​​​​​​​Eric Lacy Music
​​​C o m p o s e r
On Autism . . .
"As far back as I can remember, I’ve marveled at people who are able to do superhuman tasks intuitively. If you pay attention, you’ll see that these people exist everywhere. I’ve watched in amazement as they do things such as initiate conversations, make friends, sustain eye contact, share their emotions, and perform other extraordinary feats. Every so often, the question would come to mind, How are so many people able to accomplish such incredible feats so effortlessly? As it turns out, these feats are not so extraordinary if your brain operates in a fashion that is naturally receptive to nonverbal language and if you comprehend things like nuance in social interaction. I’m autistic. I don’t possess those attributes. As a result, I’ve spent a great deal of time—certainly more than most—making an effort to learn what most people know instinctively: the rules of social communication.
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While I don’t easily perceive social cues and don’t instinctively understand the rules of social communication, my mind intuitively understands the nature of more abstract things, such as patterns—patterns found in mathematics, patterns found in science, and patterns found in . . . music. My decision to immerse myself in the world of music was an uncharacteristically impulsive one. I dove headfirst into songwriting and soon after, into composing for orchestra, where I had several of my pieces performed—all without a single lesson in music theory, music composition, or orchestration. I was able to do so because what I lacked in social intelligence, I made up for in aural pattern recognition. While I was deficient in nonverbal communication, I had an accurate inner ear and an astute understanding of acoustics, including the hierarchy and organization of different sounds. These uncanny attributes, and others, allowed me to thrive musically, while struggling socially; an interesting conundrum, because music is inherently a form of social communication.
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I persisted in composing music for orchestra, and over time, I composed music for visual media as well. Eventually, I decided to pursue a formal music education, culminating in a PhD in music composition and music theory. The unconventional nature of my musical journey has been a solitary one in the sense that I know of no one who traveled a similar path. Nevertheless, I continue to compose music for both concert and film, and my music can be heard in concert halls, universities, theaters, and on televisions worldwide."
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- Eric Brian Lacy