Mikel Kuehn - Works

Vox Figlio (1999), 8-channel fixed media

Vox Figlio (Voice of the Son) was composed for 8-channel fixed media in the summer of 1999 and is based entirely on the vocal sounds made by my son, Stefan (b. 1996), from 2 months until 3 years old. The sounds were recorded in South Bend, Indiana and Bowling Green, Ohio in increments of roughly three weeks and edited into sound-type categories: crying, noises, babble, laughing, singing, and talking. Sonic layers travel twice through all the possible ways of distributing four spatially discrete stereo channels. While the sounds are all derived from the voice, a myriad of processing techniques are applied to each sound and carefully controlled over the work’s duration, creating an ever-changing and colorful palette.

Performance Note

This piece is designed for playback on an 8-channel speaker array, ideally placed in a ring around the audience.  The form is based both on the types of sounds, which are roughly projected in a chronological sequence, and especially on the spatial placement.  The compressed stereo mix available here obscures the spatial aspect but provides a rough idea of the sound world and basic dramatic narrative.