems to feel that being a student is something to be ashamed of because they are “wasting their time” when they could be working in some “pro ductive occupation.” He sees no need for research at a univer sity, apparently, and no need for teachers to have Ph.D.s or who are actively engaged in the cultivation of ideas. He talks about the need for an investigation of the “rumors of social life” at the University where students have time for dates and even time to go to parties (How horrible!) because their instructors aren’t giving them enough assignments. I don’t know how his univer sity got the reputation as a “party school’’ but it is my im pression that it is far from the truth. I think that Pearson should take a walk through the university library some night and see for himself the lines of students waiting to get books out of the inadequate Reserve Book Room and the numbers of students studying in the halls because there just aren’t enough tables or space for them. A top-rate university is ex pensive, that is for sure, and re search is expensive, but on the latter count Mr. Pearson has no right to scream. The money for research at the University does not come from state funds, but from grants and awards which are supported mostly by private business, by the large founda tions. and by the federal govern ment. But no university is “worth its salt” if there is not equal emphasis on teaching and re search and no university is go ing to get good professors who have ideas and who are creative unless it is willing to pay the salaries to attract them from other states. Those are just the realities of the situation. We are in competition with California for quality personnel, and we do want a university that is not just a factory turning out peo pie with B.A. degrees. A university cannot be judged in terms of efficiency and pro ductiveness in the same manner that we judge a commercial cor poration. It makes me ill when I hear Pearson, and even people in our own little “university family," talk about the per capi ta costs in dollars and cents for “turning out” finished students as if they were “think mach ines” coming off an assembly line, and when they talk about “cutting costs” per unit of pro duction by having courses over television or working three shifts at the University. Oregon students are neither lazy nor are they “party” boys and girls. They work hard for their grades and for the money that is needed to go to school. They deserve the best—the best teachers, the best research faci lities, the best presentation of ideas—and no two-bit provin cial, nineteenth century reac tionary should be allowed to stand in the way of making this a great university, a university that is not a “factory” and it not a second-rate, run-down teachers’ college, which is what the University of Oregon could well turn into if Senator Pear son and others have their way in this state. Bill Devall Graduate Student, Sociology TODAY’S STAFF Desk Editor: Chuck Beggs. Reporter: Linda Pasley. Proofreader: Carolyn Pasley. I only a tape recorder to watch The music synthesizer is being used to find new musical sounds The more practical use of the synthesizer is to provide back ground music for the stage and the movies. But, most important, the machine will allow the musi cal composer to experiment with a composition. Hunter has more conventional ways of using the tape recorder than just composing modern elec tronic music. Recordings of the sounds of the wagons for the “Wagons of America in Minia ture” exhibit was Hunter’s work For the wagon show Hunter recorded the wagon sounds at the National Carriage Association Convention in Sheboygen, Wise, (about 50 miles north of Milwau keej last July. Hunter also has developed the use of slides combined with sound. By using two projectors he can bring in one image slowly and take the other off without having a blank screen. The combination ! of slides and sounds enables Hun ! ter to capture the realism of life and to rediscover sounds that are taken for granted. Slides, Sounds Used For example, Hunter took a picture of the coast on a foggy day. But it is the deep, soft sound of the foghorn and its reverbe rating echoes drifting far out to sea, answered by a ship hidden by the fog with response from a tugboat seconds later, that makes the picture more satisfying for the viewer. Hunter came to the University in 1946 to help establish the audio-visual department. He has been the head of the department since then. He took a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Nebraska in 1945. Hunter and Keller will present a program on electronic music and the music synthesizer using, both slides and tape recordings, November 17 at 7:30 p m. in the SU. Rating Form Meeting Yields Two Queries ASUO Academic and Culture committee had only two ques tions raised in its open discussion of a proposed faculty rating form Wednesday. The meeting was called after a request for further study of the form in last Thursday’s Senate meeting. Questioned Administration Merritt Fink, ASUO Senator-at Large who is not a member of the committee, asked who would administer the forms, since their failure in the past has been at tributed to faulty handling after having been filled out. The consensus of the committee was that that body should make a recommendation to the Senate as to the group to handle the Faculty Musician Will Give Recital Selection from Chopin, Beetho ven and Schubert will be per formed by pianist Gabriel Cho dos in a public recital at 8 p.m. today in the music school audi torium. Chodos is an instructor in pi ano at the University and has per formed as a soloist with the Pas adena Orchestra, The Doctor’s Or chestra of Los Angeles and the UCLA Symphony Orchestra. Publishes in Journal Glenn Starlin, professor of speech has published “Problems in Finding Qualified Employees’’ in the winter 1962-63 issue of the Journal of Broadcasting, and "The Broadcasting Employee” in the summer, 1963. issue of the same journal. Two Poems Published James B. Hall, professor of Eng lish, has a poem. “Spoor: a Poem in Three Voices,” in the current issue of Poetry Northwest, and had a poem, “Memorial Day: 1959.” in the Oct. 12 issue of the Portland Reporter. Professor Publishes An article entitled “Commodity Agreements and Aid to Develop ing Countries” by Raymond Mike sell, W. E. Miner, professor of economics, has just been publish ed in Law and Contemporary Problems, quarterly of the Duke University School of Law. Want to really get results?— Use Emerald Classified Ads— Phone 342-1411, Ext. 1818. forms. The final decision, how ever, would rest with the Senate. The committee also decided to recommend that the evaluating program remain the responsibil ity of the Academic and Cultural committee. Students Request Forms Barrie Wight, Senator-at-Large, wondered who had requested the use of the forms, and whether this was a reflection of how much they would be used by instruc tors. John Luvaas, committee chair man, explained that students had asked for the forms, and that teachers contacted on the matter had reacted favorably to it. Fink also questioned the sec tion which asks teachers’ students to comment on the amount of time teachers are available for consultation. The senator said that he felt this question was more subjective than the others in the form. The forms will be submitted to the Senate again at the regular meeting next Thursday. If passed at that time they will be referred to the Faculty Advisory Council. Bottom of Bowl Set for Saturday An informal dance will be held in the Bottom of the Bowl Satur day night from 9-12 p.m. Campus clothes will be in order for the dance which will feature recorded music. Admission will be 25 cents, and refreshments will be available. College Life Speaker To Address Students Jon Braun will be the guest speaker at the College Life meet ing at the Alpha Phi sorority house tonight at 9 p.m. His topic will be "Looking On But Never Satisfied.” All University students are in vited to attend. Advertisement P P and M Visit Yes, Peter, Paul and Mary visit ed the Dairy Queen last Friday. As a matter of fact, they visit it almost every day. Peter and Paul Stevenson, quoted by the author during their noon hour, stated, “We especially like the Lemon flavor DQ’s, but onr sister, Mary, likes the cool boys who hang around.” Don’t you agree? I mean, about the ice cream? . . . with a brand new and complete stock of ART & ENGINEERING supplies —plus the "know-how" to help you choose ... plus the 10% DISCOUNT at time of purchase!
