Analisi Brown E. November e Altri Contemporaneo

8/12/2019 Analisi Brown E. November e Altri Contemporaneo

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OPEN, MOBILE AND INDETERMINATE F

submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philo

b!

"u! De Bi#$re

School of Arts

Bru%el &%i$ersit!



CONTENTS

Contents …...................................................................................

Acknowledgements ....................................................................

Abstract …....................................................................................

Introduction …..............................................................................

1. On Form …..............................................................................

1.1 What Form? ….................................................

1.2 recursors …....................................................

1.3 O"en Form …..................................................

1.4 $ew %ork vs. &armstadt ….............................

1.5 (ost in )ranslation ….....................................

1.6 *ood vs. +ad Indeterminac, ….....................

1.7 ow O"en? …................................................

1.8 O"ening the Closed Form...and all that /a00 …

1.9 Anti23usic? …................................................

1.10 Aimless 5ambling ….....................................1.11 Conclusion ….................................................



2.7 M&'ic or “rio or Five D$ncer'” *&ne 195"

2.8 195" …............................................................

2.9 Fo&r Sy'tem' ….............................................

2.10 (aborator, …................................................

3. 3iles &avis 8 +e ….................................................................

3.1 ,itc%e' ,re …..............................................

3.2 +e 19#-219- ….............................................

3.3 +e: as a com"osition …..................................

3.4 )he right audience ….....................................

4. Adam 5udol"h 8 O'tin$to' o irc&l$rity …..........................

4.1 Chicago 8 *hana …......................................

4.2 O'tin$to' o irc&l$rity …...........................

4.3 )he ;core ….................................................

4.4 5h,thm …....................................................

4.5 er<orming the ;core …...............................

4.6 Freedom …...................................................

5. eter =ummo 8 /0erimenting it% o&'e%ol3 %emic$l' …



5.9 )rans"osabilit, …..........................................

5.10 )he (istener ….............................................

6. Anne (a +erge 8 *uided Im"rovisation …............................

6.1 Anne (a +erge …...........................................

6.2 *uided Im"rovisation …..............................

6.3 S$m …........................................................

6.4 re$3' ….......................................................

6.5 8&m' …........................................................

6.6 ;"itt, and ;cratch, …..................................

7. *u, &e +ivre 8 Works -''#2-'11 …..................................

7.1 Origins …........................................................

7.2 n3 bove ll …..............................................

7.3 ,l&e 8ig%t:6e3 8ig%t …....................................

7.4 " $c7 …..........................................................

7.5 St$re +nto t%e 8ig%t ….....................................

7.6 %e 6el$tive rob$bility o Forming $ ;not +

7.7 %e 6el$tive rob$bility o Forming $ ;not ++ 7.8 o7er e't …..................................................

7.9 Com"osed vs. Im"rovised …...........................



A""endiB "ort<olio o< scores

– n3 bove ll

–,l&e 8ig%t:6e3 8ig%t

– " $c7

– St$re +nto t%e 8ig%t

– %e 6el$tive rob$bility o

– %e 6el$tive rob$bility o

– o7er e't



Acknowledgements

First and <oremost I want to thank m, <riend and su"ervisor: +ob

convincing me to embark on this doctoral /ourne, and to "rovid

advice all along. is knowledge and eB"erience have saved me v

and energ,. $eBt: I want to eB"ress m, gratitude to m, consecut

5ichard +arrett: Christo"her FoB and eter Wiegold: each "rovid

di<<erent "oint o< view on the sub/ect o< m, research.

Com"osersD"er<ormers Anne (a +erge and eter =ummo have o

not to sa, essential: "lace in m, musical li<e <or man, ,ears now

hel"<ul when I decided to delve dee"er into their "ractice. )he,

occasions: were also eBce"tional accom"lices in m, own eB"erim

Adam 5udol"h: com"oser: conductor: master "ercussionist was

and generous when I reEuested attending his Organic Orchestra

"er<ormances and never hesitated to make time to answer m, ma

er, s"ecial thanks go to )he 7arle +rown 3usic Foundation: )

Cad, and es"eciall, ;usan ;ollins2+rown: <or their warm welco

during m, too brie< visit. Without the FoundationHs resources the

would never have been "ossible.

I cannot su<<icientl, eB"ress m, indebtedness to ictoria Carola

(ondon2based logistic su""ort: without which this adventure wo

eBtremel, hard: i< not im"ossible to accom"lish: and her guidanc



INTRODUCTION

At the core of this thesis is my work from recent years. Since the

have gradually abandoned writing fully notated music in a cravi

spontaneity and surprise that I remembered experiencing back w

an improvising musician. I have been exploring methods that wo

least roughly sketch boundaries and directions as a composer wh

relative creative freedom.

his thesis did allow me to situate my own practice within a wid

or indeterminate composition in order to be able to make compa

and! in a way! legitimation. he research led me back to the first

that composers consciously conceived as being "open form#. $i

his colleagues from the %ew &ork School! it is safe to say that as

concerned the central figure could only be the American compos

radical experiments still resound to this day. )is work Decembe

score! from the Folio collection has become an icon of *0th centu

(rown+s work of course is considered within the ground,breakin

its day! on both sides of the Atlantic -cean! but it is also importa

a// antecedents! which are further proected in time in this thesi

existence parallel to so,called serious music! is versed in its own

indeterminacy.

After the historical survey of the origins of open! mobile or inde



is presented in the case studies no longer make clear cut distinct

of them! including myself! look for ways to implement human re

process. hey all compose more or less open form works that re

the uni4ue creative talents of the performers. hey all have conc

to this end. %one of the scores presented re4uire virtuoso readin

instead they re4uire virtuoso creative capacities. he less score y

the performer has to make up. 'ach of the composers calls for a

extempori/ation.

Adam 7udolph did not conceive Ostinatos of Circularity as an "

does match what I consider to be indeterminate composition8 it d

musical result of which depends on the decisions made by the co

during the performance as well as the choice made by the perforfrom the other works in that the main decision making and shap

in the hands of the composerconductor! while the performers+ de

on a micro,structure level. (oth levels of spontaneous decisions

other in concentric circles.

Experimenting with Househol Chemicals can be considered a ty

composition. All the materials are notated! but the produce of the

interpretation by the individual musicians of the performing ense

simply one could say that all performers play the same score mo

direction at their own speed. ;ummo+s main metaphor when desis that of a herd. his describes not only the lecture of the score

also a social situation. he score is also very ambiguous and reli

interpretations of these ambiguities.



am indebted to :eter ;ummo>! either all in the same direction or

direction. All re4uire the performers to carefully consider respon

to interpret the materials.

$hen discussing their works with the composers they all seem v

surprised! to find magic and epiphanies. All these works address

interpretation vs. improvisation! about notation and the necessity

the score! about freedom and responsibility. In a way they answe

always =rarely> clearly! with the music that results from them.

=?> music is sometimes able to create the illusion of tim

cause follows effect. In these extraordinary epiphanies! r

relatively common in music! the moment becomes a "littof the (ig (ang of creation.

ypically! improvised music is full of such little bangs. '

is based on! and follows rigorously! a predetermined stru

7/ewski>



Chapter 1

ON FORM

1.1 What Form?

he basis of all $estern musical form starting with Freg

cadence! which implies that the forms are +closed!+ set wi

isolated. =Gharles 7osen>*

$hen appreciating time based art forms! such as music! form is

it does after all change over time , unless we are confronted with

dimensional construction =e.g. a composition where the determin

exponential dynamic growth! where form could be seen as an ou

@orm could be many things. @orm refers to genre =in a rather ind

opera! concerto! etude! mass! ma/urka!...>! to generative structur

sonata! where the general components are usually assigned letter

the se4uence of which represents the overall structureB or +form+

Arnold Schoenberg lists as +forms of all si/es+! "...melodies! main

themes! transitions! codettas! elaborations! etc....#D . If we were to

formal appreciation to architecture we would never obtain a rele

architectural form. $e would know what a building+s function is

rooms it has! or decorative details regarding wallpaper or furnitu

no idea of the actual architectural form or shape of the building i



are created for these functions!#5 or! more relevant to the presen

"Hsed in an aesthetic sense! form means that a piece is organi/e

elements functioning like those of a living organism.#6

It is this +organi/ation+ , or rather its partial or complete absence

meant when people use the term +open form+. he lack of positiv

form and hence +open form+ is! can also explain the various types

be found under the same common denominator8 such as aleatorifree. If form relates to organi/ation! then all these different descr

different styles! or different +open forms+ =how open! or what par

they all deal differently with the generative part of organi/ation.

1.2 Precursors

In 'ilence ohn Gage indirectly suggests that )enry Gowell mig

what would later be considered +open form+. It is indeed true that

developed what he called +flexible+ or +elastic+ music! but this wafunctional solution to problems he encountered as a composer an

dance groups. "Anyone who has worked in a dance studio know

always being subected to alteration through repeated trials! in se

fashion.#C he solution Gowell offered to this problem was to co

the modules of which could be adusted in length! or re,assemblalterations the choreography was subected to.

he practical method of creating elastic form is somethin



beginning has been made if there are even as many as tw

expanding a certain form! where there would have been o

whole work may! then! be short , the minimum length be

performing each sentence and section once only , or as is

repeats ad libitum. It may be performed with percussion

with orchestral instruments! or with one orchestral instru

combination of these. In this way! the individual rhythm!

sentences! the sections! the whole work! the rhythmical aorchestration are elastic. he whole work will! in any of

have formB but it may be easily adapted to the changes an

to the dancer+s creation.9 =)enry Gowell>

Gowell seems to have deemed these ideas interesting enough to his music that had nothing to do with dance! e.g. 2+ 'imultaneou

which comprises *6 parts which may be played in random order

mention by Gage in 'ilence! Gowell+s elastic music is never men

later open form composers. his can seem strange! but not much

that Gowell himself never mentions :ercy Frainger+s excursionsform. $hile Gowell+s modular approach might bear more forma

dice game minuets than to the indeterminacy practices of the %e

Frainger comes much closer to some concepts that would only b

In 191* Frainger conceived .anom .oun =which he describedconcerted partial improvisation>! in an attempt to recreate the eff

in the 7arotongan =:olynesian> polyphonic songs. .anom .oun



harmonic whole when performed together with any bar o

variants of the same section.

he guitars formed the background for all the rest! and as

with section A any or all of the other players and singers

how they pleased! with any of their variants of section A!

corresponded to those of the guitars.10 =:ercy Frainger>

)e also seemed conscious of the risks that would accompany peseemed prepared to appreciate the potentialities of events stricter

normally avoid8

It will be seen that a fairly large range of personal choice

one taking part! and that the effectiveness of the whole thprimarily on the natural sense for contrasts of form! colou

displayed by the various performers! and their udgemen

the general ensemble at suitable moments.

hus one player! by intruding carelessly and noisily at a m

rest were playing softly! would wreck that particular effehand! such an act! if undertaken intentionally in order to

variety! might be very welcome.11 =:ercy Frainger>

(ut Frainger! much more than Gowell! was a very marginal figu

been mostly ignored! or maybe not taken seriously by the generawould radically change part of the musical world.



o differentiate between various types of "openness# it could be

musical form "simply# as a se4uence of events! which allows us

various interpretations of form within a unified time,based consto the way ames enney addresses form in !E& !eta 6 Hoos

6 Hoos8 "he perception of form at any hierarchical level involv

three distinct aspects of form! at that and at all lower levels. he

will be called state! shape and structure.#15 enney sees a work o

of what he calls "temporal gestalt units#! which could in a simpl"time,based forms# =thus the total form of a piece of music cons

smaller forms! each in turn consisting of even smaller forms! etc

the elementary clang! an indivisible unit>. In this system "state#

global properties of each form element =the range of each of its m

parameters and its duration>! "shape# refers to the profile of the each element =their envelopes>! and "structure# stands for the rel

constituent parts of each form element. hese three aspects of fo

different hierarchical levels! from the most elementary constitue

overall form. his somehow 4uite complex approach allows us t

or specific elements "granted freedom# by the composer.

In the end the openness of the form has all to do with how much

composer is willing to delegate to the performer=s>B what elemen

shehe is willing to abstain control over. -ne could look at this f

than the composer+s ego and see it as the composer assuming tha

more potential than ust one uni4ue and perfect cast. <ooking at

open works we see them ranging from total freedom =e.g. all par

case of 'arle (rown+s December 195216> to very limited! merely



is the note,to,note procedureB and form! which is the expressive

morphology of the continuity! are all determined. @re4uency and

of the material are also determined. imbre and amplitude charamaterial! by not being given! are indeterminate.#1C Although the

were most probably part of the performance practice of those da

1.4 New York vs. Darmstat

$ell! let+s take (oule/ and myself8 I feel that my music i

music is closedB he+s making obects.#19 =2orton @eldman

$e already mentioned that 'arle (rown was probably the first c"open form# =not necessarily in those exact words>! and that his

December 1952 can be seen as the most radical implementation

within his own oeuvre>. (ut two years before (rown+s work! wit

any "openness#! 2orton @eldman wrote his roection and (nter

sleeve notes of the 196D Durations recording he wrote about ro

2y desire here was not to +compose!+ but to proect sound

compositional rhetoric that had no place here. In order no

performer =i.e. myself> in memory =relationships>! and be

longer had an inherent symbolic shape! I allowed for indeto pitch. In the roections only register =high! middle or

dynamics =soft throughout> were designated.*0 =2orton @



year*1> (rown says8 "(ut 2orty+s early music on graph paper all

any three notes in the high third of the piano! or any two notes in

piano. It was not open form! it was structured in time and metre.structured in time and register! but only relatively in metre =wha

in fact a duration grid , and a piece like (ntersection 1 grants the

to +come in+ at any given time within the given duration> and the

the register indications could in theory turn the work into anythi

consonant and completely dissonant. :itch can be a determinant(rown+s criticism does show that the notion of "open form# is op

)e most certainly had a very specific idea of what could be cons

what not8

=...> the first truly "open form# work! titled "wenty @iveune 195D! and decidedly "controlled aleatory# , in that t

determined but the form left "open#. =)ow do you define

structures#J If they are "open#! how are they "formal stru

structures are not "formal structures#. , "open,form# is n

, the structure is a result of the "open# structural potentia"improvisatory passages#! "within a larger predetermined

the antithesis of "open formal structure#. $hat you are re

formal structure# but a traditional "safe# control of struct

interior flexibility , sometimesfre4uently defined as "a/

terribly! wildly "innovative#.*E ='arle (rown>

In that same period ohn Gage! who was very supportive of his %

companions! completed his !usic of Changes in which the elem



freedom at all was granted the performer! thus ruling out the "op

4ualification*5. Gage+s first open form works! in which performe

the decisions were the for a 'tring layer series of 195D! follow !usic for iano 2*19 pieces*6! eventually culminating in the Con

Orchestra =195,5C>. (ut one could still argue that the interpreta

the performer is not that very different from what Gage found in

Fugue. ust as eager as he was to free the music from the compo

would also avoid the performer+s.

