Electronic Music No.40 (Showers of Harmony) by William Lennox was originally planned for composition at IRCAM in Paris.

Good progress was made when Luciano Berio then working at IRCAM supported the project with letters of recommendation. This was curtailed when Berio was forced out of IRCAM by Pierre Boulez for composing his piece of Electronic Music there before Boulez.

Over recent years there has been considerable debate in France as to why French modern music in in such a poor state - there is one word that explains why - Boulez. As WTL is in the next generation of composers after Boulez he can state that Boulez was most unhelpful and even hindered the developments.

Typical of Boulez was to use a lightweight composer such as Todd Machover for any communications. Never missing a chance to undermine other composers - the situation was not so bad being a foreigner but for the other French composers it was a nightmare. Just as IRCAM itself was to composers of Electronic Music.

Electronic Music No.40 ( and the preparation compositions Electronic Music No.30a and 30b) was really beyond IRCAM which in reality was totally impractical to the experienced and innovative composers - (When WTL first arrived at IRCAM with EM14 from Utrecht they didn't even have the facilities to replay it- which gave them an excuse to ignore his work, as under Boulez's leadership they were totally in thrall of the MIT artificial intelligence crowd).

Practical new systems of production and harmonic control were required and it wasn't clear that IRCAM even believed in Harmony in Electronic Music.

The composition Electronic Music No.40 was set out in detail as a direct challenge to the harmonic power and range of the Orchestral Symphony, Electronic Music has the power to extend and develop the power of the harmony in music with Showers of Harmony.

Extracts from the full composition are being prepared for the Inauguration of SuperHouse.

Electronic Music Nr.40 is planned for completion in 2012.