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Denis Smalley

b. 1946

Composer of electroacoustic music from New Zealand

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About Denis Smalley

Born 1946. Denis Smalley is a New Zealand composer and university teacher.

Denis Arthur Smalley (born 1946 in Nelson, New Zealand) is a composer of electroacoustic music, with a special interest in acousmatic music.

Biography Denis Smalley studied at the University of Canterbury and Victoria University in his native New Zealand, and later at the Paris Conservatoire with Olivier Messiaen, with the Groupe de Recherches Musicales (GRM), and at the University of York.

He initially composed onto tape, but as early as the 1980s realised his works using computer software. His composition Pentes (1974) is regarded as one of the classics of electroacoustic music. featuring the development of sounds in time.

A lecturer at the University of East Anglia, England, from 1976 to 1994, he was professor of music at City University, London from 1994 until his retirement.

His music has been performed around the world and most of his major works appear on commercially released CDs.

Recordings

Impacts intérieurs (empreintes DIGITALes, IMED 0409, 2004) Sources/scènes (empreintes DIGITALes, IMED 0054, 2000) Névé (Effects Input, EI 03, 1994) Tides (Ode Records (New Zealand), MANU 1433, 1993) Impacts intérieurs (empreintes DIGITALes, IMED 9209, 1992)

List of works

Base Metals (2000) Berne Mobiles (1980), installation Clarinet Threads (1985), clarinet, and tape, received a Golden Nica (Ars Electronica, Linz, Austria) in 1988 Darkness After Time's Colours (1976), received a Euphonie d'Or (Bourges competition) in 1992 Empty Vessels (1997) Gradual (1974), amplified clarinets, and tape Névé (1994) Ouroboros (1975) O Vos Omnes (1986), eight-part choir, and tape Pentes (1974) Piano Nets (1990–91), piano, and tape Pneuma (1976, 81), amplified voices, and percussion The Pulses of Time (1979) Resounding (2004), 6-track tape Ringing Down the Sun (2002), 6-track tape Spectral Lands (2011) for electroacoustic sounds in six channels Tides (1984) Valley Flow (1991–92) Vortex (1982) Wind Chimes (1987)

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
University of York
Employers
City, University of London, University of East Anglia
Also known as
Denis Arthur Smalley

People in Denis Smalley's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Denis Smalley's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Denis Smalley?

Composer of electroacoustic music from New Zealand

When was Denis Smalley born?

Denis Smalley was born on 16 May 1946 in Nelson.

What is Denis Smalley's occupation?

Denis Smalley is a composer and university teacher.

What nationality is Denis Smalley?

Denis Smalley is New Zealand.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Denis Smalley

· Wikidata: Q1187661

· DBpedia: Denis Smalley

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Denis Smalley. https://biography.guide/denis-smalley/

MLA: "Denis Smalley." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/denis-smalley/.

Chicago: "Denis Smalley." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/denis-smalley/.

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