John Oswald (b.

1953)
Spectre (1990)
Canadian composer John Oswald is well known for his development of "audioquoting" techniques
which have challenged contemporary notions of artistic ownership.
In 199! Oswald"s notorious recording Plunderphonic had to #e destroyed as a result of legal
action taken #y $ichael Jackson. In 1991! a sequel was released! featuring thoroughly reworked
soundtracks #y musical artists as diverse as the %oors! Carly &imon and $etallica. Discosphere!
a retrospective of dance soundtracks! was released in 199' followed #y Plexure! the third al#um
of the Plunderphonic series. ( retrospective C% #o) set of Plunderphonic works has #een called
"mind*num#ingly ama+ing" #y ,eter -enneth in Rolling Stone! and made Spin Magazine"s .op 1
in '1.
( recent /overnor /eneral $edia (rts 0aureate! (rs 1lectronica %igital $usics and 2ntitled (rts
(ward winner! as well as the fourth inductee into the Canadian 3roadcasting Corporation
(lternative 4alk of 5ame! Oswald has also #een nominated to third place in a list of the most
internationally influential Canadian musicians! tied with Celine %ion. Oswald is %irector of
6esearch at $ystery 0a#oratory in Canada. $ore information a#out his current activities can #e
found at www.pfony.com.
Oswald composed three string quartets commissioned #y -ronos in the early 199s7 Spectre 8for
11 string quartet reflections9! preLieu 8after 3eethoven9! and Mach 8for string and heavy metal
quartets9! followed #y a :th quartet! entitled Fore. In Spectre! Oswald interweaves -ronos
playing in concert with multiple overdu#s of his recordings of -ronos. In this sense! Spectre is
written for a thousand*mem#er string orchestra with all instruments played #y -ronos. It was the
composer"s first composition for live musicians in 1; years.
(#out Spectre! Oswald writes7
<.he camera"s shutter #links and a moment of the visual world is fro+en on film. &till! there is no
audi#le equivalent to the snapshot in the time it takes to sound. &ound takes time. 6ecordings of
-ronos fill Spectre. &uccessive moments happen often at once. In concert the musicians add a
final overdu# to a string orchestra of a thousand and one reflections. .his wall of sound of veils of
vi#ration of ghosts of events of past and future continuously present is a virtually e)tended
moment. (n occasional free+e marks a moment"s gesture.=
Spectre was commissioned for the -ronos >uartet #y the 4e)ner Center! Canada Council and
0incoln Center for the ,erforming (rts and appears on -ronos" ?onesuch recording! Short
Stories.
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