We Were Slaves?! (2003)


We Were Slaves?!
This early electroacoustic work unfolds by means of two metaphors, the ringing of a cellular telephone and the human voice.
Written by: Guy Barash

Instrumentation: electroacoustic

Duration: 2 minutes

World Premiere: September 2003, Guy Barash (live electronics), Haifa Cinematheque, Haifa, Israel

Other Performances:
November 25, 2003, Guy Barash (live electronics), Tmuna Theatre, Tel Aviv, Israel
October 23, 2004, Guy Barash (live electronics), The Contemporary Music Biennial, Tel Aviv Museum, Tel Aviv, Israel

Composer Note:
This is my first electroacoustic composition. The idea behind the work unfolds by means of two metaphors, the first is the ringing of a cellular telephone, and the second is the human voice. In the course of the work the voice gradually loses its human character, acquires the mechanical character of the ring of a cellular telephone, and disintegrates. The title is an oblique reference to a well-known song, ‘We Were Slaves’ (to Pharaoh in Egypt), sung during the Passover ceremony.