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Instrument Builders Scrounge for Sounds

From: Catherine Girardeau
Length: 00:06:04

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Two northern California instrument builders create self-styled musical masterpieces from found objects. Read the full description.

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Piece Description

Below the surface of most works of art are the artist's raw materials: paint, canvas, plastic, metal, wood. Artists have their own reasons for choosing materials: some practical, some aesthetic, some quirky and personal. In this piece, Catherine Girardeau visits two musical instrument builders -- one who combines ordinary objects to make otherworldly music, and one who crafts extraordinary musical sculptures. Bart Hopkin, editor of the website Experimental Musical Instruments, explains and performs on his waterphone, the Aquavina and ends with a virtuoso performance of "Baby Please Don't Go" on his raspy, grating but oddly compelling "Savart's Wheel". Designer and musical sculptor Oliver diCicco takes us through his workshop, and plays his giant water installation, "Sirens".

Broadcast History

Originally produced for "Distillations", a podcast series of the Chemical Heritage Foundation.

Transcript

Instrument Builders Scrounge for Sounds
Producer: Catherine Girardeau
TRT 4:11 with music fade out at end

[MUSIC: Mobius Operandi, End of the Dial, ?Now Only?]

Oliver DiCicco: My name is Oliver DiCicco, I am an instrument builder, sculptor, designer. I was a recording engineer for a long time, and I have tried to marry my love of building things and music together and started building musical instruments.

[music: Bart Hopkin, Instrumentarium Hopkinis, ?Embert, Rumel & Frumentus?]
Bart Hopkin: I am Bart Hopkin, I am the guy that runs something called Experimental Musical Instruments, ... People all over the place making all kinds of interesting things with which to make music.

[sound: outdoor ambi from Bart?s porch: birds, wind chimes]

NARRATOR: I visited these two experimental instrument builders in their workshops because I wanted to see, and hear, how they choose th...
Read the full transcript

Timing and Cues

Music continues at full volume for 1:57 after soc-out -- can be faded out, talked over etc.

Suggested host intro:
Below the surface of most works of art are the artist's raw materials: paint, canvas, plastic, metal, wood. Artists have their own reasons for choosing materials - some practical, some aesthetic, some quirky and personal. In this piece, Catherine Girardeau visits two musical instrument builders: one who combines ordinary objects to make otherworldly music, and one who crafts extraordinary musical sculptures. Bart Hopkin, editor of the website Experimental Musical Instruments, explains and performs on his waterphone, the Aquavina and ends with a virtuoso performance of "Baby Please Don't Go" on his raspy, grating but oddly compelling "Savart's Wheel". Designer and musical sculptor Oliver diCicco takes us through his workshop, and plays his giant water installation, "Sirens".

Musical Works

Title Artist Album Label Year Length
Now Only Mobius Operandi End of the Dial. Mobius Music 00:00
Embert, Rumel & Frumentus Bart Hopkin Instrumentarium Hopkinis. Experimental Musical Instruments 00:00
Robinson Bart Hopkin After Seven Years. Experimental Musical Instruments 00:00
Plousch Bart Hopkin After Seven Years. Experimental Musical Instruments 00:00
Aquavina & Cowbells Bart Hopkin Instrumentarium Hopkinis. Experimental Musical Instruments 00:00
Baby Please Don't Go Bart Hopkin Instrumentarium Hopkinis. Experimental Musical Instruments 00:00