E-raamat: Deciphering the Musical Language of Nicolas Obouhow

From the time of his arrival in France (in 1919), Obouhows unprecedented, exceptional uniqueness attracted attention. Nicolas Obouhow aimed to create a comprehensive spectacle with costumes and projected colours in a space which he himself conceived and built. Having created, at the beginning of the 20th century, a unique system of writing, he turns towards ultra-chromatic densities, both harmonic and melodic, and allows himself truly original gestures and textures. This very short introduction is certainly disproportionate to the many questions which may arise from Obouhows work... Azadeh Atris research contributes most positively to our knowledge of this Illuminé.

Jean-Michel Bardez

French musicologist, composer, pianist, visual artist, and director of collections

Material on Obouhow is rather scarceand even more so in English. Most of what is out there is biographical and anecdotal. This book is thus doubly valuable. It contains, for the first time, detailed analyses of compositional procedures. The analytical procedures are accompanied by many music examples, all illuminating the text. This work demonstrates the early days of writing for electronic instruments as well as an early approach to the construction and notation for such instruments. The translation of The Book of Life into English is another big bonus in this research. It is high time that a figure such as Obouhow is put under the microscope, as he is a fascinating and enigmatic composer.

Prof. Emer. Larry Sitsky (AO)

The Australian National University