Armands Strazds
Encyclopedia
Armands Strazds is a Latvian politician
, education
researcher
, composer
, record producer
and software developer
.
He studied composition with Gederts Ramans at the Jāzeps Vītols
Latvian Academy of Music and with Friedhelm Döhl
at the Lübeck Academy of Music, where he also studied computer music
with Dirk Reith. His PhD studies with Atis Kapenieks at Riga Technical University
were on new learning technologies
. He and Kapenieks have published several papers in the area.
Armands Strazds is the developer of the algorithmic composition
systems, Digital Winds (1995) and Hymnica (2003). In 2005, two of his compositions for theatre drama, Pulss (Pulse) and Es mīlēju viņu (I loved him) were broadcast on Latvian national radio.
Strazds (together with Modris Tenisons
) is the creator of the Zime Project which was the central exhibit of the Latvia Pavilion at Expo 2000
. Zimes, from the Latvian word for "sign", are coloured graphic patterns generated by the computer encryption of texts, pictures, or sounds. During the course of Expo 2000, 300,000 visitors to the Latvia Pavilion generated their personal zimes, including the (then) President of Latvia, Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga
.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
researcher
Researcher
A researcher is somebody who performs research, the search for knowledge or in general any systematic investigation to establish facts. Researchers can work in academic, industrial, government, or private institutions.-Examples of research institutions:...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and software developer
Software developer
A software developer is a person concerned with facets of the software development process. Their work includes researching, designing, developing, and testing software. A software developer may take part in design, computer programming, or software project management...
.
He studied composition with Gederts Ramans at the Jāzeps Vītols
Jazeps Vitols
-Biography:Vītols, the son of a schoolteacher, began his studies in composition in 1880 at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. After graduating in 1886, he remained at the Conservatory to teach composition and reached the rank of Professor in 1901. His pupils there...
Latvian Academy of Music and with Friedhelm Döhl
Friedhelm Döhl
Friedhelm Döhl is a German composer and professor of music.Döhl studied composition with Wolfgang Fortner and piano with Carl Seemann at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg, and also musicology, German philology, art history, and philosophy concurrently at the Universities of Freiburg and Göttingen...
at the Lübeck Academy of Music, where he also studied computer music
Computer music
Computer music is a term that was originally used within academia to describe a field of study relating to the applications of computing technology in music composition; particularly that stemming from the Western art music tradition...
with Dirk Reith. His PhD studies with Atis Kapenieks at Riga Technical University
Riga Technical University
Riga Technical University is located in Riga, Latvia.- Riga Polytechnical Institute, 1862-1918 :...
were on new learning technologies
Instructional technology
In education, instructional technology is "the theory and practice ofdesign, development, utilization, management, and evaluation of processes and resources for learning," according to the Association for Educational Communications and Technology Definitions and Terminology Committee...
. He and Kapenieks have published several papers in the area.
Armands Strazds is the developer of the algorithmic composition
Algorithmic composition
Algorithmic composition is the technique of using algorithms to create music.Algorithms have been used to compose music for centuries; the procedures used to plot voice-leading in Western counterpoint, for example, can often be reduced to algorithmic determinacy...
systems, Digital Winds (1995) and Hymnica (2003). In 2005, two of his compositions for theatre drama, Pulss (Pulse) and Es mīlēju viņu (I loved him) were broadcast on Latvian national radio.
Strazds (together with Modris Tenisons
Modris Tenisons
Modris Tenisons is a mime artist in Lithuania and Latvia. He is especially well-known in Lithuania. He is also a multidisciplinary artist: a theater director, stage designer and theater consultant.- Background :...
) is the creator of the Zime Project which was the central exhibit of the Latvia Pavilion at Expo 2000
Expo 2000
Expo 2000 was a World's Fair held in Hanover, Germany from Thursday, June 1 to Tuesday, October 31, 2000. It was located on the Hanover fairground , which is famous for hosting CeBIT...