At the same time 'urope! or at least one of its centres of musical

was witnessing the birth of serialism. Although serialism seems

of the musical spectrum it might have more in common with ind

would assume. As )erman Sabbe wrote in his thesis on serialismGage and his companions achieved discontinuity and hence inde

+under,determination+ and the serialists by +over,determination+8

as little as possible and the latter by foreseeing so much that at a

everything could occur.#*

It was pianist 3avid udor =incidentally accompanied by compo

first introduced the 3armstadt audience to American indetermin

1956! although word was spreading before through broadcasts a

the epistolary exchange between :ierre (oule/ and Gage since 1

indeterminacy! chance and open form were received with sceptic

the 'uropean avant,garde. Soon some of them! and not the least

Stockhausen! would apply openness! or mobility to some of thei

allowed the pianist 4uite some freedom in the assembly of eleme



Stockhausen in his >la$ierst?c4 @( =1956> . (oth these compose

direct relation between their +open+ works and those of their Ame

Amy G. (eal tells in her book on the relation between the Ameripost,war 'uropean and more particularly Ferman music scene! t

downright condescending8 "<ater Stockhausen downplayed Gag

'uropean use of open form! insisting that those ideas came from

appropriation of @rench abstraction. )e claimed that it was wron

'uropean tendencies of +open forms+ back to American influenceare to be found in the 'uropean tendencies of mathematics and n

According to Stockhausen! most avant,garde composers! includi

:ousseur! "found LGage+sM experiments interesting from a combi

but banal and dilettantish if considered music.#*C $hen we leave

as a 'uropean supremacist discourse! or at least a biased percepthistory =Stockhausen in his conversations with onathan Gott! ta

aleatoric techni4ues used by the abstract expressionists! states "

came from :aris.#*9 7eferring to painter Feorges 2athieu as a p

of the American abstract expressionists! while Feorges 2athieu

in 19E9 that he considered :ollock the greatest living American

had a point =even though he intended it as a criticism>8 the comp

%ew &ork School =at least Gage! @eldman and (rown> were inde

contemporaries =such as 7obert 7auschenberg- Alexander Galde

ackson :ollock- $illem de ooning>! and had no problem adm

$hat Stockhausen alludes to with +'uropean tendencies of math

science+ seems to be mainly his own! 4uite hermetic! translation

into the structure of his >la$ierst?c4 @( . " >la$ierst?c4 @( is noth



composers from the %ew &ork School were working side by sid

they saw as maor influences. he predominance of literary influ

explain why Hmberto 'co in 196*! in his book &he Open )or4 D

'uropean open form =though never using those words! preferrin

much more convenient to his literary excursions> experiments of

Stockhausen =also (erio! but that remains a very disputable choi

the %ew &ork School.

In a way the divergence of opinions between the 3armstadt and %

shows resemblance to the philosophical schism in 19*5,*6 betw

and 4uantum mechanics! when +dogmatic realism+ ='instein> disa

possibility of the +uncertainty principle+ =)eisenberg>. $hile (ou

the 50s seemed most inclined to dogmatically keep one foot in thpast maybe even anterior to $ebern>! Gage and company were r

towards the indeterminate! 4uite uncertain future. It is easy from

prediction of performances of (oule/+ r 'onata or Stockhausen

while it is much harder if not impossible to make a positive pred

@eldman+s! (rown+s or $olff+s open scores. he comparison show

with )eisenberg+s8 "In the experiments about atomic events we h

and facts! with phenomena that are ust as real as any phenomen

atoms of elementary particles themselves are not as realB they fo

potentialities or possibilities rather than one of things and facts.#

1.5 !ost "n Trans#at"on



is cut up in four parts occurring on pages 1! *! 5 and 9! the last o

what could musically be seen as a coda. 2allarmN s close friend

person to have been presented the poem by its author> writes! in heard some people+s intention to present the poem on the stage!

If those people would have known! however distantly! 2

if they would have heard! like myself! 2allarmN discussi

algebraic sense> the minutest details of the positioning ofsystem he had constructed. If they had assisted him in the

the editing of this figure which was meant to contain the

and the successiveness of speech! as if a very fragile bala

precisions! I can assure them that they would never even

chance by means of performers! abolish this deep calcula

It was only after completing his third sonata that (oule/ was int

:i$re! the notebook sketches of an ambitious! but never reali/ed

ultimate book. his included possibilities of re,ordering content

unlike those seen nowadays in hypertext. Ironically! in more tha

with his :i$re seems to meet Gage =and antagoni/e (oule/> whe

the author8 "#he pure work implies the elocutionary disappeara

<oo4 =le :i$re>! presented as being authorless! accentuates this d

the same time he seems to be at the opposite end of Gage when h

rid of chance8 "-ne needs to get rid of the chance of words! each

of a sometimes perverse contingent alliance between sound and

chance 2allarmN wants to reect is that contained in the meaning

associations! in a certain sense the molecular level of a text. -n



2allarmN+s famous poem 0n Coup e s also has an aspect tha

Gage+s than to (oule/+ work8 its use of typographical silence. h

sparingly spread over the white page. (ut otherwise there are no2allarmN was of any influence on Gage. It seems to have been (

correspondence with Gage who introduced him =without much a

to the @rench poet! and in a letter of 195DDC even mentions sendin

edition of 2allarmN+s complete works =which would only includ

editions>. hose letters read as a supportive exchange of ideas beavant,garde composers! until (oule/ in 195 published! in :a "

FranLaise! his text leaD9. Although nobody is named in what r

yet meticulously constructed diatribe it is clear that it is directed

School protagonists! at ohn Gage in particular. It opens with8

-ne can today note that many composers of our generati

constant preoccupation with chance! not to say they are h

least as far as I know! the first time such a notion occurs

he most elementary form of the transmutation of chanc

the adoption of a philosophy laced with -rientalism mas

weakness of composition techni4ue.E0 =:ierre (oule/>

7eading lea one tends to forget that the subect is music and no

threatening humanity at large. (oule/ goes as far as suggesting t

is unfit for consumption8

-bectivity continuously dissolves in front of your eyes!

and irritating mirage! draining and drying out all life forc



-pen form notation is discarded because of its imprecision8

%otation will become sufficiently U though insidiously Ugrids U hypothetical diagrams U to let through the perform

changing and mottled choice. -ne coul lengthen this sil

sound! one coul accelerate! one coul... at each moment

has chosen from now on to be meticulously imprecise.E*

he flexibility of form is added to the list of improper concepts8

In a musical universe in which all notion of symmetry ten

which the idea of variable density gains more importance

construction U from matter to structure U it is logical to lo

cannot be fro/en! an evolving form which will rebel agai

other words! a virtuality.ED =:ierre (oule/>

Gage! who was clearly targeted in this passage would bitterly rea

After having repeatedly claimed that one could not do wh

(oule/ discovered the 2allarmN :i$re. It was a chance o

last detailsEE. $ith me the principle had to be reected out

suddenly became acceptable to him. %ow (oule/ was pr

had to be his kind of chance.E5 =ohn Gage>

@orty years after (oule/ the Ferman3utch composer onrad (

more virulent attack on indeterminacyB agreeing with (oule/+ cr



In (oule/+ case one could assume that some of his opinions on in

chance vs. Gage+s may have something to do with treacherous si

languages8 @rench and 'nglish. $hen (oule/ writes!

+Aleatory+ is a word that is fre4uently used! rightly or =mo

when speaking of +chance+. It means a directed! or contro

you have yourself chosen. L?M (ut to call this +chance+ is

chance L?M can give you only one satisfactory solution o

are possibleB and this after all is not the obect of compos

problem of so,called +chance+ music! the material cannot

because it is impossible to take the 10 million to one chan

happening on some interesting combination. =)here are

lecture given in 2ay 196C in Saint 'tienne>E9 =:ierre (ou

he seems to be confusing the 'nglish +chance+! meaning probabil

+chance+! meaning luck. It is strange! because it gives the impress

familiar at all with any of Gage+s writingsB or for that matter with

from 2ay ** 195150 in which he gave full details of the procedu

compose !usic of Changes.

1.6 $oo vs. %a "neterm"nac&?

lea s publication at the same time as (oule/+ &hir iano 'ona

performer various navigation possibilities through the material!

certain forms of indeterminacy were not to be done! others were



he statute of the work does not really change8 we give i

but we do not alter its meaning! and fundamentally not ev

have of it. I have often compared that work to a city mapits layout! one perceives it as it is! but one has different w

different ways of visiting it. he work is like a city or lik

often a labyrinth as well8 we visit it and we choose our ow

approach! but it is clear that to visit a city re4uires a prec

circulation rules.5* =:ierre (oule/>

It certainly sounds like if we visit a park instead of a city we sho

grass. 2etaphorically comparing most of the 'uropean compose

flexible world with their %ew &ork counterparts! one could say t

their performers cities and a map =to at all cost prevent them fro

the latter provide them with more or less specific materials to bu

an array of instructions how to proceed! ranging from none to m

more musicological difference is the fact that the 'uropean avan

was looking for a way to get beyond post,webernian serialism! w

as a dead end street! while this clearly was not an issue for Gage

$olff.

hough lea was in the first place aimed at transatlantic targets-

directions as well. $hen (oule/ wrote

here is however a more poisonous and more subtle kind

Gomposition aims for the most perfect! the smoothest! th

obectivity. And by what meansJ Schemati/ation! simply



it was no longer the indeterminacy of the %ew &ork School he h

absence of names in lea caused some collateral damage. -ne o

(elgian composer )enri :ousseur who wrote to (oule/ that he dwhich yielded! in a letter dated August 195! the following inter

@rench colleague8

@inally! about my paper! who do you think those criticism

go as far as to paraphrase @laubert when he said8 "2adam

3on+t you think that the most tainted form of confession

that the addressee is another 2' and not anyone elseJ If

it means we all have dreamt the same utopias! resulting i

I beg you to believe that I am not gentle with my mistake

came out of them.5E =:ierre (oule/>

$hile (oule/ was apparently struggling with feelings of guilt! )

wrote his own view on the subect8 !usi7ue et Hasar55 = !usic

:ousseur+s text is not aimed at discrediting anyone. o start with

about the American origin of indeterminacy! referring more spec

3armstadt! in 195E! between ohn Gage and 3avid udor and w

as the "younger generation# of 'uropean composers! arlhein/

particular =specifying that udor+s own ideas played a very impo

also suggests that the 'uropean composers+ struggle with finding

post,webernian musical language proved to be a very fertile grou

ideas. Indeterminacy must have seemed like a radical liberation

serialism. "At first! the influence was felt in instrumental practic

determination! more 4ualitative! more directly connected with th



After describing the historical situation! and warning! in a slightl

the dangers of the indeterminacy idiom ="he unconditional emp

criticism! the almost blind application of certain ways of thinkin

especially! the negligence of specific problems distinguishing th

from Gage+s and his friends+ approach! appear to us as containing

:ousseur opts for a much more constructive! rather than adversa

rest of the text addresses the concept of indeterminacy by mean

analysis of its opposite8 determinism. <ooking at determinism fr

points of view of physics! gestalt psychology and information th

concludes that!

$hile we have long thought that chance and determinati

appears that the latter! on a mechanical level =but that is w

of it everywhere else originates>! is nothing but a conse4

an absence of meaning and of creative intention. Indeterm

hand! is closely related to the existence of meaning and c

opens their action field. (ut ust as they reali/e themselv

inertias of the world! diverting them from their directions

them to their own advantage! chance can be used as a sta

indeterminacy. It is at the very heart of this cycle of ambi

understanding of the world seems to take shape! new rela

world and men and between men themselves.5C =)enri :o

his paragraph reads like the merging of the ideas of both Gage

avant,garde. Gontrary to lea =and (oehmer+s pamphlet much la

talks not of a dangerous threat to the future of music! but of a co



organi/ing and combining operations! but as a tool capab

author+s omnipresent subectivity! thus even meeting cert

=3omini4ue K ean,&ves (osseur>

2ichel (utor! :ousseur+s literary accomplice confirmed this whe

serialism was a closed serialism within which one imagined bein

the elements+ possibilitiesB today structures are sought after whic

expanding! elements allowing continuously new perspectives.#60

$hile (oule/ limited his applications of =controlled> indetermin

r iano 'onata! Eclats and Domaines>! :ousseur =whose first f

aptly titled !obile for two pianos =1956,5C>> would use mobile

throughout his oeuvre. -ne of his recurring methods was the use

windows in which fragments of other pages could appear and be

or dynamic indications of the top page. arlhein/ Stockhausen w

different forms of indeterminacy in various works until the seco

hough it was again :ousseur who! around 19C0! tried to put thi

interviewed by 3ennis <evaillant.

)as openness exclusi$ely a formal concern

Gertainly not for me. I remember having clearly signified

ago! the social and political dimension of the first open fo

went beyond a certain division of labour! they disposed osubordination of the interpreter who! in certain cases! had

and because of that was living! be it in a very peculiar wa

exemplary! the worker+s alienation. Stockhausen opposed



us en 'ieben &agen were accompanied by totally impe

=)enri :ousseur>

-ther composers limited their explorations of the free world to

(runo 2aderna+s Piola! from 191>. he 'uropean composers o

all found different applications of the concept of indeterminacyB

degrees of freedom! but also different techni4ues! yielding differ

herefore it is remarkable! and sad! that the papers they publishe

seemed to address musical details! as if those were irrelevant com

being accused of serialist apostasy.

