Henry Gwiazda

Henry Gwiazda (born 1952, silent i) is a composer who specializes in virtual audio, the simulation of a three-dimensional sound space in either headphones or precisely positioned speakers. He composes what may be called musique concrète, using samples usually without “tinker[ing]” with them.

Gwiazda is credited with sound effects, sampler, electric guitar and voice. He also composed, published, produced and engineered. Focal Point 3D Audio by Bo Gehring.

• "Gwiazda produces 'animated' audioscapes, oddly situating twisted and chopped real-sound samples . . . combining elements that don't have any clear relationship into compositions of surprising unity." - reviewed in CMJ by Robin Edgerton Douglas Wolk.

Gwiazda studied at the Eastman School of Music, and at the Hartt School (University of Hartford), where he was a student of Arnold Franchetti.

Recordings

His most easily available music is on the CD noTnoTesnoTrhyThms, see external link below.

It contains the following compositions:

1. MANEATINGCHIPSLISTENINGTOAVIOLIN (1990)
2. whErEyoulivE (1989)
3. wM (1992)
4. aftergloW (1990)
5. themythofAcceptAnce (1991), Jeffrey Krieger, electronic cello
6. thefLuteintheworLdthefLuteistheworLd (1995), virtual audio-for headphones only, Ann LaBerge, electronic flute
7. Speaker Placement Instructions
8. buzzingreynold'sdreamland (1994), virtual audio-for speakers only
9. Un Nuit Dystopia/Hommage Michel Foucault(2007)

Further reading

• Zelli, Bijan. “Reale und virtuelle Räume in der Computermusik: Theorien, Systeme, Analysen.” Unpublished Doctoral dissertation. Kommunikations- und Geschichtswissenschaften der Technischen Universität Berlin, 2001. — Includes an analysis of Henry Gwiazda’s buzzingreynold’sdreamland (in German)
• Zelli, Bijan. “The Choreography of Noise: Analysis of Henry Gwiazda’s “buzzingreynold’sdreamland”.” eContact! 14.4 — TES 2011: Toronto Electroacoustic Symposium / Symposium électroacoustique de Toronto (March 2013). Montréal: CEC.

External links

• Official website
• Henry Gwiazda page on Innova Recordings website