Tonic Immobilization  (2021)

written and performed by the University of Toronto Guitar Ensemble 

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Tonic Immobilization is a natural phenomenon that has been documented in both humans and animals. I was inspired by an article that described how pods of orcas use tonic immobilization to attack and sub due sharks. The orcas discovered that when they flip a shark upside down, it is forced into a catatonic state where it is unable to defend itself or even move.

The musical material is centred around an ever-present F embodying the idea of stasis where the tonic pitch, though often shifting in register, is constantly sounding throughout the piece. The players prepare their instruments with tinfoil and matchsticks conjuring up images of ocean trash and micro-plastics. The electronics use hydrophone recordings of the loudest underwater sound ever recorded (known as the “The Bloop”), ASMR tinfoil sounds, and recordings of happily squeaking orcas.