1.7 'ow open?

he first thing is to consider one+s domain.

hen! put a fence around itB for although it may be limite

circumstances! one wants to have a hand in this unwante

It is striking that there is such a huge difference between the mu

experiments with indeterminacy of (oule/! Stockhausen or :ous

three main 'uropean 3armstadt protagonists> and those of the %

is a strong aesthetic similarity between the works of the 'uropea

mobile! their musical content is heavily indebted to serialism. An

at the scores to get a fair idea of how the music will sound. he

(rown! @eldman! Gage and later $olff on the other hand! are ve

another! imbued with personal aesthetics rather than with musica



composers had written! and those notes are responsible for the d

$hen following the composer+s instructions it is not possible to

performance of those works. :erformers of @eldman+s graph piec

December 1952! or Gage+s Pariations are free in their pitch choi

instructions tells them for instance not to choose consonant mate

what one could assume from those guidelines. $hen @eldman w

for the roection or (ntersection pieces8 "Any tone within the r

he limits of these ranges may be freely chosen by the player.#!

or even a single note =in various octaves> version would be acce

the composer in these cases expected the performer to be aware

aesthetic rules. hus :eter 3ickinson tells the following anecdot

performance! in the presence of @eldman! of roection 28

he score is written in the form of a graph with space e4u

has a copy of this so he can reali/e his own part and notic

the piece is in bars of four beats! and the players are told

how many notes to use! but their choice in pitches is restr

into high! middle and low.

At first @eldman asked for the sound to be +sourceless+ an

perfection of tone once the chosen note had been achieve

the players working out their parts in advance but empha

pianist was rebuked for playing a close,position minor tr

register! although there are of course no written instructio

=:eter 3ickinson>

$hen 3ickinson later informed about this +contradiction+ @eldm



)'% ,

-..

(ut! I+m afraid her Drd can best be described as a ... tick.6E

his could maybe be interpreted more as a responsibility re4uire

="you are allowed to play whatever pitch=es> you want! but make

good reason! beyond mere arbitrariness! within the context of th

decisions#>! rather than a restriction of what is presented as freed

:eter 3ickinson it was clear that "@eldman is working within co

stemming from $ebern where intervals of the ninth! seventh or t

suggestion of tonal relations would obviously be out of place.#66

issue and by now! for some performers! th or 9th intervals could

the other hand in the Durations series! where all pitches are nota

performers read through their parts at their own chosen speed th

unavoidable =but it will indeed not be the product of any "tick#!

coincidence>.6

3avid (ehrman comes to similar conclusions in his analysis of @

he unwritten rules describing such limits may in fact be

by the composer! the conductor! or by the players familia

work upon those unfamiliar with it. hey describe the bo

6E @'<32A%! 2orton! *006! +<etter to :eter 3ickinson+! 1966! in PI<<A7

'ays- 'electe (nter$iews an :ectures 19+,*199; ! )yphen :ress! **65 A similar situation is recalled by 'arle (rown8 "I remember we were rehe

3ance @estival at Gonnecticut Gollege and ohn =Gage> was conducting 2

2orty was in the audience and all of a sudden 2orty stood up in the audiewhat the violin is playing.# And ohn and everybody stopped and the viol

three notes in the high register+. I play three notes in the high register! that



personali/ed style =or "tradition# or "common practice#>

composer and passed on in the course of performances to

might be compared to the rules governing those facets of

in the scores of the past! which have become perennial su

among musicologists8 aspects =such as rhythmic alteratio

were passed on through oral rather than written tradition.

Gould we conclude that in the end things were maybe not as +ope

presented! or that the radical openness was an unsuccessful expe

explain the fact that all of the original +indeterminists+ would gra

during the following decades. 'ach of them in different ways8 @

his compositions =while in fact retaining some of the structural a

pieces>B (rown substituting his early radicalism for +conducted+ m

$olff pursuing until the mid seventies notation experiments ofte

interaction based upon aural cues between the performers and ev

+traditional+ notation.

ohn Gage seems to be the only one to have stuck to his original

not that open to start with! at least not from the performers+ poin

allowing players to simultaneously perform different works of h

which ones could work together! e.g. ria V Fontana !ix or 'on

iano an Orchestra or .o8art !ix! but not limiting the choice t

1.8 Open"n( the c#ose )orm...an a## that *a++



all when the wide variety of musics co,existing under the a// la

a// composer or arranger =as they seem to share fairly e4ual hie

thought of classifying his or her creative output as "open form#!

the picture. It is 4uite significant that 'arle (rown had a// roots

exception among his %ew &ork School peers> and often referred

explain his compositional practice8 "L...M I come out of a//! and

I+m not afraid to play the trumpet and play this and play that and

out of that tradition.#0

3ue to the ambiguity of the distinction between the composer an

latter often being considered more important than the former1! o

composer# , that which in a way could be seen as a variation on

usually categori/ed as an "improvisation#. (ut as Ghris Smith p

!iles Da$is an the 'emiotics of (mpro$isation! "he term +impr

here with a limited definition! the one which is most commonly

terminology. In this construction! +improvisation+ connotes music

depend on the selection! se4uencing! and uxtaposition of musica

selection is done in the moment by the players.#* his descriptio

relativity8 the selection can be done beforehand and the missing

main one! is =re>interpretation of a harmonic progression =in the

description might be +harmonic+ field>.

A recurring feature in a// is the "great American songbook#! a c

most of which were written during the first half of the *0th centu

series of songs from a specific show. his collection has been se

history as a very convenient staple. It provided usable harmonic



%one of the original songwriters =Fershwin! :orter! Garmichael!

have thought of their compositions as being "indeterminate# or "

a// musicians and arrangers saw the songs as very flexible mate

evolution of a// that flexibility only increased. %one of the son

explicit permission to alter their music in any way either. heir l

to do with the fact that they were professionals! living of their ar

music sales! but also! and much more so! on royalties! which we

of the alterations their music was subected to. Some a// music

same liberties with so,called "serious music#. 2iles 3avis and F

oa4uin 7odrigo+s Concierto e ranue8 to their a// aesthetics

the '4etches of 'pain record. 3avis recalled the following anecd

the composer of Concierto e ranue8! said he didn+t like the re

composition , was the reason I did '4etches of 'pain in the first

getting a royalty for the use of the song on the record! I told this

it for him! "<et+s see if he likes it after he starts getting those big

never heard anything about or from him after that.#D

It seems as if a// musicians =at least those with original views! w

their peers> would look at the score of a song from the standard

wonder where they could alter it! what kind of liberties they cou

functioning within their current aesthetic! thus opening its form.

keep the original harmonic structure =though often they would e

main melody =or at least part of it> as a root for improvised solos

had no inhibitions whatsoever declaring a determinate composit

Hsually the materials would be derived from "@ake# or "7eal# b

standards reduced to elementary melodic and harmonic features



of their performance.

=?> instead of the simplistic! though touching note,for,n

ballad+s line! on this performance each note is tested! giv

emotional vibrato =note to chord to scale reference>! whic

each one of the notes is given the possibility of "infinite#

scalar or chordal expansion ? threatening us with those

also proving that the ballad L(illy 'ckstine+s ( )ant to &a

written was only the beginning of the story.E =Amiri (ar

An understandable criticism of the claim that a// musicians are

form would mention the fact that they usually stay within a 16 o

structure and form are not necessarily the same thing. As said ea

parameters can have an influence on the form perceived by the l

&hings as sung by ulie Andrews in &he 'oun of !usic has the

Goltrane+s version of the song! yet it would be very reductive to

identical form. @rom another perspective one could say that a Ga

present different configurations! but always the same =overall> fo

would see Galder+s work as an example of "open form#.

1.9 ,nt"-mus"c?

In 3ecember 1965! as a culmination of almost D0 years of contin

standard "re,lectures#! trumpeter and band leader 2iles 3avis! w

known as his second great 4uintet =featuring $ayne Shorter! ten



2uch to their surprise the record company =Golumbia> had decid

concerts! but they still stuck to the challenge they had imposed u

it might have been insecurity about the experiment that prompte

recording of the first night>. he record company was clearly no

results of the recording and kept them in the vaults until 19C*! w

edited selection of them. It was only in 1995 that the complete s

=disclosing the cautiousness that was applied when the 19C* +hig

It can seem strange that at a time when free a// had been aroun

liberties the 2iles 3avis band took with the standards did not se

Golumbia assumed the recordings would not match the expectat

2iles 3avis! who by then was known for creative yet relatively

interpretations. he :lugged %ickel versions of the songs are con

trained ear. In his analysis of one of the songs =some are repeate

different sets and are given different treatments each time>! "'te

Pictor &oung>! )enry 2artin writes about a specific passage8 "

of this transition is not only da//ling! but it also obscures the for

tell when the fourth chorus begins. In moments such as these! it

group is abandoning the form.#

Starting to listen in the middle of one of the songs! and being fam

chord changes! it is very hard to guess which song is exactly bei

instance we consider " ( Fall in :o$e too Easily# =by Sammy Gah

which the band plays four times over the two nights! we are trea

approaches within a similar macro,structure. $e are tempted to

has become the main form! rather than the original harmonic stru



After E choruses the tenor saxophone takes over from the trump

away from the original theme! of which at best merely small frag

not even in all of the performances>. $e can assume that the sax

choruses! but this is hard to make out for sure! partly because the

general li4uefaction. he tempo accelerates and slows down aga

even the meter changes. he saxophone is followed by the piano

extreme interpretative elasticity =proportionally the piano solo in

versions takes between 1* and D1O of the total length>. hen! se

waiting for a specific conclusion of the piano! the trumpet takes

something close to the original melody. It would all make perfec

would show some logic! if the listener would be able to follow th

(ut instead one hears a collage of very different readings! tied to

pinpoint flow. Although the music seems to lead a very natural

hard! if not impossible to figure out the system that controls it. G

consistency.

-n visual recordings of the same period it seems as if the band d

cues. Although Ghris Smith! on the same subect! did deduce tha

players are extremely subtle! almost invisible to outsiders.#C h

much more important and are sometimes very obvious! though n

3avis for instance often signals his next chorus with rhythmic ac

staccato playing>! sometimes combined with a tonal indication =a

chord of the moment>! that he will stray away from the changes.

decide on the end of the piano solo by ust starting to play over i

versions he starts his final solo in a different harmonic stage of t

other signals seem to come from the drums! by means of colour



anchor of the 4uintet was probably bassist 7on Garter! who often

harmonically the closest to the original song! at least delivering

which would explain why nobody ever seemed to get really lost!

strayed from the original.

In a way the musicians =as this is a collective effort> are recomp

=$ould it be blasphemous to compare it to for instance what (ee

!agic Flute arias in his Pariations for cello an piano =-p.66 an

are recomposing it as an open form work! which allows for diffe

is performed.

If one were to write the score based upon the performances! it co

melody =written with stemless notes> and the indication that ther

of solos =trumpet! saxophone! piano! trumpet> more or less based

harmoni/ation. he opening and closing solos should be close to

should run over an +accompaniment+ on piano! bass =both more o

relating to the melody andor to what the soloists play and to eac

=specifying a binary meter =though not excluding ternary or poly

a moderate tempo =not necessarily steady>>. he performers shou

of each other.

1.10 ,"m#ess ram%#"n(

An essential difference between a// and "non,a//# avant,garde

importance given to artistic concepts underlying the composition

i l d - f h i XC i ! i Y f



involved. -ne of the pieces! XCartrige !usic!Y was perf

3avid udor. hey had cards to which they referred! pres

his to me! is XcontrolledY indeterminacy! which is an ext

which has been taking place in music for a long time. It s

GageYs idea one step further and not predetermine anythi

performers and their instruments. he idea of having plan

predetermined choices seemed too rigid. If the performer

they would be able to interact with the audience even mo

heightened dimension. Glassical musicians! I reasoned! a

type of extempori/ing today! but a// musicians are.9 =3

'llis clearly did not know what the concept behind Cartrige !

interacting with the audience was not an intention of ohn Gage

performance rules. he concert however did inspire him to expe

might have thought the idea was8

Al @rancis and I tried improvising a duet with ust free as

not satisfying to me. I needed to hear more of an overall

rambling. he idea of using an emotional framework! rat

occurred to me. $e tried it once keeping in mind the thou

from despair to hope. It Xhappened.Y I did not try it again

for fear of establishing any set musical routine. $hen we

this was the first thing recorded. -ther than the emotiona

instruments and means at our disposal nothing was plann

=3on 'llis>

h t t d d i 1965 th ( + k =



approach to standards in 1965! than (rown+s work =even more so

(rown that was performed after $olpe+s introduction supposedly

iano- which is not +open+ at all>.

A few years after the :lugged %ickel concerts 2iles 3avis woul

standard repertoire while elaborating on the techni4ue he used to

)is own compositions would often consist of a melodic theme =l

rhythmic information as well> and ust a few chords used by the

improvising motifs or backdrop. Gonfirming that grey area! whi

the early open form works! between improvisation and composit

1.11 Conc#us"on

2y aim is to borrow from the =visible> world nothing but

the means of making forms. =:aul PalNry>C*

2ost of the music addressed in this introduction dates back to th

exception of the a// examples> and this could give the impressi

musical phenomenon limited to a specific time period. his is of

intention was to concentrate on its origins. -pen forms would oc

incarnations throughout recent music history up to this day. It ha

contemporary composer+s potential arsenal. It has branched out i

and graphic and verbal notation =cf. Gornelius Gardew+s &reatise

Stockhausen+s us en sieben &agen>! two forms that will not be

=with the exception of 'arle (rown+s December 1952! due to its

democrati/ation or generosityB it is an aesthetic compositional to



democrati/ation or generosityB it is an aesthetic compositional to

:eople sometimes ask! why don+t you specify what you w

itJ I do Actions are indicated more directly and simply.

and rhythm of these pieces =the rhythm! for instance! pro

longer knows where one is> could as far as I know! be bro

way.CD =Ghristian $olff>

his freedom also sheds a different light on the social relationsh

composition and performer=s> by emphasi/ing them as an essent

creation. hese relationships are too often taken for granted. -n

or less open score is not a completely new invention8 before full

common! a larger responsibility was given to the performer and

improvise! usually according to the practice of the time =as we h

example of 2orton @eldman! this still! in some cases! can be a re

3rawing an extreme picture one could say that the fully notated!

way been performed by the composer beforehand! leaving the pe

reproductive role to play! or at least not a formative role. he op

other hand cannot be reproduced and must therefore contain a ge

seed.

o paraphrase $erner )eisenberg we could consider the presenc

element of tendency and the subective element of incomplete kn

form score. he ratio between these two elements could be a det

differentiate various open form practices. In (oule/+ &hir iano

can have fairly complete knowledge of the music>



can have fairly complete knowledge of the music>.

