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Thomas DeLio

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Name
  
Thomas DeLio


Role
  
Music composer

Albums
  
Thomas DeLio: Selected Compositions (1991-2013)

Education
  
New England Conservatory of Music, Brown University

Similar People
  
Stuart Saunders Smith, Roger Reynolds, Morton Feldman, Jean‑Claude Risset, Brian Ferneyhough

Thomas DeLio (born January 7, 1951) is an American experimental music composer, music theorist and author. He is currently Professor of Music in theory and composition at the University of Maryland in College Park.

Contents

Biography

DeLio received bachelor of music degree from the New England Conservatory of Music where he studied with Robert Cogan. He received a Ph.D. from Brown University in a Special Interdisciplinary Studies program that allowed him to combine advanced studies in music, visual arts, and mathematics.

DeLio's works are published by Editore Semar (Europe), Silent Editions (United States) and Sonic Art Editions (United States) and are recorded on such labels as Wergo, 3D Classics, Neuma, Centaur, Capstone, and Spectrum. He has published over thirty scholarly papers in such journals and periodicals as Perspectives of New Music, Journal of Music Theory, Indiana Theory Review, In Theory Only, Interface, Contemporary Music Review, Artforum, Computer Music Journal, Revue d’Esthetique, and Percussive Notes.

DeLio has also written books, including one analyzing the work of Morton Feldman (The Music of Morton Feldman) and another offering analysis of several “open form” works (Circumscribing the Open Universe). His book "The Amores of John Cage" was published by Pendragon Press (as part of the College Music Society series Sourcebooks in American Music) in 2010. A book about DeLio's work entitled Thomas DeLio: Composer and Scholar edited by Dr. Thomas Licata (Professor, Hartwick College) appeared in summer of 2007 from the Mellen Press. This book contains essays by Wesley Fuller (Professor Emeritus, Clark University), Agostino Di Scipio (Professor, University of Naples, Italy), Christopher Shultis (Regents Professor, University of New Mexico), Hermann Sabbe (Professor of Musicology, Ghent University, Belgium), Morris Palter (University of California, San Diego), Steven Johnson (Professor, Brigham Young University), Robert Morris (Professor, Eastman School of Music), Tracy Wiggins (University of North Carolina at Pembroke), Linda Dusman, Thomas Goldstein (Professors, University of Maryland, Baltimore County) and Michael Boyd (Chatham University) .

Influences

DeLio’s approach to composition is largely influenced by Morton Feldman, John Cage, and Iannis Xenakis. The influence of Xenakis, however, is often more philosophical than musical. Describing the influence of Xenakis and Feldman, DeLio explains:

Xenakis and Feldman are influences in the general sense that they each tap into very personal and unique sensibilities; in this sense they should be role models for all composers. Also, for these composers, sound is the source of the compositional process. Sound, in all its richness and complexity, is the essence of that process for both – not system of method or gesture, as is the case for so many composers. This is true for me as well. First and foremost I think about sound when I start a piece.

The primary area where Xenakis and DeLio differ is in the use of mathematics, which is integral in Xenakis's compositions. DeLio states, “My music is not really mathematical at all!”

The influence of Cage is evident in DeLio's use of sounds outside of the standard dodecaphonic system. “Prior to the 20th century,” DeLio notes, “the sonic materials of Western music were restricted to a set of twelve pitch classes. Over the course of the past hundred years, this restriction has virtually disappeared.” Elsewhere, DeLio describes his attraction to percussion instruments, explaining, “Percussion allows a composer to deal with sounds drawn from the entire pitch/noise continuum. Thus, pitch is one manifestation of all sound ranging from pure tones to noise bands.” Cage was a pioneer in this area, writing for a wide variety of percussion instrument, electronic devices, and even household objects to produce new sounds. Composers like DeLio are heavily indebted to his work.

