A clarinet, a tuba, an accordion, a soundboard , a projector and a MacBook aren’t really a standard ensemble of instruments, but to composer Mark Snyder, they’re all just tools of the trade.
“You get different sounds with the clarinet, the bassoon,” Snyder said. “I just like to change colors. Each instrument can be its own vehicle of expression.”
Snyder is a composer of electroacoustic music, a musical style making use of electronic recordings, effects and enhancements. He showed off his compositions at the Talley Student Center ballroom Tuesday.
Snyder’s compositions mostly utilize the live processing of electronic music with video. The electronic sounds are then accompanied by the real instruments Snyder plays.
Snyder said he largely derives inspiration from events, friends and other things from his life. A quirky exchange student was the inspiration for his first song, “Malmo .” A murdered friend was the inspiration for “Harvey.” “Messy” was written specifically for his friend, Professor Andrea Cheeseman of Appalachian State University, who also performed in the show.
Rodney Waschka , professor of arts studies, was responsible for bringing Snyder’s talent to campus. Waschka is the director of ArtsNOW , a program that strives to immerse audiences in contemporary works.
“I heard his music at an arts festival in Virginia, and I thought it would be a great idea to contact him,” Waschka said.
Snyder began composing electroacoustic music while in college in the late 80’s. He insists his music wasn’t as interesting when he first started out because the addition of video components, a staple of Snyder’s current musical style, was not possible at the time.
“I’m a fat old dude,” Snyder said in regard to his original decision to add video to his show. “[I] make videos so people have something to look at while I’m onstage.”
The method stuck with him, and videos are now an integral part of his musical performances. To him, Snyder said, the videos help to get his artistic points across.
“A lot of people have said that, without the videos, [the music] is only really half there,” Snyder said.
Snyder’s tools of choice now include programs such as Logic, Protools , and Final Cut for the video editing. He also has a program to alter the sound coming from the live performers in real time, which better suits the electronic accompaniment.
Owing to the strange nature of his compositions, Snyder sometimes faces criticism – and not all of it is positive. He has said his music has been called too approachable and even too simplistic. The audience’s responses were also mixed in their reception to the performance.
“It wasn’t for me,” Carter Keough , a member of the audience, said. “But I’m glad I know [this type of music] exists. It’s enriching.”
Snyder seems relatively unfazed by the criticism, though.
“I want to make myself happy,” Snyder said. “And that’s really all you can do.”