$hen confronted to extreme openness one can wonder what the

score is as opposed to free improvisation. Anthony (raxton! who

musical activities in the border area between both notation and i

interesting opinion about their relevant coexistence when he stat

%otation as practised in black improvised creativity is no

only involves the duplication of a given piece of music ,

itself. 7ather! this consideration has been utili/ed as both

as a generating factor to establish improvisational co,ord

notation is utili/ed as a ritual consideration and this diffe

what it signifies about extended functionalism. @or in thi

be viewed as a factor for establishing the reality platform

the harmonic and rhythmic sound,path of activity and als

%otation in this context invariably becomes a stabili/ing

with the total scheme of the music rather than a dominan

of the music.CE =Anthony (raxton>

$e are aware that our use of the word "form# is ambiguous! wh

explore the issue at the beginning of this introductory chapter. In

radical a description! as most open form works are only indeterm

and most composers have a fair idea of what they expect at least

of the end result to be. 2aybe "open score# is a more satisfying

compositional intention. he open score is a form generator rath

ideally providing =potential> totality! transformations and self,re

Chapter 2



Chapter 2

,R! /ROWN - FO!IO

2.1 Never the same tw"ce0 &et a#wa&s the same

I like form when it occurs. And I am interested in the hum

and provocations which will produce form! but I am not iform. C6='arle (rown>

he so,called %ew &ork School is often presented as a homogen

movement. &et its four plus one members =ohn Gage! 2orton @

$olff! 'arle (rown! and the "fifth musketeer# 3avid udor! whofrom virtuoso performer into live,electronics composer! would e

producing the most indeterminate , relying on the unreliability o

electronics , music of the group> did show more individual diffe

counterparts in 3armstadt =e.g. (oule/! Stockhausen! :ousseur!

the early 1950s! when they had serialism as a common vehicle>. composers all seemed to share $ebern as a common root! while

diversified roots =and they were not very pronounced>. hey we

the centres of tradition and saw that only as a advantage.C

ohn Gage was the oldest of them =1E years older than (rown anolder than $olff> and had! by the time their association began! a

a reputationCC. %ext to his status he was =and would remain> by f

expressive of them! publishing essays and giving lectures. )e wa

he four composers are often associated with the %ew &ork Sch



he four composers are often associated with the %ew &ork Sch

abstract expressionists! but this association is again very differen

2orton @eldman would hold the closest rapport to the abstract e

to some of them like :hilip Fuston! $illem 3e ooning! @ran/

=even referring to them in composition titles>. ohn Gage seems

social ac4uaintance to them =his ideas of removing the artist or h

from the art work being the opposite of what was "expressed# in

expressionism>! as one of the active members of the Artist Glub

"Cth Street Glub#>! where artists! composers! writers! poets! think

and gave lectures. )e would find more in common with 2arcel

with the newer generation of artists who were to follow the abstr

mainly 7obert 7auschenberg =whose "white paintings# gave Ga

his famous "silent# piece ,K>. 'arle (rown would specificall

:ollock and even more to Alexander Galder =who was not an abs

he much younger Ghristian $olff seems to have witnessed this

Ironically enough! while the 3armstadt serialists all saw $ebern

implementation of Schoenberg+s twelve,tone concept as the esse

also $ebern who played a key role in the origin of the friendship

School protagonists. In 1950 @eldman and Gage both started exc

enthusiasm about $ebern+s music after a commonly attended co

'ymphony Op21 was performed and ill,received> and $ebern w

dropped by 'arle (rown when he met Gage for the first time in

different way it was also $ebern+s 'ymphony that Gage wanted h

Ghristian $olff to analyse in 1950. hough none of them! unlike

counterparts! felt the need to continue from where $ebern had s

silent! abdicatesB $ebern abandons himself to the material! whic



! B !

nothing more than the echo of muteness.#90 -ne cannot help thin

(rown and $olff when reading about the silencing of the music

of muteness and especially about abandoning oneself to the mate

seems as if on one side of the ocean people were reading the spa

system that held them together and on the other side they were li

that were framing them! allowing their individual existences. oh

when he wrote8

L...M Gowell remarked at the %ew School before a concert

$olff! 'arle (rown! 2orton @eldman and myself! that he

who were getting rid of glue. hat is8 $here people had

stick sounds together to make a continuity! we four felt th

get rid of the glue so that sounds would be themselves.91

2orton @eldman would put it in a more metaphysical manner! "$

much! for the nature of his poetry and not for his theory. L...M Gag

illegitimate sons of $ebern.#9*

-f the %ew &ork School9D members 'arle (rown was the one w

show most affinities to twelve,tone music and later serialism! alt

arrived there by a detour. -riginally =and for the rest of his life>

enthusiast! at first actively! as a trumpet player. Aiming at becom

engineer he enrolled in %ortheastern Hniversity in (oston! but t

interrupted by his enlistment in the army in 19EE =wanting to be

war ending before he could complete his training as a pilot! he o



from 7oslyn (rogue,)enning! who was a twelve,tone composer



explain why the early published works =written while living in 3

for iano =1951>! erspecti$es =195*> and !usic for Piolin- Cel

are explorations combining twelve,tone and Schillinger techni4u

former works (rown wrote8

In both cases the compositional techni4ue is polyphonic

contrapuntal> but with a conscious plan to eliminate any

independence of the individual voices to achieve a mono

texture of varying densities. Structurally both works are s

generative principles suggested by Schillinger studies8 su

geometric series techni4ues applied to the transformation

groups! and acoustically based density structures. hese

mine which use tone rows and serial techni4ues of structu

extension.9 ='arle (rown>

here was however a fascinating and hard to fathom evolutionar

serial works to the contrastingly radical Folio! a collection of w

the legendary December 1952> composed between 195* and 19

coincides with (rown+s move to %ew &ork Gity =by way of (lac

where surrounded by works like @eldman+s "graph pieces# and G

:anscape "r , and "r 5! <lac4 !ountain iece =which (rown

summer of 195*>! or ,K! not too radical serial works could h

context. It would however be very unfair to accuse (rown of op

could assume that the context acted as a licence! if not an inspira

ideas he had been considering in the years prior to 195*.99

$hen! in a 1995 interview! ohn &affN in4uired about the radical



erspecti$es to Folio! (rown explained8

his development had to do with so many different dime

interested me. I used to go to a little poetry bookshop on

across poetry pamphlets by enneth :atchen =...> )enry 2

7exroth. I used to haunt that bookshop. Among other thin

called Pision in !otion by 2oholy,%agy! a visual artist.

2useum of 2odern Arts booklets on Galder. And! I reme

2aga/ine came out with the first maor colour spread of

expressionists =...>.

=...> It was all these things! the spontaneity of a// and the

do next , you don+t think "$hat+ll I do nextJ# &ou ust do

'arle (rown had experienced the spontaneity of a// first hand a

while in (oston! at the end of the E0s he also got very interested

the work of ackson :ollock. )e eventually would even try his h

working1018 "$hile in 3enver I was teaching arranging and com

techni4ues,,and at that time I experimented by painting somewh

:ollock to get the feeling of what it was like to work that sponta

idea of spontaneity he was also fascinated by the concept of mob

Galder+s work10D8 "Hnder the influence of Galder10E! I considered

a mobility! which is to say a score that was mobile,,a score that

potential of form and performance reali/ation.#105 Although ver

something in common between :ollock+s spontaneity and Galder

thought of :ollock and Galder was! ")ere is something which ha



2.2 Folio



here was both success and failure in these Folio pieces.

he Folio collection is a milestone in *0th century music! a show

compositional concepts8 graphic notation! reduced punctuation!

transcriptions of graphics! proportional notation =originally +time

metric system! etc! and combinations of these! all pre,dating =an

influencing> related experiments in 'urope. @or (rown it was a t

he tried out his wildest ideas! taking some to extremes he would

Hnfortunately Folio! and particularly December 1952! became th

would be associated with to this day! while he chose for a much

"open# path right after it! using some of the ideas he had suggest

on more "conventional# notation and performance guidelines8

It+s so frustrating to spend forty,five years writing music!

about in connection with only one or two pieces. I would

the range! the aesthetics and the optimism of my work. A

want to clarify the differences between the pieces for wh

the pieces that people don+t know. 'verybody wants to re

and the graphic things. =...> (ut I+ve written so much mus

ways. I+ve never understood why people want to put me i

away.110 ='arle (rown>

)e never repeated the more extreme ideas of Folio! while produ

often still =though less radically> innovative body of work afterw



he absence of clefs =while they are suggested as conventional p



performance note> does not seem to have a specific function! exc

clear from the start that the performer should not approach the sc

one. $hat is also striking is the unusual positioning of the very

the staff in both the first and third system and what looks like a t

note seemingly leading out of the score =or! even stranger! it cou

under the last note>. In a way these things can be reminiscent of

the edge of the canvas! giving the impression of something ongo

"detail# shown. 2aybe the one missing natural sign in front of th

system is not an accident! but it also ended up off the "canvas#.

note to Folio mentions "intentionally ambiguous graphic stimuli

melodic or harmonic handle makes it an extremely abstract work

the works of :ollock from the end of the forties. he absence of

performer can add them freely> and of a specific tempo along wi

vary the speed! makes for a work with an extremely elastic temp

regardless of that! always sound recognisable.

@ig. * , the third =and last> system of 'arle (rown! Octob

=Associated 2usic :ublishers>

2.4 November 1952 (“Synergy”)



And then the next step was "o$ember 1952 in which I ev

actual! the precise pitch.11D ='arle (rown>

@ig. D U 'arle (rown! "o$ember 1952


"o$ember 1952 takes the notation experiments a big step further

shows a layout which! if approached in a conventional manner e

1* octaves. It is for piano andor other instruments or sound,pro

original sketch limited it to "one or more pianos#> and is again c

metrical indications. he performance instructions do clarify thi

he fre4uency range will be relative to that of each instru

work. o be performed in any direction from any point in

any length of time. empo8 as fast as possible to as slow

amount of time> or any other expression of simultaneity.

b th ght f l ill h l i t 'i



be thought of as real or illusory! as a whole or in parts. 'i

hori/ontal> may expand! contract! or remain as it seems t

will vary according to the performer+s view of the floatin

(rown>

hese guidelines! in a way! make "o$ember 1952 the most poeti

'verything is notated and at the same time open to interpretation

suggest one extreme possibility8 "all the attacks occurring at the

the same fre4uency! for any amount of time>#! i.e. one big note11

dynamic indications =once again! in a serial sounding manner! a

event> become irrelevant>. $hen we read "the fre4uency range w

each instrument#! does that mean that if an instrument with a 5 o

no vertical change is applied a microtonal interpretation would b

accidentals contradict this11! and do they suggest a pentatonic fl

confirm the latter when he states8

=...> I ust took five lined paper! music paper and drew lin

a field and so that the performer can go from any point to

trumpet player! when I see something like this it implies

we donYt usually play Gb! but Ab or 'b this is GQ to me!

that 4uick spontaneous A sharp! @ sharp! 3 flat! ( natura

thatYs how it should be performed in my experimental mi

(rown>

Gontrary to October 1952 different performances will not "soun

1995119 and the one by 'berhard (lum! @rances,2arie Hitti and

G3 &he "ew 3or4 'chool1*0 we have regardless of the different



G3 &he "ew 3or4 'chool ! we have! regardless of the different

seemingly unrelated works. $hile 3avid Arden+s performance c

from the score =except for his vertical interpretation of the pitche

proportionally representative>! as it slowly goes from left right! i

what the (lumHittiPigeland trio plays to the score. (oth versio

"accurate# interpretations.

'arle (rown explained the subtitle of the piece ='ynergy> as foll

he 3ecember 195* issue of rt "ews !aga8ine had thi

ooning on (uckminster @uller! and I read that article an

"synergy# and (ucky+s general definition of what synerg

meant was8 =...> synergy is the energy released by two en

the resultant energy of the two energies intersecting cann

exactly to the cause of any of the original energies. In oth

above and beyond! it is more than the sum of its parts. A

reading that article and reading (ucky+s definition of syn

that what I am trying to do with these graphic scores , an

subtitled 'ynergy! that+s why I put it in there. =...> the 3e

in %ovember! obviously! and I read it and I put that syner

1952! and what I thought was8 I have a concept to write a

paper! so my concept is one energy! what I put on paper i

it to 3avid udor for instance! and that+s a third energy. A

these graphic things the result could not be seen to be sol

concept! or my piece of paper! or my action! or 3avid+s! b



idea was transferred from the mechanical box mobile.

become what I call the conceptual mobile.1* ='arle (row



p =

o reali/e this "conceptual mobile# 'arle (rown found his own

Ching =which Gage had used to compose ,K that same year>8

he placement of the lines in December 1952 was throug

Sampling ables# =&racts for Computers12=! 3epartment o

of <ondon! Gambridge Hniversity :ress! 1951>. =...> hey

numbers used by statistical types in "sampling#.=...> he

and contains 100.000 numbers.1*9 ='arle (rown>

&racts for Computers- .anom 'ampling &ables is a collection o

from 0 to 9! shown two by two in tables of a thousand each. It w

statistical purposes where random numbers were needed =e.g. to

selection out of a larger collection of data>. Statisticians wereare

however unbiased! a human selection can never be truly random

increasingly evident that sampling left to the discretion of a hum

random! although he may be completely unconscious of the exis

actively endeavouring to avoid it.#1D0

It is in a way ironic that 'arle (rown would use a scientifically m

method than ohn Gage! who still relied on the very human coin

Ching hexagrams.



