I was initially inspired to write this piece by a peculiar psychoacoustic effect I experienced while practicing the glockenspiel part for Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, in preparation for the October 2016 University of Chicago Symphony Orchestra concert. While playing scales in the very highest register of the glockenspiel, I heard a buzzing noise that seemed to be coming from inside my ear. My usual response was to put earplugs in to protect my hearing, but on a few particular occasions, my curiosity got the better of me. As I continued to practice the part, I noticed that the pitches of these buzzes were the same every time, and that I could mathematically relate them with what notes I was actually playing.

It turns out that these buzzes are known as "otoacoustic emissions"; they result from the eardrum actually working as a speaker and producing sounds of its own. This piece presents an extended exploration of these peculiar sounds and their musical implications.

The first movement attempts to resynthesize these buzzes with the resources available in the ensemble, using traditional techniques and conventional tuning. The second movement requires the performers to play extremely high notes that actually produce otoacoustic emissions; I encourage you to listen carefully for those sounds floating around the hall. The second movement also requires five of the ten performers to retune their instruments to better align with the pitches of the buzzes, which lie outside of our traditional tuning system. In the third movement, I freely explore some of the musical materials developed in the first movement, but with the resources made newly available in the second movement.

Three explicated buzzes, as if the eardrum were a speaker was premiered on May 20th, 2017 by the University of Chicago New Music Ensemble, conducted by Barbara Schubert.