"sewn" for mezzo-soprano and glove-controlled electronics by David Litke (2011). Performed by Marguerite Witvoet. Commissioned by the DIVA project at UBC (magic.ubc.ca/artisynth/pmwiki.php?n=VisualVoice.HomePage).
The DIVA system allows a performer to synthesize vocal sounds using data gloves and a foot pedal. The glove on the right hand yields data on its position in space and the curvature of the right-hand fingers; the left hand glove provides contact sensors between the thumb and various parts of the left-hand fingers. Data from these interfaces is used to control the various parameters of speech synthesis: the x-z position of the right hand determines the vowel sounds, the y position of the right-hand determines the pitch, the right-hand fingers are used to create sustained consonants, the sensors on the left hand trigger plosive consonants, and the foot pedal controls the volume. At various points in this piece, I have augmented this system, using data from the right hand glove to control a Max patch that allows the performer to “scrub” back and forth through pre-recorded sound files.