(rown did use the same source of random numbers to compose

Octet 1 =195D> =reali/ed while working for ohn Gage on )illiam



!usic for !agnetic &ape>! and then later at least once more for (

admit that he was probably influenced by Gage+s use of random

$illiams 2ix! but at the same time distanced himself from that p

randomness8

Although I had never been =personally> particularly inter

Gage used it! my interest in the random tables was probab

way of working. (ut more than anything! the (nices ide

Schillinger concepts of ratios! densities! statistical distrib

pure =or impure>! "uninfluenced# G)A%G' activities of

and

I loaded the dice in effect and I violated the purity of the

numbers around the numbers so that I preudiced certain

structurally in dynamics! instrumentation! timbre of instr

duration etc.1DD ='arle (rown>

@or December 1952 he had drawn an abscissa and an ordinate =w

on the original of the score> to dimension and position the graph

I could show you the original of December 1952 and it h

numerical sense! not the musical sense! =...> like in geom

the ordinate rightJ =...> because I knew from the beginnin

one anywhere at any time. So there was no subective po

there was no reason to be subective about where these w



looked like! so I used this abscissa and ordinate and I use

tables.

=...>

&ou see those little units and I would get a D from the ran

would get a D unit number between 001 and 190 or 19D a

be this whatever it is! =...> and then another number on th

=...> a ruler find it! it was at that point! another random nu

indication of =...> how long it was! and how thick it was!

it ran vertically from that point in space or hori/ontally fr

space.1DE ='arle (rown>

he decision to stop the process was an arbitrary one =in which h

differed from Gage+s application of randomness! where that deci

determined beforehand>8

I chose to consider the entire area a field of activity and w

coordinate techni4ue! the various elements were placed a

direction were determined. At a certain pointZand certai

filling this space. It could have gone on and on and on un

become black! obviously. (ut what one sees today when

of December 1952 is the collection which I assembled th

random sampling tables and the fact that I chose to stop a

considered that the number of elements in the field was s

the kind of performance action that I was interested in pr



@ig 5. , detail of the lower left 4uarter of the original of 'arle (rown!

showing the abscissa and the ordinate used to draw the elements o

=courtesy of the 'arle (rown 2usic @oundation>

December 1952 was first of all intended as a means to improvise

improvisation =unlike nowadays> was an unexplored territory in

music @or 'arle (rown and his experience as a a// musician i

think of doing that December 1952! in 195*! how did you

it ust grew =...>! you look at October- "o$ember! Decemb



can see a procedure! a mental process going on! where I k

more information away from the musician! which is an n

at it! what I am doing is giving them more and more to pu

information of my own away from them. $hat my intent

more and more to do themselves.1D6 ='arle (rown>

As suggested in the notes published with it! the score should be

dimensional assemblage. he note further +specifies+8

=?> to have elements exist in space...space as an infinitu

infinitude of points in space...to work =compositionally a

right! left! back! forward! up! down! and all points betwee

picture of this space at one instant! which must always be

andor transitory...a performer must set this all in motion

reali/e that it is in motion and step into it...either sit and l

through it at all speeds.1D ='arle (rown>

his statement does remind one of the original idea of the never

dimensional kinetic score and the freedom granted is very simil



"o$ember 1952 =even though the score looks very different>. Go

suggestion of sound in space! it seems to be an illustration or rea

almost metaphysical view of musical space.

=...> the unity of musical space demands an absolute and u

this space! as in Swedenborg+s heaven =described in (al/

no absolute down! no right or left! forward or backward.

configuration! every movement of tones has to be compr

mutual relation of sounds! of oscillatory vibrations! appe

and times.1DC =Arnold Schoenberg>

@urther guidelines specify that "the thickness of the event indica

intensity# =which lets one deduce that each shape on the score is

and that in order to assure spontaneity "no further preliminary de

other than an agreement as to total performance time! take place

those events! but this does in no way mean that a performance co

more. :roportionally it also looks like there is more silence than

rarely apparent in performances. In various writings and intervie

suggests interpretations! always cautious not to sound exclusive

'ach performer is free to read the page from any of the f

=...>. his is a kind of physical mobility. If one happened

to play clusters or more than one note at a time! one can

score page on one of its sides! there would be more cluste

decision of determination of how he will perform the pie



$hen 'arle (rown would conduct the piece he would give sligh

instructions to the performers8 "he performers are instructed th

the top of their register and the bottom of the page is the bottom

matter what instruments they play on.#1E0 %ext to the fre4uencie

the hori/ontal one! from left to right would represent time =whic

instructions accompanying the score! allowing it to be performed

would of course also specify the meaning of his conducting gest

$hen I put my left hand at the top of my head! it indicate

musicians to reali/e the score in their high register. $hen

waist! it indicates that they are to reali/e the graphics in t

performance! I choose timbre and select combinations of

words! I can have all the musicians working constantly! o

them! change tempi! change instrumentation =which is to

(rown>

$hen conducting December 1952 he saw the orchestra as his in

work. 2usicians would still be relatively free to interpret the gra

would orchestrate the performance! controlling dynamics! gener

etc.! acting in a way as an improvisation moderator. 7ehearsals o

to get ac4uainted with the concept of the work and the meaning

gestures.

$hat was however constant was the demand to the performer to



to those of October 1952! although mainly the suggestion that "

produces an intentional ambiguity and is intended to eliminate th

metrically rational performance # seems to be relevant in this ca



metrically rational performance.# seems to be relevant in this ca

the time lag between notes is free! but one should rather assume

notation! which would give sense to the spacings. $hat is new h

(rown says that both pages may be performed simultaneously =a

suggested by Gage for his own works>! which does create a mob

of recogni/able materials! closer to what (rown would come to

form.

Although "o$ember 1952 G'ynergyI and December 1952

"open form# works! for me the fact that the content of th

would seem to put them in another categoryB that of "solo

improvisations based on graphic implications#! perhaps.

which all of the sound,content is fully controlled in the c

duration! loudness! attack and timbre>! is "open form# as

content! open form# characteristics of the 195* works. 2

the fact that the "integrity# of the controlled content of &

ensures that in each performance it will always be that w

recogni/able from performance to performance.1E ='arle

(oth !!*=; and !!*15 are in fact an attempt at spontaneity i

In the prefatory note to the score 'arle (rown writes that both p

very rapidly and spontaneously and are in a sense performances

compositions.# hey were composed as fast as it takes to perform

the influence of :ollock rather than Galder+s.

of the piece... the initial intuitive conception! before it ha

conform to technical and aesthetic concepts of structure!

beauty and other ac4uired habits and preudices of taste



beauty! and other ac4uired habits and preudices of taste

pieces are in the standard notation and are to be performe

written in an extremely rapid! direct and impulsive mann

would be sketched within a few minutes! =relative fre4ue

durations and contours> and then notated and "punctuated

(rown>

(oth pieces seem to have been made possible by the experience

1952! as the absence of metrical structure is essential to this kind

where metrical values and vertical consistency would only get in

=ust like having to stay within the edges of the canvas would ha

obstacle to ackson :ollock>. he spontaneity of the composition

performance of both works which do sound like improvisations!

gesture.

2.7 M$%ic &or “'rio &or Five D"ncer%” $ne 195

I found that giving people notes and letting them invent



I found that giving people notes and letting them invent

safer that giving them the rhythm and letting them make

(rown>

@ig. C , excerpt from 'arle (rown! &rio for Fi$e Dancers =


&rio for Fi$e Dancers =195D> is yet another experiment in the Fo

trouvN#8 the floor plan of a choreography =by Garolyn (rown> su

and intended to last as long as the dance. he score uses only tw

symbols! one =the even numbers in the dance chart> to hold until

the other =the odd numbers in the dance chart> meant to be short

double chance composition! because Garolyn (rown+s choreogra

workshop given by Gage> was composed according to paper imp

proportionally notated! it does sound unlike any other (rown co

=except for the overlap of held and shorter notes>! almost remini

graph pieces! if these would not have been temporally restricted

dynamic contrasts =it has no dynamic indications> of most other

2.8 195



@ig. 9 , excerpt from 'arle (rown! 195


195 is a one page study for 25 ages =and comes with the same

instructions! except for those that apply to the multiple pages>.

notices is the time notation! long hori/ontal lines indicating both

reminiscent of a 19* text by )enry Gowell titled Our (nae7ua

states8

:resent notation is not graphically correct. A notation sho

to the eye with as great a degree of graphical perfection a

represents a certain amount of hori/ontal distance =...>. In

we have different sorts of dots and ovals! some of which

times as long as others. &et that difference is not express

wayB one must learn the differences mechanically! by an

stems and hooks. )ow simple to present the execution of

notes to a young student! if the duration of each were ind

of the note itself8151 =)enry Gowell>

he next thing one notices is the fact that the page bears the com

both ends and that the dynamic indications are thus written that t

side up =accidentals are limited to sharps and naturals! which loo



p = p !

directions>. -nce again there are no rests and no clefs! but this ti

that "events within each two line system may be read as either tr

3uration can fluctuate per two line system between *0 seconds a

$ith the page inversion possibility! the free clef choice per even

freedom per system! the work presents a great elasticity! yet shou

remain 4uite recogni/able! especially due to! once again! diversi

dynamics and mostly large pitch intervals.

2.9 Fo$r Sy%tem%

@ig. 11 , the first system of 'arle (rown! , 'ystem


2ay be played in any se4uence! either side up! at any tem

lines from far left to far right define the outer limits of th

may indicate dynamics or clusters.15* ='arle (rown>



y y = >

It is in a way an encounter between 195 and December 1952B it

=and permission to be read upside down> of the former and part o

freedom of the latter! as it gives very little specifications. It is cle

previous Folio works! the idea is to rely on the spontaneity of th

the graphic information is very relative. &et there is irony in the

performer it was written for was not inclined to improvise. 3avi

transcribe the score to a more "conventional# notation form. )e

between the continuous lines of each system into CC e4ual parts

exact pitch of each event! he also measured the exact length of e

its duration and then transcribed it all on music paper.

2.10 !a%orator&

$ith FO:(O I intentionally extended the compositional a

performance process as far out of normal realms as I cou

producing nothing at all. $ithin the same year I wrote w

finite control and extremes of infinite ambiguity! knowin

was looking for lay somewhere in between. =I wrote a no

which was to the effect that! truth lies at a point somewh

between two extremes of paradox and that the point is alw

was>15D ='arle (rown>

Some ideas would never re,occur because they either yielded un

provided all there was to be achieved with them =though! certain

notation is concerned! they re,appeared as new incarnations in o



-f all the concepts he developed in Folio- the proportional notat

present in his subse4uent work! almost to the very end. (ut grap

as abstract as December 1952> would also occur regularly! as we

performer is re4uired to improvise. )is own =or other conductor

works like $ailable Forms =1961> =the first open form orchestr

improvisation. he musicians may have precisely notated materi

some works also contain graphic notations to be improvised>! bu

receive from the conductor! as to which part of the score to play

events and move to other! when to hold or resume! when to disre

and follow the conducted ones! etc.! are spontaneously decided u

<ike it is the case with @eldman+s graph scores! performers can a

interpretative freedom! like the one granted in Folio! should be d

(rown+s aesthetic concepts. )is melodic language is modernistic

intervals and avoiding consonance. )e made this clear for instan

'yntagm ((( =190>! where he specifies that the "slashing# lines a

as glissandi! but are "basically +atonal+ lines#8

Although! "atonal# is an ambiguous concept. It seems obvious th

mean "avoiding a tonal centre#! but that "atonal# here stands for



modernistic or serial feel! something abstract! preferably unrelat

recognisable musical mode. $hich also explains that (rown wo

open than pitch. his conscious choice for a certain modernism m

of all the %ew &ork School composers (rown was the only one

welcome in 3armstadt after $olfgang Steinecke+s death in 3ece

although conceptually different! did not sound foreign among th

serialists. (ut because of this it might also have been misinterpre

essence been given less attention than it deserved. 'arle (rown

least one key to his music could be found in his a// antecedents

fairly uni4ue position! but also one that was easily ignored in the

music.

here is no doubt! as I have fre4uently written! that my w

was tremendously and significantly influenced by my ear

musician =trmpt.>. If I had not had the a// induced trust!

musicality of a// improv. and controls! I would never be

could not have had the nerve to do what I did.

I reali/ed that the warm and poetically intimate sound ev

created! provoked! stimulated by not demanding accurac

incontinuity! but achieved by a combination of compositi

activated by a conceptual flexibility and improvisational wanted. It necessitated a search for a delicate balance bet

freedom+.15E ='arle (rown>

Chapter 3

MI!1 D,2I1 - F*



3.1 /"tches /rew

It+s a much more compositional thing than I had thought

It+s not ust going to the end of the tune because there+s n

anymore. =3ave <iebman>155

he inclusion of 2iles 3avis among the case studies of this thes

as already touched upon in the introduction! the world of a// =fo

name> since its very origins does deal with open form =or at leas

the form>! without really making claims for that concept as it see

inclination.

(y the end of the 1960s! when 2iles 3avis recorded and release

most radical and seminal of his various musical course adustm

=1969>! =right after its "prelude#! (n a 'ilent )ayI- many a// pu

his new direction as a//! considering it at best a sellout to rock m

audition is sufficient to reali/e the pointlessness of this remark.

And then came the fall. (n a 'ilent )ay! in 1969! long! m

sound mostly lost among electronic instruments! was no

wallpaper music. A year later! with <itches <rew! 3avis w

to the sellout. It sold more than any other 3avis album! a

three electric keyboards! two drummers! two bass players! two p

recording relied heavily on post,production editing. (ut beside t

things! the music was indeed very different8 gone was the 16 or



along with it the traditional chord changesB there were no show,o

the hierarchy that usually came with them. his was a collective

leaderband construction. It was a completely new approach! ve

what by then the a// world had become used to with free a//. @

offered a more or less conventional relationship between rhythm

%one of that survived in <itches <rew. he listener was now fac

from a spontaneously organi/ed social situation rather than from

upon number of bars! chord progression and chorus se4uence. $

even more confusing was that the improvisations were happenin

consonant world! resulting in an energi/ing friction between som

and accessible =modal forms and harmony> and something 4uite

spontaneously self,organi/ing form>. $ithin this new situation a

alongside repetitive patterns and improvising with minimal mate

were often more of a serendipitous rather than a pre,composed k

that the extreme reduction of materials was intentional8

I had been experimenting with writing a few simple chor

pianos. L...M So I had been writing these things down! like

bass line! and I found out that the more we played it! it w

would write a chord! a rest! maybe another chord! and it t

it was played! the more it ust kept getting different.15C

=2

$hile prior to this "a//# would often mean that a limited amou

2iles 3avis would pick them for their background! experience!

would bring to the musical mix.



he years following <itches <rew- 3avis would further elaborate

rudimentarily composed improvisations. he si/e of the band wo

the diversification of the instruments =more percussion and exot

=electric> sitar were added to the mix>.