Another area where the influences of Cage and Feldman are strongly felt is in DeLio’s extensive use of silence as a compositional device. On the surface, in fact, DeLio's music bears a strong resemblance to the music of Cage and Feldman, both of whom made extensive use of sparse textures and were not afraid to use silence as a key part of their compositions. Upon further examination, however, one finds that the function of silence in music varies significantly among the three composers. Feldman, for example used silence to separate sounds and give them space to fade into silence. DeLio notes, “Feldman once said that one of the most beautiful things a sound does is decay. He could have added that in order for this decay to be felt, it must be attached to silence.” Cage, on the other hand, used silence as a compositional tool for incorporating unintentional, atmospheric sounds into the context of a musical composition. DeLio explains, “Cage, of course, is the real source of all consideration of silence in music. But even his approach to silence is not like mine – though I deeply admire his work. For Cage silence is the space in which all unintended sounds come into play.” DeLio’s use of silence is different in that it is used to isolate sounds and events. He explains:

Silence is like a location for the experience of sound. For me it defines a place with respect to sound. My silence frames sound, isolates it, and creates an opportunity to hear sound both as an object – an entity unto itself divorced from its role as a mere unit of linguistic baggage – as well as part of a process of evolution. This is different from Cage or Feldman.

While this may sound similar to Feldman’s use of silence, DeLio’s approach is more radical, using large units of silence to not only isolate the events sonically, but also to isolate them mentally, leaving so much space that the memory will often forget one gesture before the next is presented, essentially forcing the listener to evaluate them as separate, unrelated musical entities. DeLio explains:

I always try to avoid constructing transitions linking individual events. I avoid anything which might convey a sense of continuity and connection. I desire everything to be segmented, halted, separated. I have no interest in memory, which seems to me an illusion. Only direct perception of the moment seems important to me.

Compositional style

The most striking aspect of DeLio's music is his use of silence. His pieces include large sections of silence, sometimes a full minute. In fact, in many of his compositions the time devoted to silence is greater than the time devoted to sonic events. By isolating events and frustrating the memory, DeLio attempts to draw the listener into more intently listening to the brief sonic events. “I argue for wiping the slate clean,” DeLio explains, “Rediscovering sound beneath all of the rhetoric and dated mannerisms which have accumulated over so many years and, in the process, really coming to grips with the nature of our own experience.”

Another important aspect is his sense of time. In a majority of his pieces, he uses the same tempo, 60 beats per minute. Within this tempo, however, he uses a wide variety of subdivisions, including division of the beat into 5 or 7, and the pulse is rarely, if ever, clearly defined. 60 beats per minute is essentially the same as one beat per second, and DeLio thinks of time in his instrumental works as one would in tape composition: All events are measured against a temporal grid of minutes and seconds. DeLio's tempo is static, merely a reference for the performer. Instead of altering tempo, DeLio uses rhythmic devices to create effect within a constant pulse.

Compositions

Smith = Smith Publications/Sonic Art Editions (Baltimore) Semar = Semar Editore (Rome)

1970

  • Media Luna (soprano, 3 B♭ cl., vln. vla. vcl.), texts- Federico Garcia Lorca; ca. 6'.
  • 1971

  • Sonata for piano (on one note); ca. 5'.
  • The River Merchant’s Wife (2 vln., vla., vcl.); ca. 5'.
  • 1972

  • A Draft of Shadows, texts - Octavio Paz (soprano, piano, 3 perc); ca. 9'.
  • Cassandra (chorus SATB, vcl., perc.) text-Robinson Jeffers; ca. 13'.
  • 1973

  • Gestures (soprano sax., piano); ca. 8' Semar.
  • Traces (fl., B♭ cl., alto sax., vln, vla vcl., piano); ca. 9'.
  • Marginal Developments (piano solo); ca. 9' Semar.
  • 1974

