Commissioned for the Québec City 400th anniversary (1608-2008) celebrations, “Champs de Fouilles” (Excavations) is a homage to the history and unique character of Québec City. In this piece, I explore the cohabitation of electroacoustic media and sound culture, which I identify as being the unique sound heritage of a community or area.

In composing this piece, I found myself interacting in real time with my community, its inhabitants and its sound heritage. My composition extends beyond the boundary of a purely musical work and becomes a social and community project. It offers a personal and metaphorical vision of this society and invites listeners to ponder the question of cultural identity and belonging. I use this sound culture to encourage listeners to participate, to become involved in the creation phase. Through a selection of “meaningful” sound material from the community’s specific cultural heritage in the composition process, I bring listeners to discover significant reference points that are a reflection of their cultural and social environment and by which they will recognize themselves in the work and be able to identify with it.
Electroacoustic music facilitates the creation of a musical discourse using culturally recognizable extra-musical sounds. With this approach to sound creation, works can be composed that integrate elements significant to a community or that provide an opportunity to create an event that brings the community together (such as a sound installation or a concert). The “heritage” approach to sound creation seeks to show that live electroacoustic music can have an important social anchor, and that despite the marginalization that this medium for creation often experiences, people are interested in and moved by the works. Through the work, the artist becomes a mediator between the plurality of current realities, between his/her own vision of the world and the history and aspirations of the community, and brings the public and the work together at broadcast events in this way.

Martin Bédard: composer and sound recorder; Vincent Breton: sound recorder. This project has been supported by the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ).

Martin Bédard (CA) earned his master’s degree in electroacoustic composition under the direction of composer Yves Daoust and André Fecteau at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, graduating with honours. His keen interest in film language should provide him with ample new creative avenues to explore for future projects. He is currently a lecturer and a PhD student in electroacoustic
composition with composer Robert Normandeau at the Université de Montréal. He also teaches at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal and in the electroacoustic composition class at the Université de Montréal.