3.2 &e 3456-3476

In 19* 3avis recorded the next of his very radical statements8

more than <itches <rew it put the relentless drums and bass up f

instruments =now including wahwah processed trumpet> fused a

the Corner did announce very assertively what would be explore

As percussionist ames 2tume put it8

On the Corner was the seed! and the seed can never matc

beginning of the formation of a new direction. here was

before the direction became clear.160 =ames 2tume>

he week after the On the Corner1+1 sessions! early une 19*! th

direction continued and more music was recorded! one composit

would later be released! among older materials! on the <ig Fun1+

from the same sessions =with a slightly smaller collective> (fe co

musical statement! adding much more space to the On the Corne

who explains its concept as follows8

I had written lots of keyboard phrases that were to occur



piece. hey were little fragments! phrases! or fills of two

he musicians interpreted them! and completely distorted

melody of (fe and the chord accompaniment are mine. I t

2ichael+s L)enderson! bass playerM. he opening phrases

by me and interpreted by )erbie L)ancock! keyboard pla

(uckmaster>

<istening to different versions of (fe over the years! it seems as i

element from the original is the "main melody#! a slow! plaintive

phrase in G minor! and a bass ostinato which is never repeated in

from version to version =even though almost all versions have th

@ig. 1D , the (fe melody

he first reali/ation! published on <ig Fun! was performed by an

musicians8 2iles 3avis! trumpetB Garlos Farnett! soprano saxop

bass clarinetB )erbie )ancock! electric pianoB )arold I. $illiam

synthesi/erB <onnie <iston Smith! organB 2ichael )enderson! el

drums and percussionB (illy )art! drums and percussionB ames

bootlegs of that period that are in circulation>. After the intro! ab

bass ostinato starts! along with the drums! at a fast pace.



@ig. 1E , bass ostinato

3ue to the fact that there are four percussionists involved the en

underlying polyrhythmic features! although the main rhythmic s

binary bass ostinato. (elow the bass and the drums =not pitch w

hierarchical gradation>! throughout the recording! there is a keyb

which single keyboards! the flute and the reed instruments every

he keyboard phrases mentioned by (uckmaster never seem to e

entities. his turning upside down of the instrumental a// hierar

determining innovations introduced by 3avis with On the Corne

=the bass and the drums> is up front! rather than accompanying a

behind. It is this "in your face# driving energy that some listener

aggressiveness. $e no longer have the choice not to focus our at

to listen through it to get to the rest. In this it is closer to sub,Sah

percussion is often louder than the singing! than to for instance

which a related effect is achieved by turning the entire band into

section. (uckmaster+s chord accompaniment should also not be o

real chord "accompaniment# in the traditional sense beyond a st

he main melody of (fe occurs a first time after about 1 minute a

leaving some notes out of the riff and then by playing it an octav

gradually everything slows down to end with a G minor chord b

which starts at C minutes and 6 seconds with the bass playing its



and the drums this time playing Cth notes instead of 16th along wi

did in the first part. In this part the soprano saxophone does mos

later taken over by the bass clarinet! along with occasional gurgl

and other keyboard phrases. his intensely driving sound contin

15 seconds.! when everything slows down again and the trumpet

movement with the (fe melody. he bass riff is now played only

drums do not accentuate the beat but oin in with the two percus

irregular background tapestry. he organ alternates very slowly a

minor chord and variations around both while the trumpet again

soloing. It sounds as if the floating music could ust go on foreve

building up to any climax. It ust ends with bass and trumpet pla

3avis! addressing producer eo 2acero! saying something like!

hear it some time! eo.#

he next published version of (fe is on a live recording from Sep

group is slightly smaller! but some of the essential players are thdrums>8 2iles 3avis! electric trumpetB Garlos Farnett! tenor sax

<awson! electric piano! synthesi/erB 7eggie <ucas! guitarB hali

sitarB 2ichael )enderson! electric bassB Al @oster! drumsB (ada

2tume! percussion. It begins with the bass ostinato! which is dif

version =cf. fig.15>.

barrage. Fradually a layer is formed by the other instruments! th

becomes more and more active. Some instruments add little spik

longer phrases. he trumpet! again with wahwah! starts playing



announcing the (fe melody! which is first heard a little after E mi

immediately responded to by keyboards and guitar in a chaotic a

manner! reminiscent of Gharles Ives+ 0nanswere /uestion. he

variations on the theme throughout the entire first movement. h

steadily maintained into the second movement! which begins a l

he second movement is mainly characteri/ed by a reduction of

the drums and percussion. he trumpet continues playing the (fe

it to finally end the movement with a descending G minor line tw

third movement begins abruptly =most likely after a visual cue fr

minutes at a higher tempo =16Cbpm> and the bass playing the rif

and variations on it. 'verything becomes gradually very active a

minutes and 16 seconds the intensity is interrupted by a D0 secon

organ chords and hand percussion. A trumpet shriek introduces t

which the bass plays a new riff and the trumpet continues soloin

accentuates the beat. his movement lasts about two and a half m

by the last movement at a much lower tempo =60bpm>. he bassparroted by the guitar! is now very relaxed and alternates betwee

@ U Ab U (b , Ab. he (fe melody is not heard any more. he pla

organ and guitar merely suggest remnants of it. his last movem

minutes and like the <ig Fun version it gives the impression it c

does not call for any resolution. his version lasts over * minutany loss of momentum.

or less identical to the previous concert recording! but is here fir

heavily distorted guitar. $hat makes it so different of the two pr

long flute solo =by Sonny @ortune> beginning shortly after the st



a half minutes. he aesthetics of the phrygian flavoured flute sol

foreign and dated! strongly contrasting with the 4uite coarse bac

ends to make space for the trumpet introducing the (fe melody a

on it. he other obvious differences becoming clear after the flu

electric guitars adding a strong funk and rock aesthetic to the mi

begins a little before 11 minutes! it is much 4uieter and less rauc

trumpet soloing! though less inspired than in the two previous re

that have taken over the role of the absent keyboards. his move

segues into the next! once again more intense! movement. he e

seems to be announced by the mbira playing of :ete Gosey! afte

mbira then becomes the centrepiece of the 90 seconds lasting 4uaccentuate the very hybrid character of this version of (fe.

he last version of (fe takes us to 19C*. A concert166 performed b

featuring 2iles 3avis! trumpet and keyboardB (ill 'vans! saxoph

electric guitarB 2arcus 2iller! electric bassB Al @oster! drums anpercussion. 3rummer Al @oster is the only +veteran+! who took pa

recording! all the other players are younger and would be regula

the 19C0+s. his version starts with a slight hesitation! but 4uickl

ostinato =cf. fig.16>! once again not identical to the original riff.

starts another much longer solo integrating regular occurrences o

with it around 9 minutes and D0 seconds. he bass stopped playi

around 5 minutes and 50 seconds! to indulge in much free,er pla

hi h hi ll i h i i f i



texture over which this all is happening consists of various percu

guitar chords =not trying to match the rhythmic grid of bass and

trumpet solo the guitar takes over the soloing to be briefly oined

playing the theme! around the twelfth minute! after that a guitar

15 minutes and 15 seconds 3avis reintroduces the theme! annou

bass ostinato from the start and the beginning of the coda which

trumpet solo! ending the piece after 1 minutes and E5 seconds.

3.3 &e0 as a compos"t"on

L...M all the information necessary for generating the entit

so that spontaneous assembly occurs simply as a result o

=(.G. Foodwin>

$e have ust given a brief analysis of four "versions# of the sam

are 4uite different from each other! yet recogni/able as (fe. As fa

never published as a score =unlike older compositions by 2iles 3

wouldcould the score look like if it existedJ It should give the (

recurring in each performance and therefore essentialB it could in

least for the bass ostinato and the supporting drum! not necessarpercussion>B it could specify the key everything should happen i

a simple bass ostinato. 2aybe it could also hint at a G minor th

relied on the core of recurring players! drummer Al @oster! percu

and bass player 2ichael )enderson. If they did what they had d

provide a solid platform for new players . his might be augme

i t ti f 3 i d hi d ti g



instructions from 3avis and his conducting.

So I would direct! like a conductor! once we started to pl

write down some music for somebody or I would tell him

I was hearing! as the music was growing! coming togethe

he conducting would range from altering meter to instant orche

individual players> within a situation that is already active by its

as listeners we are witnessing something that seems to have a m

a very living! organic one! thriving between composition and im

7eggie <ucas explained the resulting contrast as follows8

$e had a very defined compositional basis to start from a

in a very structured way! yet also in a very free way. $e w

tunes! but the tunes were loosely structured. It allowed a

between the rhythmic components to the band. $e were than ust the notes that were being played in the solosB w

entire song as we went along.169 =7eggie <ucas>

And percussionist ames 2tume had to rely on a metaphorical d

&ou have to start with the canvas! which is the sheet of so

off. L...M hen you need the brushes. 'ach musician is a b

there was an inexplicable intimacy and intricacy to the m

natural and organic because we evolved simple framewo

compositions.10 =ames 2tume>



Gomparing the four different versions of the same composition s

structural aesthetic. he music is stratified! with the top layers o

and the bass! right beneath them we find the percussion and und

harmonic thicket of keyboards! guitars and wind instruments. 'v

elements of the thicket surface above the top layer! for a brief orsurfacing! except for the occasional conscious trumpet signalling

on what is living underneath! although at times there is some cal

As a listener one could compare it with observing a pond with a

is not going anywhere and although it stays the same it is extrem

of that constantly changing with unpredictable details. he inforthe (fe theme lives somewhere underneath the pond+s surface and

sooner or later! but it is unpredictable when this will happen! or h

shape it will take.

It starts as a formless! chaotic situation! but it is clear that the intemergent form =or forms>! a crystalli/ation. Gontrary to free imp

features re4uired by the "score# do have a very strong impact on

3.4 The r"(ht au"ence

It is remarkable that not only the a// purists! but also the people

interesting melody# and side E included a "funeral blues#! but h

about the rest. )e wrote the following about (fe8 "-n side D! )en

notes on his bass with scarcely a variation for almost fifteen min

Coa reviewer notes "pure torpor# #11

he ostinato concept =af



Coa reviewer notes! pure torpor . he ostinato concept =af

uncommon feature throughout music history> was clearly not ap

makes perfect sense! offering a beacon in what might otherwise

granting the listener a glimpse of the structure within which the

shape=s>. (ut there was more than ust the bass that was challeng

absence of clear beginning and ending! the harmonic minimalismstratification. As 3avis explained it8

I would try exploring one chord with this band! one chor

everyone to master these small little simple things like rh

chord and make it work for five minutes with variations!like that. Say Al @oster is playing in EE! 2tume might b

and the guitarist might be comping in another time signa

altogether different.1* =2iles 3avis>

$ithin this very dense! very active environment it seemed like eviable and anything could emerge. And! possibly! the most disco

was the unpredictable! li4uid! open form! which had to be witnes

anticipated.

Chapter 4

,D,M RUDO!P' - O1TIN,TO1 OF CIRCU!,R



Adam 7udolph+s music! as performed under his direction by the

confuse the listener as to how much of it is composed or improv

provide part of the answer. hey contain the raw materials of the

disclosing the end result. he work relies on two levels of extem

controlled by the conductorcomposer and one on a smaller scale

making! within boundaries! of the individual performers in the o

between both produces a very dynamic drive and a strong sense

4.1 Ch"ca(o 8 $hana

@or an improviser! form is one of the most difficult eleme

to understand form you must be able to generate phrasing

must have a grasp of rhythm.1D =Adam 7udolph>

:ercussionist and composer Adam 7udolph =b. 1955> grew up in

he received what can be considered a formal music education =p

age! a (A from -berlin Gollege! -hio and an 2@A from the Gal

Arts>! he considers his main education what was transferred to h

whether in formal or informal contexts.

here were a lot of hand drummers in my neighbourhood

)aitian and Afro,Guban rhythms. <ater I was able to com

study with <adi Gamara1 and 3aniel (arrahanos1C and

also started studying tabla.

School was -! I went to -berlin and studied electronic



School was -! I went to -berlin and studied electronic

really important thing was playing in Ghicago with elder

generous! , like @red Anderson and then in 3etroit! with

Gharles 2oore1C0 of the Gontemporary a// Wuintet , wh

the oral tradition. I was lucky to be able to be around mu

where I learned the most important things.1C1

=Adam 7ud

(y the time he turned *1 7udolph had saved enough money to g

year.

I went to Fhana! because uma Santos1C*

=who plays on 2<rew> told me about the Institute of African Studies in F

there I never enrolled officially. I did not end up studying

se! it was not the crux of what I did. $hat I did was livin

ceremonies! funerals! naming ceremonies! eating the food

was where I first clearly could see how the cosmology offrom which the music of everything grows. I had never e

powerful as when I was going to those trance ceremonies

there is a cow and a goat and they sacrifice these animals

the spirits , very intense beautiful! powerful drumming. &

and the next thing you know the people you are sitting win the head and they are totally transformed into some ki

And then there are thirty people like that and you have to

music has a functionality and purpose in the world that is

entertainment.

2usic comes from something greater than music and mu

something greater than musicB it kind of passes through m



g g B p g7udolph>

his very idea still plays a predominant role in his music! with w

achieve something greater than the sum of its parts and relies a l

rhythmic communication.

