Compositional methods
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The compositional method employed in the creation of acousmatic music may seem relatively straightforward, involving three primary stages which may be loosely described as follows: (1) composers choose a range of sounds to record (2) they... more
The compositional method employed in the creation of acousmatic music may seem relatively straightforward, involving three primary stages which may be loosely described as follows: (1) composers choose a range of sounds to record (2) they manipulate and transform those recordings in the studio, and (3) they allow form to develop gradually, and somewhat organically, as the process of manipulation and transformation unfolds. Such a method has been articulated in the writings of contemporary acousmatic composers, such as Smalley (2010) and Harrison (2013), yet it goes back all the way to the pioneering work of Pierre Schaeffer, who employed a similar approach almost seventy years ago (1952). In Schaeffer's day, the articulation of such a method may be justified; his search for a concrete music clearly involved a painstaking, and emotionally draining, search for a compositional approach that lacked precedents, systems, models or established approaches to composition. Today, the situation is somewhat different; the development of an acousmatic community, supported and maintained through the academy, has served to establish and perpetuate such a method as a significant and meaningful form of creative practice. The method itself, however, may be questioned: the process of selecting sound materials, the choice of established technologies employed to develop sounds, the aesthetic preoccupations of individuals and broader communities of practice, the evolution of a performance practice relative to such music, and the concerns and expectations of the listening public, are but some of the manifold factors that radically impinge upon and inform compositional practice. This paper offers an account of these various factors, ultimately suggesting that contemporary writings offer a mythological, rather than methodological, account of the compositional process. To demonstrate this point, it presents a brief discussion of the author's own work (Twin Cities), in which the methodological approach is outlined and discussed in the light of contemporary acousmatic practice.
Working with short soundfiles en masse in the fields of fixed media (acousmatic) and mixed music (instruments and electronics) has raised questions regarding useful assemblage and handling techniques. This paper traces out some different... more
Working with short soundfiles en masse in the fields of fixed media (acousmatic) and mixed music (instruments and electronics) has raised questions regarding useful assemblage and handling techniques. This paper traces out some different processes and systems that are currently in circulation to automate and assist in such sonic distributions. A number of personalised techniques for sound organisation of breif sounds have surfaced in the author's own outputs in response to working with short sound en masse for many years. Using excerpts from my own fixed media works; Ice Breaker (2015), Snap Happy (2017) and Landline (2018), this paper will reveal how new modes of micro-montage can assist in marking out structure and referencing in music making. The techniques , applications and compositional aesthetic of mi-cro-time and micro-montage, first articulated by Vag-gione (1994) as observed by Roads (2005) will be discussed and used as a springboard into new compositional methodologies. Implications of using naturally occurring minute materials (milliseconds in duration) distinct from truncated materials (cut up, or shortened) will be compared within a discussion on organic versus artificial-sounding output. To conclude, the author will reflect on the creative results of handling large numbers of short sounds and how this defines her output as a composition-al trait.
In 2015, plastiCities – a network of artists, writers, researchers and academics with an interest in space and spatialities in art – commissioned a series of musical compositions based on a small patch of land on the edge of Sheffield.... more
In 2015, plastiCities – a network of artists, writers, researchers and academics with an interest in space and spatialities in art – commissioned a series of musical compositions based on a small patch of land on the edge of Sheffield. The patch of land, still home to one of the world's oldest cementation furnaces, was once situated at the heart of the industrial city centre where it was engaged in the production of blister steel. Following the national decline of this industry, the land lay forgotten and derelict until a recent rediscovery, or re-imagination, of the space produced Furnace Park – a community park that invites reflection upon the changing nature of the city through the act of artistic engagement and activity. plastiCities launched the commissions as part of their wider artistic agenda: " We believe that voices from the arts have a critical role to play in the ways in which our cities are designed, produced, distributed and lived. We do not treat the city as an object to be represented, but as a more-than representational plastic object, in the sculpting of which we all have a democratic right to intervene. " (plastiCities 2015 p.5). In this context, sound appears to be a perfect medium, particularly when plasticity may be enacted through the combined processes of recording, transforming and composing, as are often found in forms of sound art and electronic music. Despite this, the result of these processes were not intended to embellish the city with yet more public art, and nor were they intended to illuminate ways in which the city's soundscape might be redressed. Instead, through the process of reflection, creation and engagement, the act of 'doing' was intended to encourage individuals to think of the city as artwork in and of itself. This paper considers the various commissions in light of this project. It starts by elaborating the commission objectives, setting these alongside the aims of plastiCities. It goes on to address the act of composing in this context, paying particular attention to the one of the author's works Foundry Flux (2015), particularly in terms of the compositional methods and the resulting form of the piece. It finishes by assessing the whole project alongside the stated aims; whilst the process of artistic engagement did (at least in some cases) necessitate (re)engagement with the city, this was often highly personalised and frequently opaque. The aims of the project, however, remain substantive and this paper concludes with a call for a great engagement with the city as a plastic work of art.
Resumo: A utilização de desenhos como primeira etapa do processo composicional, anterior à formalização da escrita musical, pode ser observada no processo criativo de compositores como Xenakis e Sciarrino. Observar o processo destes... more
Resumo: A utilização de desenhos como primeira etapa do processo composicional, anterior à formalização da escrita musical, pode ser observada no processo criativo de compositores como Xenakis e Sciarrino. Observar o processo destes compositores nos permite pensar uma abordagem metodológica na qual as imagens sonoras são inicialmente trabalhadas por meio de manipulações da ordem do visual e, posteriormente, tornadas sonoras através das ferramentas da escrita musical. Em Percussivo (2012), de Tadeu Taffarello, o desenho foi o local de organização e manipulação de sons contínuos e percussivos na flauta baixo. Contudo, na passagem para a escrita musical, o final da peça tornou-se diferente do planejado no desenho por consequência da utilização de diferentes superfícies de registro como espaço de manipulação (desenho e escrita musical). Explorar desvios como estes durante o processo criativo pode-se tornar outra possibilidade, inclusive quando imagens sonoras e visuais são construídas passo a passo e se influenciam reciprocamente. A este processo chamamos
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