[Exotica] BBC / Daphne Oram

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Daphne Oram's book 'an individual note' (thanks for the head up, 
barking, absolutely barking book) lists a discography of

Record
Listen Move and Dance (for schools)
Electronic Sound Patterns HMV 7EG 8762

I asssume that this is only one record and she didn't have anything 
else released though the book was published in 1972. Is she still 
alive? As was pointed out she left the BBC workshop in '59 (and 
there was me thinking it only came into existence in '63) but I think 
she did commissions with them afterwards. The difference was she 
had her own equipment and wanted to be a composer rather than a 
dramatic sound effects supplier which was the role the BBC 
assigned to the workshop.

I'm kind of interested in her due to the idea of synaesthesia, 
visuality as a metaphor for sound structure and as a control 
system. She seems to be the first person actively exploring that 
area which is obviously rather trendy now (what with metasynth 
and GUIs everywhere - check out Akira Rabelais' sound mutating 
programs). Due to there not being a proper government funded 
institute in Britain, (unlike say, Utrecht Institute of Sonology, or the 
Milan studio under Berio Stockhausen's one etc.) nor a big private 
investment like in America (princeton, RCA synthesiser) Britain 
seems to have thrown up mavericks not written into the history of 
electronic music. So does the US, outside of the research centres 
(Raymond Scott and John Cage who seems to be ahead of 
everyone). A long winded way of asking: anyone know any other 
marginal figures in electronic music in the twentieth century?

rob

On 28 May 2002, at 8:59, G.R.Reader@bton.ac.uk wrote:

> So, what does it sound like?  What are the others like? Would they be worth
> looking out for?  Are they like the Haack / Nelson recordings?
> Thats a great picture of the sleeve, the one I saw was worn to the point
> where it was completely limp and collapsed when the LP was removed.  I love
> that in an old record.
> 
> DJCheesemaster
> 
> djcheesemaster@yahoo.com
> grr@brighton.ac.uk
> http://www.geocities.com/djcheesemaster/
> http://www.shitola.freeserve.co.uk/cheese/cheese.htm
> 
> > From: 	Ingemar Breithel[SMTP:breithel@telia.com]
> > At 17:06 +0100 2002-05-27, G.R.Reader@bton.ac.uk wrote:
> > >Wrong on all counts it seems.  I've finally heard back from Henry who had
> > >the LP in the first place.
> > >'Moving percussion and Electronic sound pictures' it
> > >was composed by Vera gray and Desmond briscoe
> > This record was Volume 4 of the "Listen, Move and Dance" series; I believe
> > Daphne Oram was involved with one or more of the first three volumes.
> > I have "Moving Percussion and Electronic Sound Pictures" myself, but alas
> > there's not much info on the cover about Vera or Desmond.
> > Here's what it looks like:
> > http://w1.461.telia.com/~u46102821/listen.jpg
> > 
> 
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