  • Serenade (piano solo); ca. 9' Semar.
  • 1977

  • I-VI (ob., B♭ cl., alto sax., B♭ tpt., 2 Bass cl., 2 bsn.); two sets; ca. 3' per set.
  • 4 Series/I, II, III, IV’’ (3 B♭ cl., 2 vln., 2 vcl.); ca. 3' per series.
  • 1978

  • (untitled) installation; Brown University, Providence, RI.
  • 1979

  • (untitled) installation; Brown University, Providence, RI.
  • Four (8-79) (3 B♭ cl., soprano sax., alto sax., tenor sax., 4 vln., 2 vla.); three sets, ca. 3’, per set.
  • 1980

  • Five (6-80) (2 B♭ cl., B♭ Bass cl., soprano sax., alto sax., tenor sax., 6 vln); ca. 4'.
  • Five (8-80) (10 vln., 4 vla., 4 vcl.); 5 sets, ca. 4' per set.
  • 1981

  • Six (1-81) (B♭ cl./B♭ bass cl., B♭ tpt., 6 vln.); two sets, ca. 4' per set.
  • Six Variants I (2 fl., alto fl., 3 B♭ cl., 12 vln., 2 vla.); eight sets, ca. 3' per set.
  • 1982

  • Four Variants (4 vls., 4 vla., 4 vcl.); three sets, ca. 2' per set.
  • Five Variants I (2 fl., alto fl., 3 B♭ cl., 6 vln.); three sets, ca. 3' per set.
  • Six (4-82) (6 vln., 4 vla., 2 vcl.); three sets, ca. 4' per set.
  • Four (9-82) (3 B♭ cl., 4 vln., 2 vla.); ca. 2'.
  • 1983

  • Sequence (piano solo); ca. 8' Smith.
  • Text (piano solo); ca. 8' Smith.
  • (untitled) installation; Corcoran Gallery, Washington, DC.
  • (untitled) installation; Kornblatt Gallery, Washington, DC.
  • (untitled) installation; UMBC Art Gallery, Baltimore, MD.
  • Six (1-83) (3 B♭ cl., 4 vln., 2 vla.); ca. 4'.
  • 1984

  • 4 (6 vln.); ca. 2'.
  • 3 (3 B♭ cl., 2 vln., 2 vla., 2 vcl.); ca. 1'.
  • Six Variants II (2 fl., alto fl., 3 B♭ cl, 4 vln., 4 vla., 4 vcl.); six sets, ca. 3' per set.
  • (untitled) installation; Baltimore Museum of Art Baltimore, MD.
  • (untitled) installation, proposal; Boston University, Boston, MA.
  • (untitled) installation, proposal; UMCP Art Gallery, College Park, MD.
  • 1985

  • (untitled) installation; Strathmore Hall, Rockville, MD.
  • Three (5-85) (2 vln., 2 vla., 2 vcl.); ca. 1'.
  • Five (7-85) (B♭ cl., 6 vln.); ca. 2'.
  • Five Variants II (2 fl., alto fl., 3 B♭ cl., 2 vln., 2 vla., 2 vcl.); three sets, ca. 3' per set.
  • Five Variants III (6 vln., 6 vla. 6 vcl.); three sets, ca. 3' per set.
  • 1986

  • Against the silence... (perc. ensemble, piano, 4-channel tape); ca. 20' Smith.
  • (untitled) installation, proposal; Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, DC.
  • Four (5-86) (3 B♭ cl., 2 vln., 2 vla., 2 vcl.); ca. 3'.
  • Four (6-86) (3 B♭ cl., soprano sax., alto sax., tenor sax., 2 vln., 2 vla., 2 vcl.); three sets, ca. 3' per set.
  • Six (7-86) (B♭ cl., B♭ tpt., 2 vln., 2 vla., 2 vcl.); three sets, ca. 4' per set.
  • Four (9-86) (3 B♭ cl., 2 vln., 2 vla., 2 vcl.); ca. 2'.
  • Five (11-86) (3 B♭ cl., 4 vln., 2 vla.);ca. 3'
  • Five (12-86) (3 B♭ cl., 2 vla.); ca. 2'.
  • 1987