. Zimes, from the Latvian word for "sign", are coloured graphic patterns generated by the computer encryption of texts, pictures, or sounds. During the course of Expo 2000, 300,000 visitors to the Latvia Pavilion generated their personal zimes, including the (then) President of Latvia, Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga
Vaira Vike-Freiberga
Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga was the sixth President of Latvia, the first female President of Latvia and the first female leader in eastern Europe. She was elected President of Latvia in 1999 and re-elected in 2003.Dr...
.
Selected compositions
- The Prophet / Angels Forever in Flight (operaOperaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
for soprano, tenor, mixed choir and orchestra, 2002, ~90’). - Laudamus (symphonySymphonyA symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
, 1994, ~12’). - Elysium (an oratorioOratorioAn oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
for five sopranos, two vibraphoneVibraphoneThe vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
s, viola and ten violins, 1993, ~30’) - Prayer (an oratorio for three sopranos, three tenors, three choirs, tubular bellTubular bellTubular bells are musical instruments in the percussion family. Each bell is a metal tube, 30–38 mm in diameter, tuned by altering its length. Its standard range is from C4-F5, though many professional instruments reach G5 . Tubular bells are often replaced by studio chimes, which are a smaller...
s, tam-tam, bass drum and cymbals, 1992, ~20’) - Requiem (soprano, tenor, bass, double mixed choir and string orchestra, 1991, ~30’)
- Gitanjali (an oratorio for soprano, tenor, mixed choir, string orchestra and percussions, 1990, ~50’, CD CR 01 011 94)
- Vēstules tālajai zvaigznei / Letters to the Distant Star (a rock oratorio for soprano, tenor, mixed choir, piano, flute, cello and percussions, 1989, ~50’)
- Studies of Space / Studia spatii (two marimbaMarimbaThe marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
s, dedicated to the Wooden Art Duo, 1994, ~8’) - Studies of Rhythms and Color / Studia numeri et coloris (windWind instrumentA wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator , in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into a mouthpiece set at the end of the resonator. The pitch of the vibration is determined by the length of the tube and by manual modifications of...
quintet, 1994, ~5’) - Structure 4 (string quartetString quartetA string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
, based on G.M.Koenig’s Projekt 1, 1994, ~3’) - Vedanta (cello, dedicated to Zheng Liu, 1994, ~11’)
- Hexagram (a palindromePalindromeA palindrome is a word, phrase, number, or other sequence of units that can be read the same way in either direction, with general allowances for adjustments to punctuation and word dividers....
for chamber orchestra, 1992, ~5’) - Stikla pērlīšu spēle / Glassperlenspiel (piano and voice, 1989, ~5’)
- The Bride (music for tape, two digital celliCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, dedicated to the Leipzig Tanztrio, 1994, ~6’) - Hymnica (computer and synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, 2003) - Simple Machines (IBMIBMInternational Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
computers, 1994) - The Wave (sine tonesSine waveThe sine wave or sinusoid is a mathematical function that describes a smooth repetitive oscillation. It occurs often in pure mathematics, as well as physics, signal processing, electrical engineering and many other fields...
tape, 1993, 12’) - Klangbilder nach Brahms (film music, produced at the Crea studio, 1997, 40’).
- Spirit of the Cities / Geist der Städte (film music, 2006, 25’)
External links
- Armands Strazds – official web site
- Zelta grāmatas rakstītājs, Interview with Armands Strazds (in LatvianLatvian languageLatvian is the official state language of Latvia. It is also sometimes referred to as Lettish. There are about 1.4 million native Latvian speakers in Latvia and about 150,000 abroad. The Latvian language has a relatively large number of non-native speakers, atypical for a small language...
) in the music journal, Mūzikas Saule, April/May 2006. - Lielvārdes jostas civilizācija, illustrated article (in Latvian) devoted to Strazds and the Zime Project in Latvijas Avīze, August 29, 2008.
- Armand Strazds, Connections of Emptiness (Golden Book) (1990)