#23 - Remembering Canadian Composer Raymond Murray Shafer

The 23rd episode of Dress Rehearsal is dedicated to the recently deceased Canadian composer Raymond Murray Schafer, who died this past August 14th, 2021. Murray Schafer was not only a musician but also a writer, an educator and an environmentalist, best known for his World Soundscape Project and for his concerns for acoustic ecology. In addition, Murray Schafer used natural sounds and natural settings (like forests, lakes etc.) as backgrounds for his compositions. In "Trumpet Aubade" (for solo trumpet player) the performer sits on a small boat in the middle of a lake and plays for an audience listening from the shore. In "Snowforms" the composer uses a graphic notation to describe the patterns that snow makes as seen from an airplane, which turn into pitches sang by a mixed choir. During the hour we'll also listen to excerpts from previous interviews as well as my own Soundscape interpretation. Highly recommended to listen to this with good headphones. Don't miss it!