  • Five (1-87) (3 B♭ cl., oboe, 2 vla.); ca. 2'.
  • Five (2-87) (3 B♭ cl., 2 vla.); ca. 5'.
  • contrecoup... (soprano, fl., piano, perc.), text- Stéphane Mallarmé; ca. 9½' Smith.
  • Transparent Wave (snare drum solo); ca. 2’ Smith.
  • Five (6-87) (fl., ob., 3 B♭ cl.); ca. 2'.
  • Five (7-87) (fl., 3 B♭ cl., 2 vln.); ca. 2'.
  • Four (8-87) (2 vln., 2 vla., 2 vcl.); ca. 2'.
  • Five (8-87) (3 B♭ cl., 2 vln., 2 vla., 2 vcl.); ca. 3'.
  • Five (11-87) (3 B♭ cl., 2 vln., 2 vla., 2 vcl.); ca. 3'.
  • Five (12-87) (3 B♭ cl., B♭ tpt., 2 vln., 2 vla., 2 vcl.); ca. 3'.
  • 1988

  • Five (1-88) (3 B♭ cl., 2 vln., 2 vla., 2 vcl.); ca. 2'.
  • Five (2-88) (3 B♭ cl., 4 vln.); ca. 3'.
  • Five (3-88) (B♭ cl., 2 vln., 2 vla., 2 vcl.); ca. 2'.
  • Five (5-88) (3 B♭ cl., 2 B♭ tpt., tbn.); ca. 4'.
  • Six (5-88) (3 B♭ cl., 2 vln., 2 vla., 2 vcl.); ca. 4'.
  • Five (6-88) (ob., 3 B♭ cl., 2 vln., 2 vla., 2 vcl.); ca. 3'.
  • At Briggflatts meetinghouse (soprano, piano), text- Basil Bunting; ca. 7' Smith.
  • 1989

  • (6-89) (ob., 3 B♭ cl., B♭ tpt., 2 vla., 2 vcl.); ca. 2'.
  • 1990

  • Bright seaweed reaping (soprano, 3 B♭ cl., piano, 2 perc.), text- Cid Corman; ca. 4'.
  • Two Songs (soprano, 3 B♭ cl., 2 perc., piano, harp), texts- Cid Corman; ca. 10' Smith.
  • anti-paysage (fl., piano, perc., tape; ca. 10' Smith.
  • granite, and (soprano, ob. 3 B♭ cl., piano, 2 perc.), texts- William Bronk, Basil Bunting, Cid Corman; ca. 14' Smith.
  • 1991

  • Of (tape); ca. 3' Smith.
  • for (fl., ob., B♭ cl., vln., piano, perc.); ca. 2 ¾’.
  • between (fl., 3 perc.); ca. 3' Smith.
  • Than (orchestra: fl., ob., 2 B♭ cl., bsn., 2 C tpt., tenor tbn., bass tbn., 4 perc., harp, piano, 4 vln., 4 vla., 4 vcl., 4 cb.; ca. 4'.
  • 1992

  • Equinox (6 voices, 2 dancers, 4 perc.) text – William Bronk; ca. 4'.
  • as again (tape); ca. 6' Smith.
  • as so (tape); ca. 6'.
  • so on (tape); ca. 2' Smith.
  • not (piano, perc.); ca. 6' Smith.
  • 1993

  • Though (piano solo); ca. 5' Smith.
  • Five (1-93) (fl., ob., 3 B♭ cl., 2 vln., 2 vla., 2 vcl.); ca. 3'.
  • Transparent Wave II (piano solo); ca. 1'.
  • 1994

  • so again (tape); ca. 2' Smith.
  • on again (tape); ca. 3' Smith.
  • of again (tape); ca. 4' Smith.
  • Pine, Bamboo, Plum (tape); ca. 2'.
  • as though (percussion solo); ca. 2' Smith.
  • 1995