@orm is not related to the idea of theme and developmen

African idea of time! which has to do with the circularity

upon what I call Ostinatos of Circularity here are certa

around and around and around. he idea of Ostinatos of functionality which relates to the idea of the call8 it is a c

music! to the transcendent moment.1CE =Adam 7udolph>

-ver the years! since his return from Fhana! 7udolph! next to pe

as a percussionist with many musicians =e.g. 3on Gherry ! on ):haroah Sanders ! @oday 2usa Suso =he Fambia> ! )assan )a

(adal 7oy =India> ! $adada <eo Smith ! -liver <ake ! <ester (o

=2ali> ! (ennie 2aupin ! )erbie )ancock ! oseph arman ! Sylv

formed a number of ensembles =e.g. )u8Pibrational! 2oving :ic

:eace! Pashti! etc> and in 19CC started a collaboration with &useyielded 1E albums. -ne of his ensemble proects! which will be

chapter! is the -rganic -rchestra! which began in *000 in Penic

of a way to involve a lot of people coming from different

a call and named it he -rganic -rchestra. 3on Gherry m

he -rganic 2usic Society1C5. I always loved that record

person who took me on a tour through 'urope! so! as a no



p g p ! !-rganic -rchestra. At first I would bring my drums and I

conducting ideas. Sometimes people say it reminds them

though I knew his brother! I had no idea what he was doi

7ichard Abrams conduct the AAG2 big band or even 3i

could see they would do gestures.1C6

=Adam 7udolph>

Along with developing a specific conducting language! 7udolph

to write scores allowing him to implement his musical ideas with

ensembles.

he idea of making a score was something that I had bee

years. I started out with musicians there L<os AngelesM an

or twice a year and then I started coming here L%ew &ork

I go all over the world. I teach and I usually spend two or

group of students or professional musicians. I was ust inlocal musicians. $hat is great is that musicians! if they a

understand their intervals! folk musicians or traditional m

a// musicians! can all be in the group together and use a

thing about the score is you do not have to read $estern

7udolph>

$ith this last statement 7udolph is referring to his use of grids!



4.2 O%tin"to% o& +irc$l"rity

...feel the triplet! if you don+t feel the triplet you are going

=Adam 7udolph>



Although the title of the work! Ostinatos of Circularity! could so

tautology. he circularity in the work is of a concentric kind! com

rhythmic and melodic ostinatos. here is a clear reference to the

drumming 7udolph experienced and studied in Fhana8

he drum ensemble consists of two basic concepts , the b

one hand and the master drum concept on the other. Pisu

ostinato as consisting of concentric circular rhythms! eac

orientation to the regulative beat of the time cycle and thentry relationships astride the regulative beat.

Against this constant ostinato structural framework of the

master drum "proects# a succession of intriguing! logica

manipulations! which are concurrently regulated by the c

principle of the time cycle.191

=$illie Anku>

he music 7udolph composes for the -rganic -rchestra is an ab

concepts! a transposition of the structural essence of a music wh

radically different from what our $estern ears are accustomed to

conductor! can be seen as the master drummer! calling up " a suclogically ordered rhythmic Land melodicM manipulations.#

regular reference points for ordering rhythmic events. In

the pulse is the common regulator of temporal organi/ati

In Gentral Africa! however! the pulse is rarely materiali/e

hi l i l h Ad 7 d l h i hi f =



his pulse is also what Adam 7udolph re4uires his performers =

percussionists> to feel! or hear internally8

$hat I am trying to get everybody into is this way of thin

music you hear what sounds like an abstraction! but whapattern! what Gubans call clave! is going on in the mind o

eventually what I am looking for is that when those rhyth

able to hear the phraseology of the rhythm that is going o

are in space.19D =Adam 7udolph>

As this music only exists as continuously evolving prototypes! 7

work method is one of successive rehearsals19E and performance

had the pleasure to attend two practice sessions and two subse4u

hese were part of a month long residency of the -rganic -rche

&ork Gity! featuring concerts every 2onday night. I did attend th

month and assumed the musicians , though most of them took p

each night some were absent and new faces would show up , wo

with the music. his turned out to be only relatively so! as 7udo

bring new materials or try out different approaches of what had b

week=s>. 'ach "rehearsal#! or rather "preparation#! did feel like a

laboratory. %ew things being tried out! old ones altered! some fa

succeeding! without ever opting for security. his very challenge

the second> percussionists! who were given a completely differe

instruments. hey were in charge of providing either the polyrhy

which the rest of the music was happening! accentuating downb

mentioned implicit pulse! or "limiting# themselves to colour andi t ti diff t f th f th th l d



scoresinstructions different from those of the other players and

dedicated signals from 7udolph.

4.3 '#e Score

he score for Ostinatos of Circularity consists of materials rangi

of pitch names! cf. fig. * K D> to more or less fully notated and p

i l Alth h li it d i tit th t i l



signals. Although limited in 4uantity these source materials can

amount of diversified music.

)and signals8

and what materials =matrices with pitch collections> to take those

matrices and orchestrations or cues are called by their numbers.

used to further conduct the musicians while performing the origi

2atrices8



2atrices8

"Gosmograms#195! or "Falaxies#! have a much more organic app



@ig. 19 , Double (nter$allic Cosmogram * Adam 7udolph! Ostinatos of C

hey can be seen as unfolded matrices. he one here above is na

Cosmogram and each of its branches is subected to the same int

or down a minor second and then up or down a maor third! etc.

instructed to play this cosmogram can choose which way to trav



@ig. *1 U Pelocity !atrix * Adam 7udolph- Ostinatos of Circular

his matrix =the only graphic notation in the score> when called

fast as possible.

I wanted one contrasting cosmogram where nobody has t

pitch! but they are ust thinking about the shape! and I ha

different ways! one way is where I cue an individual! and

when I cue a section leader. I might have one person imp

matrix and then maybe orchestrate some chords from the

#alaxy and then have another person! or all the brass! pla

!atrix. All those things can all be combined.196 =Adam 7

In addition to these combinable construction elements! there are

melodic themes which are either associated with a specific move

larger one. he themes are derived from certain matrices and can

combined with them.



@ig. ** , excerpt from Adam 7udolph! Organic Orchestra &hemes! @all *0

&wilight is another example of a written out score given to one o

It comes with the following performance instructions8

)eartfelt

7hythms are approximate...(reath and phrase as you hear and feel it



3ialogue with orchestration

@eel free to apply dynamics! extended tech

7epeat phrases or notes as you wish

andor play phrases backwards

...however inspiration re4uests it

I think I have a do/en compositions at least like that of so

list on the stand when I am conducting. I keep track of w

composition and I try and remember or review it before a

matrix they are based upon. <ike I ust wrote a new piece

<os Angeles that was also based upon the &ree !atrix! an

oboe player and I gave the oboe player &wilight ! which w

!atrix. I knew who had those pieces and I knew they w

!atrix! so I can construct that piece in any way I want! I

them with the &ree !atrix or not. If there is an experienc

they can improvise in the &ree !atrix. If you look at that

these phrase markings and usually at the end of each phr

fermata. hat means that I usually cue them in and out! o

phrase! it says they can play a phrase twice! they can play

want them to breathe it. So we kind of do this sort of imp

useful for players who are coming into the orchestra from

4.4 Rh&thm

$hat is this *1 beat cycle of 5 and and 9 moving again

does that work and how do you phrase and work throughthat and internali/e it so that it becomes part of your lang



play it! there is no other way.19C =Adam 7udolph>

7hythm is at the heart of Adam 7udolph+s work! it is both frame

-rganic -rchestra. -ften the orchestra is supplemented with a psubected to a different score and different instructions. )and sig

notated sections =cf. fig. *E> or! as numbers! to rhythmic subdivi

@ig. *E , excerpt from the percussion part to Adam 7udolph! Dance Dra

It is pulse based and it are ust the accents that make the

intuition and my experience if I decide that the rhythm ha

breath and feel to it or not.

I tell the musicians "don+t read! I wrote them down! but dyou play it enough! you can count! you can look! if you c



it! and also! if you can feel the count in your feet! in your

it.199 =Adam 7udolph>

Indeed! although at first sight it can look rhythmically challengin

natural feel to them! the kind of feel that does not re4uire the pla

playing! but ust to feel the flow and go along with it. he pitch

do not need to see the percussionists+ score and vice versa. he -

a lot on mutual listening! with the conductor coordinating both p

practicerehearsal great care is taken by 7udolph to have the mu

and the rhythm until they are able to forget it.

4.5 Per)orm"n( the score

his very modular score =of which the above examples are but d

performed with the composer+s verbal indications. :ractice sessi

explaining what choice of combinations will be made! how the o

organi/ed! etc. 2any things are tried out! dropped or altered dur

he materials can roughly be divided into three groups8



@ig. *5 , "create an ostinato# , Adam 7udolph! Ostinatos of Circul

Gonducted performances of the matrices usually begin with the

se4uence8 the number of the matrix to be used! which row=s> =ho

motion> or column=s> =vertical downward swiping motion> and f

an ostinato# sign =fig. *5>. his se4uence can be preceded by ind

addressed to =ranging from the entire orchestra down to a single

performer=s> then receive either a tempo indication =meaning the

column according to the given tempo at an even Cth note rhythm>

they ust receive a "go# signal! without tempo =in which case the

rhythmic phrase>. A style indication can also be added to this =e

started they keep repeating the row or column until further notic

start each time they reach the end>. $ithin this playing the condu

specific alterations! e.g. asking the performer=s> to hold a note! t

reduce or augment loudness! etc..

2atrices can also be conducted note by note =especially in the c

"cosmologies# or "galaxies#>! where the phrasing and rhythm is

conductor. here are even more possible variations on the use of

performers can for instance be asked to pick ust one note =of the

@i *6 " i # Ad 7 d l h O i f Ci l



@ig. *6 , "ostinato cues# , Adam 7udolph! Ostinatos of Circular

he "ostinato cues# refer to a specific page of the score =cf. fig.

*010 contained 6 different "-stinatos#! each of them with! first o

rhythmic pattern. hey are called for by the gesture shown in fig

are used in conunction with the indicated matrix =the instruction

read "play any single pitch from the top row of matrix Q5 =the "p

ostinato cue Q1 and from the second row for ostinato cue Q*#>. 3

*010 concerts and rehearsals that I attended! only the top line wa

being an indication of the underlying triplet pulse which was sup

percussionists.

@urther re4uests to the performers from the composerconductor

notes and to add rests =preferably so that the more players were i

ostinatos! the more tied notes and rests would be implemented> a

style or techni4ue. he players were asked to repeat the bar at le

and then to change their phrasing. In the end -stinato Q1 and Q*

=Q* following Q1 at the conductor+s cue>.

he percussionists meanwhile receive the following instructions

& g =th i i t > g i g t d thi g



o be able to focus on the rhythmic issues the musicians should

as much as possible with the pitch matrices =cf. fig. 1C> and thei

following instructions were sent to the musicians prior to the per

preparations8



-7FA%IG -7G)'S7A :7AGIG' @-7 Frids Q 1 U

S': -%'8

Ghoose the range and inversions you wish =for example

down if it sounds better on your instrument>.

:7AGIG' 'AG) <I%' AG7-SS <'@ - 7IF)

Start slow then increase speed to fast as possible

:7AGIG' 'AG) <I%' AG7-SS 7IF) - <'@


:7AGIG' 'AG) <I%' 3-$%


:7AGIG' 'AG) <I%' H:


S': $-8

:7AGIG' -: <I%' AG7-SS <'@ - 7IF) )'

:7AGIG' 'AG) <I%' AG7-SS 7IF) - <'@

:7AGIG' <'@ G-<H2% <I%' 3-$% )'% AG7

- 7IF)

:7AGIG' 7IF) G-<H2% <I%' 3-$% )'% AG

Any inversion is fine! so for example you may want to go

phrase.

Any range , Any inversions

I% &-H7 G-2(I%AI-%S8

:l fi d th d i i th d



:lease find your themes and your music in them and rem

clear! thematic! 7':'A'3 patterns work great in dialog

S': @-H78

Hse all of your techni4ues including speed! range and ex

:lease get to know these cues grids very very well =like a

understanding the logic of them! so you can move around

S': @IP'8

<ook for the I%'7PA<<IG :A'7%S in the grids8

'TA2:<'8 in grid QD if you play the first * notes going

the four lines you have maor ths going in a pattern of E

3b! G! then Fb! @ then (! (b. &ou can find interesting an

patterns of * and D notes in many places! as you look mo

It is obvious that Adam 7udolph+s main fascination lies in rhythm

an unmovable structure! on the contrary. he entire -rganic -rc

a humani/ation of rhythm! turning rhythm into a source of ambi

unstable! or maybe +organic+ kind of stability.

$hen he allows players to make up their own rhythmic phrase a



the performers freedom of choice of pitch! while rhythmic freed

bother him too much. his could be explained by (rown+s conce

however free! still fit into the modernistic canon! avoiding conso

privileging instead a serialist aesthetic =without really applying s

7udolph! on the other hand! does not seem to care about fitting i

canon All on the contrary he has no problem at times blatantly



canon. All on the contrary! he has no problem at times blatantly

="ames (rown is one of the greatest composers of rhythm! he k

these incredible rhythms! and he was a great composer! period.#

groove that can be traced back to all cultures =whether African o

rhythm to a very high degree of complexity. (rown and 7udolp

contrasting picture drawn by Feorge <ewis*06! comparing what h

composers =(rown> to "Afrological# composers =7udolph>. )ow

7udolph does have in common with 'arle (rown is the importan

ambiguity! or mystery and magic. In one of his notebooks (rown

I have always been drawn primarily to magic and mathem

magic in the sense that everything is and as it is it is mag

understand it... the impenetrable infinite complexities and

things.*0 ='arle (rown>

$hile 7udolph states8

he notation for what I am doing invites ambiguity. $he

.otation !atrix and you can go up or down! that is ambi

brings you closer to the spiritual! the mystical in a way. (

nature of the universe. he ambiguity serves mystery. =...

how it is going to be done and who the musicians are! wh

is what is so interesting about it. :rocess! in preparing the

important for that! it is almost like decomposing! rather t

refining down to elements the process of the right kind o

kind of rhythm patterns! containing that ambiguity.*0C =Ad



$hile studying the materials I came to the conclusion that I fou

essence in the way 7udolph approaches pitch. 3irectly or indire

oseph Schillinger =whom! as we saw! also played an important r

career>! he makes the conscious choice not to care about keys! sc

rather ust intervallic distances. :itch! ust like rhythm! is being "

mathematical figures. It moves forward and backward in half ste

steps. It is true that most music in a way does that! but it is usual

hierarchical order going beyond the idea of a pattern. In the case

Circularity I could not help sensing a rhythm in the intervallic p

$hen all of these things come together in the concert it yields an

other I have experienced. @irst of all one cannot properly situate

niche! it is not a// =for one thing there is a conscious avoidance

drumset! all percussion instruments are hand drums! and of saxo

it is not ust an avoidance of "a// colours#>! it is unlike any othe

musik =it is often way too groovy to be taken seriously in certain

"$orld 2usic# would be superficial condescension as nowhere

attempt at "integrating# traditional musics from other cultures =i

to calling (artok+s gypsy elements or <igeti+s appropriations of G

polyrhythms "$orld 2usic#>. It does not integrate non,$estern

implements certain non,$estern musical concepts to achieve sp

my first sensations was "this could go completely wrong any mo

at least not during the concerts. It occasionally went wrong durin

sessions! but there it was expected! as 7udolph tried out new ide

time and while some worked beautifully! others did not =or at lea

readustments>.



