Of definitions of “ground” was composed in reaction to the sound of the electrical utility frequency or ‘mains hum’, which can sometimes be heard through loudspeakers and amplifiers. It is generally considered an ‘unwanted’ noise, often caused by interconnection of electrical equipment that results in there being multiple paths to the ground, also known as a “ground loop”. Many of my concert experiences, as a composer or listener, have been coloured by trying to eliminate or ignore this sound. And so, I wanted to create a work where this sound is instead the focus. The harmony of the work is built around this hum and its harmonic series, and much of the instrumental writing attempts to simulate related electroacoustic phenomena, such as harmonic distortion and feedback. 

Because the electrical utility frequency is different in different countries (for example, in North America it is 60 Hz and in Europe it is 50 Hz), there are two different versions of the score, depending on where the piece is performed. In reflecting on the way this sound connects us to place, the work subtly incorporates field recordings which also differ between the two versions, linking to the sites of the premiere performances in Québec and Belgium. The piece is then a meditation on the way sound can “ground” us or connect us to a feeling of familiar ground.  

Of definitions of “ground” was commissioned by Le Vivier for Ensemble Hopper with support from the Canada Council for the Arts.

Recording: 10 May 2019, Église Sacré-Coeur, Chicoutimi. Recording engineer: Pascal Beaulieu

Of definitions of "ground" (60 Hz version)- Ensemble Hopper

James O’Callaghan is a composer and multimedia artist based in Berlin. His work has been described as “very personal… with its own colour anchored in the unpredictable,” (Goethe-Institut). It spans chamber, orchestral, live electronic and acousmatic idioms, audio installations, video-music, site-specific performances, electronic dance music, and interdisciplinary collaboration — most recently with choreographer Edouard Lock and artist Lois Brown. In 2016 an album of his acousmatic works, Espaces Tautologiques, was released by empreintes DIGITALes, and his extended collaboration with Ensemble Paramirabo resulted in a portrait album of his works in 2019, entitled Alone and unalone.
	His music has received nearly forty prizes and nominations, including the ISCM Young Composer Award (2017), the Salvatore Martirano Award (2016), and the SOCAN Foundation John Weinzweig Grand Prize (2014). Significant nominations include those for the Gaudeamus Award (2016), Prix Métamorphoses (2018), and two JUNO Awards (2014, 2020). In 2021 he received the Prix Opus for “Composer of the Year.” 
	Active as an arts organiser, he co-founded and co-directed the Montréal Contemporary Music Lab. Originally from British Columbia, he lived in Montréal for 11 years and since 2022 has been based out of Berlin.

- Guitar experimenter
- Drifting between psychedelic and "regular" music

You can get 12" vinyl of all my albums on bandcamp.
Please follow my youtube channel for my videos-
and my instagram for my visual art.  Thanks!

Of definitions of "ground" (60 Hz version)- Ensemble Hopper

James O'Callaghan