  • “because the... (tape); ca. 2'.
  • as though, again (fl., B♭ cl., vln., perc., (one player)); ca. 2' Smith.
  • as though, so again (fl., B♭ cl., C tpt., vln., vcl., piano, perc.); ca. 2' Smith.
  • as though / after (chamber orchestra: fl., ob., B♭ cl., bsn., perc., vln. I (6), vln. II (6), vla. (4), vcl. (4), cb. (2); ca. 5' Smith.
  • 1996

  • to make / -as / in- (tape) text – Leslie Scalapino; ca. 5'.
  • que cela se puisse (speaker, fl., B♭ cl., vln., cb., piano) text- Stéphane Mallarmé; ca. 1'.
  • or (ob., 2 B♭ cl., C tpt., vln., vcl., 1 perc.); ca. 2'.
  • 1997

  • think on parch (tape) text – P. Inman; ca. 19'.
  • though, on (tape); ca.2'.
  • plin, h (tape); ca. 1¾'.
  • plin, x (tape); ca . 1'.
  • m, nce (tape); ca. 2'.
  • as in (string orchestra); ca 2 ½’.
  • 1998

  • n, mcr (tape); ca. 1'.
  • nna, c (tape); ca. 1'.
  • “decker” (tape) text – P. Inman; ca. 9'.
  • n, c (tape); ca. 1'.
  • 1999

  • x, e (tape); ca. 2'.
  • inc, e (tape); ca. 1'.
  • Transparent Wave III (soprano solo) text- A. R. Ammons; ca. 2'.
  • Center (version I, soprano solo); ca. 8’; (version II, soprano and chamber ensemble), texts- A. R. Ammons; ca. 14'.
  • as though / of (tape); ca. 5'.
  • 2000

  • qu, m (tape); ca. 2'.
  • qu, r (tape); ca. 2'.
  • z, rb (tape); ca. 2'.
  • Center / s (tape); ca. 4'.
  • Transparent Wave IV (marimba solo); ca. 2' Smith.
  • Transparent Wave V (cello solo); ca. 4'.
  • 2001

  • et ainsi (soprano, fl., ob., B♭ cl., C tpt., tenor tbn., vln., vcl., piano, 2 perc.), texts – Stéphane Mallarmé; ca. 9'.
  • ce, lf (tape); ca. 1'.
  • cel, f, (tape); ca. 1'.
  • ,c, el,f (tape); ca. 1'.
  • 2002

  • amounts. to. opera/installation for tape (six tracks), text – P. Inman; plays continuously over several days.
  • so, between (fl., B♭ cl., vcl., piano, perc.); ca. 2'.
  • 2003

  • Belle-Isle I-IV (tape); ca. 7'.
  • wave / s (percussion solo), based on Transparent Wave IV; ca. 4'.
  • Transparent Wave VI (vibraphone solo); ca. 2'.
  • 2004

  • e/ede (3 B♭ cl., ob., bsn., C tpt., piano, vln., vla., vcl.); ca. 3'.
  • e, nm (fl., cl., vln., vcl., perc.); ca. 2'.
  • Iol (piccolo, B♭ cl. Eng. Hn., B♭ tpt., 2 vln., 2 vla.); ca. 2'.
  • Ilil (4 vln., 4 vcl.,); ca. 2'.
  • alomn (B♭ cl., 2 vln., 2 vla.); ca. 2'.
  • Zilahn (tape); ca. 3'.
  • 2005

  • IV-VIII (B♭ clarinet and string quartet); 2 ½’.
  • qu’un espace / sépare (percussion ensemble, soprano); ca. 5 ½’.
  • mn, s (fl., cello); 1 ¾’.
  • Song: Foxrock near Dublin (tape, 5.1 surround), text – P. Inman; ca. 8’.
  • 2006

