Whether produced by nature or by human beings, whether logs or metal containers, Staub turned these objects into his "acoustical material" in the original sense of the word. He was, in a manner of speaking, constantly en route on a voyage of discovery of sounds. At first, he built his own instruments. The result is marked by a close proximity to arte provera, a rejection of overblown techniques, and an almost ecological renunciation of compositional devices. The second stage is the compositional process per se, e.g. the gradual incorporation of traditional instruments in his wholly original "sound concretizations". Volker Staub's composition is formed of 23 (partially interpenetrating) pieces which form new entities at a higher level of organization.