  • onnh I (fl., B♭ cl. doubling bass cl., vln., cello, piano, perc.); ca. 2’.
  • onnh II (fl., ob., B♭ cl. doubling bass cl., vln., vla., cello, piano, perc.); ca. 2’.
  • transients / waves (percussion solo), based on Transparent Wave VI; ca. 4’.
  • transients / images (percussion, piano), based on Transparent Wave VI; ca. 5 ½’.
  • transients / resonances (flute, B♭ clarinet, violin, cello, percussion, piano), based on Transparent Wave VI; ca. 5 ½’.
  • Recordings

  • Center/s, tape (Acton, MA: Neuma, 450-105, 2006).
  • Belle-Isle I-IV, tape (Acton, MA: Neuma, 450-105, 2006).
  • qu, m, tape (Acton, MA: Neuma, 450-105, 2006).
  • wave / s, percussion solo (Baton Rouge, LA: Centaur, CRC-2742, 2006).
  • Though, piano solo (New York: Capstone, CPS-8745, 2005).
  • Transparent Wave V, piano solo (New York: Capstone, CPS-8745, 2005).
  • Text, piano solo (New York: Capstone, CPS-8745, 2005).
  • Than, orchestra (Mt. Prospect, Illinois: ERMMedia, ERM-6692, 2003);
  • part of the Masterworks of the New Era series.

  • amounts. to. electronic opera (Baton Rouge, LA: Centaur, CRC-2633, 2003).
  • Center, soprano and chamber ensemble (Acton, MA: Neuma, 450-102, 2002).
  • think on parch, tape (New York: Capstone, CPS-8693, 2001).
  • “decker”, tape (New York: Capstone, CPS-8669, 1999).
  • plinh, h, tape (Acton, MA: Neuma, 450-99, 1999).
  • m, nce, tape (Acton, MA: Neuma,450-99,1999).
  • though, on, tape (New York: Capstone, CPS 8645, 1997).
  • as though, percussion solo (New York: Capstone, CPS 8645, 1997).
  • so again, tape (New York: Capstone, CPS 8645, 1997).
  • not, piano and percussion (New York: Capstone, CPS 8645, 1997).
  • ...a different liquid, tape (New York: Capstone, CPS 8645, 1997).
  • to make / -as / in-, tape (New York: Capstone, CPS 8645, 1997).
  • "because the..., tape (Acton, MA: Neuma, 450-92, 1996).
  • Pine, Bamboo, Plum, tape (Acton, MA: Neuma, 450-92, 1996).
  • so on, computer generated tape (Paris: 3D, 3D-8014, 1996).
  • as again, computer generated tape (Paris: 3D, 3D-8014, 1996).
  • between, flute, percussion ensemble (Paris: 3D, 3D-8014, 1996).
  • anti-paysage, flute, piano, percussion, tape (Acton, MA: Neuma 450-90, 1995).
  • Of, tape (Acton, MA: Neuma 450-90, 1995).
  • Though, piano (Acton, MA: Neuma 450-90, 1995).
  • so again, tape (Acton, MA: Neuma 450-90, 1995).
  • on again, tape (Acton, MA: Neuma 450-90, 1995).
  • of again, tape (Acton, MA: Neuma 450-90, 1995).
  • contrecoup..., chamber ensemble (Acton, MA: Neuma 450-81, 1993).
  • Against the silence..., percussion ensemble and four-channel tape, (Mainz: Wergo,
  • WER 2029-2, 1992); part of the ComputerMusic Currents series.

  • ______________ (Paris: 3D Classics, 3D-8014, 1996).
  • Partial Manifolds, wind ensemble (Harriman, NY: Spectrum, SR-302, 1985).
  • Gestures, saxophone and piano (Harriman, NY: Spectrum, SR-163, 1982).
  • Marginal Developments, piano solo (Harriman, NY: Spectrum, SR-144, 1982).
  • Serenade, piano solo (Harriman, NY, Spectrum, SR-128, 1980).
  • References

    Thomas DeLio Wikipedia