4.6 Freeom

A very special dynamic originates from individual freedoms =e.g

within a matrix> active within the freedom to shape the macro,st

the conductor. he extreme flexibility of the score allows for a v

diversity of the musicians in the orchestra! as they come from di

with different baggage and capabilities.

he tension in the -rganic -rchestra is that I always try

musicians on a lot of different levels. here is this idea o

thing! but there is also the process! being process driven!

'verybody in the -rganic -rchestra is not improvising o

part of it. hey also bring in really different kinds of exp

to really find the context in which each person can shine!

contribute to the overall lift of the moment. =...> $hen w

not really thinking about my aestheticB my aesthetic rada

wanted them to work with the process of what they were

if it did not sound so great. he process of what I do with

break down! give them new elements! pure elements to d

his danger! this exploration of unknown territory is very tangib

watching acrobats performing without safety net. -ne can feel th

destination that will only be known once it is reached. his appl

musicians and the audience who are sharing a moment of beauti

unpredictability.



Chapter :

PTR ;UMMO - *,*.M*N'N/ 0' OS*O3D +*M+

:eter ;ummo+s Experimenting with Househol Chemicals is a su

f ifi d b f ifi d i f



for an unspecified number of unspecified instruments! except fo

specified yet 4uintessentially instilled. It is pu//ling to the listen

e4ually inhabited by anarchy and organi/ation. It suggests some

orchestration! without hinting at possible rules or instructions. A

of the time to play closely related or even identical materials! be

different ways! different times and different places.

:.3 /"o(raph"ca# 1"tuat"on

I was introduced to :hill %iblock after one of the concert

musicianJ# and he said "no! I+m a composer# and I sort o

because I didn+t know there was such a thing! and I+d bee

it turns out.*11 =:eter ;ummo>

rombonist and composer :eter ;ummo =b. 19EC! Gleveland! -h

musical family with a piano playing father and an amateur opera

started playing trumpet when he was in fifth grade. )e played in

marching bands! orchestras! sang in an adult choir as a child and

bell choir =which he considers to be great sight reading training>

)e took Alvin <ucier+s electronic music course! studied traditio

music and performed it! as well as a// with en 2cIntyre.

As his first exposure to experimental music at $esleyan he reme

performance8



he first instance I remember very clearly was a a concer

composer and the piece was a cellist poised to play a not

front of her and a huge silhouette proected on a very larg

composer then very slowly began to cut out with scissors

cellist on this piece of paper! which took a very long time

began to eat the paper. hat was the piece and I distinctly

being! "-#. he reali/ation that I found it perfectly nor

shock but I remember accepting that.*1* =:eter ;ummo>

)e graduated from college in 190 and took a "fluidly# defined

private high school near )artford! Gonnecticut! where one of his

trombone lessons. )e accepted the challenge and started teachin

his knowledge of the trumpet and got hooked on the instrument.

doing his 2A at $esleyan he was introduced to Garmine Garus

Galisthenics for (rass#> by ames @ulkerson and started taking p

Garuso in %ew &ork! which he continued after his 2A. Around

taking private lessons =which are still going on to this day> from

great! 7oswell 7udd.

)is L7udd+sM approach is intervallic and Garmine+s was to



first melody. hen a voice says "includes free information#. he

also play the three pitches of the marimba while the trombone st

melody again! only to move a bit later to a faster staccato,like ne

which is played by no one else. After some time they all oin for

drones. (ut then again they take off! some in common and some

It is a strange combination of separation and cohesion.



rying to understand the underlying concept of the work! I asked

origins8

-n the G3 Bummo with an @ *16 there is a piece called 'o

basedB it is two,hands trombone based =one hand sliding!

gave me something to do with the left hand and I would

opposition! out of phase. he task was precisely notatabl

curvilinear both pitch,wise and in terms of timbre! I thou

well with dance. (ut next I thought what am I going to

instruments in the bandJ! because I had Fuy Llucevsek

L7ussell! celloM and (ill L7uyle! marimbaM and 2ustafa

So I bought all of this big score music paper and I wrote

took it to the rehearsal space. And as I walked into the stu

have the heart to show them all that music and never did

rehearsed it and I reali/ed that there was no hope in it. S

showed them my own score and said here are the notes

and GQ to 3 in three octavesB find a way to render this on

was in 19C5! but that piece is definitely on the way of th

$ith )ousehold GhemicalsM.*1 =:eter ;ummo>

pattern based upon that GQ! or today I did something and

with F in the middle and the (b series! and also notes lik

slide! middle and end#. Sometimes while playing these t

system! follow the rules and hear myself play a melody! s

downB or specific rhythmic aspects came , I was also exp

rhythmic values! dotted rhythms! reversed dotted rhythm

l h d d d h



to play at this! and going around! trying to race around th

counter clockwise and reversing at different points to see

interesting melody! or made the music more interesting a

that facility with the instrument.

I cannot say exactly how I got into doing the diagrams! e

the idea of looking from the side so that I could conceive

which then made sense of these motions , in and up! up a

down! down and out! out and up , to make a diamond. As

that I was picking centre points for the T or the diamond

moving by the definition of a position on the trombone.

notes in the scale because of the way the harmonic series

anomalies in every trombone , in all trombones and also

hose positions are humoured*1C to get the right pitches fo

instance the 5th position could be a number of places in

what note you are playing. I would put it in 5th position a

normally would be GQ above middle G ! which normally

took that and then that becomes the centre pitch and then

of a position. &ou get all these wonderful microtonal inte

And the other thing I found when I pursued this was that

it and play around with it motion developed and I thoug

U (b! etc.! and at any moment the direction of the loop could be

@ig. *9



@ig. D0

hese diagrams combine a side view of the slide =the numbers u

positions>! its inward and outward movement represented by the

diagram! with embouchure movements =lipping>! upward and do

partials of the harmonic series! on the vertical axis. hus the slid

obtain a diamond loop in fig. *9 is D,5,,5,D! etc.

As said before! this information remains a bit hermetic to non,tr

in terms of performance! and the diagrams do not appear very of

2ost of the time they appear in an unfolded version! as axial me

mostly very simple melodic spin,offs and! here and there a serie

graphic indications suggesting microtonal adustments.

he concept of the diagrams does explain more or less the origin

content of the piece. 2elodic segments almost always are derive

slide movements. 7ather than literal unfoldings of the looping se

elaborations and extrapolations of them. $e can retrace part of a



performed the piece as a trombone solo! I thought of +ram

headlong through the material. I don+t know if that would

larger ensemble. here certainly should be points of seem

to get anywhere. 2aybe they could contrast with running

boundaries to the field is that if you get ahead of most pe

know where you are in relation to them! and to foster tha

=:eter ;ummo>



=:eter ;ummo>

he image of the herd with its behavioural characteristics! within

score! in the end explains the seeming contradiction between ana

'verybody is going in the same direction! sharing common grou

her own speed and most of all his or her own centres of interest.

score is trombone specific! certain parts of the terrain might mak

instrument rather than another. 'ach is also reacting more or less

of the herd. Standard characteristics of herdal behaviour like sep

crowding>! alignment =steer towards average heading> or cohesio

position of +flockmates+> can be heard in performances of the wo

discern +scroungers+ and +producers+***! with the first repeating fin

without any competitiveness! rather an exchange of information

fellow performers working his or her way through an element ah

could for instance influence the speed at which one finishes an e

way in which one will deal with the section ust +discovered+ by t

the results of these unsynchroni/ed readings of an identical scor

feeling! with players playing what co,performers started earlier o

passages provide the listener+s +obective memory+ with plenty of

perspectives of the field.

2orton @eldman =e.g. Durations>. In the case of Durations the in

first sound Lis played byM all instruments simultaneously. he du

chosen by the performer.# (oguslaw Schaffer described this as +a

process+**D. Experimenting with Househol Chemicals can also b

to an +asynchronous temporal process+! but it presents maor diffe

work8 each instrument in Durations has its own distinct part! wh

the same score is shared by all performers @eldman+s general mu



the same score is shared by all performers. @eldman s general mu

considered harmonic rather than melodic =or +intervalic+>! and! le

is radically different. In @eldman+s work one is still presented wi

here are no bar lines! but there is a synchroni/ed onset and from

visually controlled! as if on rails. @eldman himself as well as col

who analysed the works! used the +race track+ metaphor =even tho

are nowhere in the picture>8 "start together! move independently

the finish line#. he temporal field is more or less left open =tho

composer @rank 3enyer+s personal recollection! @eldman "was a

players should never get too far ahead or behind each other#**E! w

"more or less together# seems less anxious >! but the spatial one

allowing any lateral moves! or stalling! in order to keep some co

image. (oth metaphors! the herd vs. the race track are very effic

one compares the musical result of both styles. (oth the herd an

common direction but have a different methodstyle of reaching

scores also have a visual appearance matching the re4uested styl

Durations scores one can see the race track in the parallel staves

disointed notation could suggest a not very limited terrain with

vegetation! one that does not really suggest discipline or hierarch

the latter+s case has a clear influence on the performer+s motion a

:laying a series of notes forward and backward gave me

of music as it was happening. Hsually you read music in

have a sense of notes in space in a particular order. $hat

was like retrograde! I suppose! except that conventional r

in the same direction you+ve been reading. As a musician

not even know it+s a retrograde. In Experimenting )ith H

you+re performing a retrograde function physically! so it g



you re performing a retrograde function physically! so it g

of it. =?> 7eading backward is not the same as reading f

has been reversed.**5 =(ill 7uyle>

It is in this view interesting to compare the various movements o

Househol Chemicals as they all have their notationalvisual pec

seeming lack of cohesion between the segments! their respective

within each movement and within the compositional conceptual

work.

5.3 Fre%# "tterie%

he first movement can be seen as exemplary for the rest of the

seven note row =(b,A,'b,F,GQ,F,(>! spanning D octaves! all p

seven consecutive slide positions. his row of seven notes appea

after being preceded by melodic spin,offs =mainly making sense

trombonist+s perspective>. In contrast to the melodic fragments th

collection of seven notes can only be free as it does not relate to

instruments other than the trombone! but! when played alongside

and or accompanied by an axial melody =around (>. It is compl

discretion of the performer which of those three voices to play! a

rhythmically synchronise with the other players. ;ummo says! a

interpretation in Bummo with an @ ! a predecessor to Househol

tended to play together rhythmically! although I was encouragin

separate rhythms... so they could play out of time with one anoth

as a herd into a rhythm! then I deliberately went against that rhy



y ! y g y

In the second and third section of this first movement performer

not! they can play all of it if they so wish> between curvilinear m

small step intervals> or more drone,like se4uences! all in the end

row =cf. fig. DD> it all originated from. his series of tones is the

the movement =the numerals underneath the notes indicate slide

with pedal (b and in the treble key another (b could suggest tha

is about finding the long road from (b to (b. It is unclear wheth

played or whether it should be seen as some sort of legend or for

hough nowhere it is said that it should not be played and this co

invitation to derive ones own improvisation from it.

@i DD f : ; F h < i



5.5 S$ng l"ye6 e"r6

he third movement could be seen as consisting mostly of +gene

fig D6> looks like an intriguing construction! until one reali/es it

trombone matrix! both hori/ontally or vertically. he hori/ontal

seven slide positions and the vertical one the different embouchu

and +Q+ for what would normally be read as enharmonic pitches r



y p

humouring.

$ithin this matrix there are two dynamic cells =cf. fig. D K DC>

dimension to the matrix as they read as in,depth explorations of

arrows underneath are suggesting looping slide se4uences.



@ig. D, excerpt of 'ung- laye- Hear:eter ;ummo! Experimenting with Househol

Chemicals =unpublished>

@ig. DC , excerpt o:eter ;ummo! Exper

Chemical

his section is followed by three more +generators+ =cf. fig. D9! E

explores close embouchure changes over a linear slide position s

version of the score this bears the indication "as a criss cross#! su

not be played in a linear fashion>! the second one provides an ex

the movement and could indicate simultaneous singing and play

pitches =( and (b>! possibly resulting in a differential 'b. he th

looping slide se4uence.

@ig. D9 , excerpt of 'ung- laye- Hear:eter ;ummo! Experimenting with Househol Chemicals =u

his all leads to the final! and more precisely notated section! w

motif. his section sounds as if it were the result of the explorati

fig.E*>.



@ig. E* , excerpt of 'ung- laye- Hear

:eter ;ummo! Experimenting with Househol Chemicals =u

-f all the movements this is the most trombone specific and thu

one for performers playing other instruments.

5.6 .ocet Scienti%t

.oc4et 'cientist begins with a fully notated diatonic =(b> three,v

voice depending on the version of the score! in which case the D

omitted>! with a strong continuously descending motion. In perf

composer these voices are often performed asynchronously! alth

synchronous manner.



according to the slide position. A brief opening leads to a large p

=cf. fig E6>B the largest interval between them being a fifth.

@ig. E6 , excerpt of (n &hree !o$ements





his is followed by further microtonal slide position exploration

melodic constructs without any rhythmic indications! but with d

suggesting to play the se4uences back and forth. Again the move

repeated diatonic se4uence! this time in 'b! moving in axial man

E>.

@ig. E , @ig. E6 , excerpt of (n &hree !o$ement


5.8 e"ce&$l 'r"n%ort"tion

he last movement is probably the most abstract one! almost mecertainly as far as notation goes. It is subtitled "rombone glissa

reverberation and chordal punctuations# and is accompanied by

at first looks like chords are the possible partials of specific posi

is meant by "the chords played by the other instruments# referrin

the other movements! except maybe that indeed in this last move

plays se4uences which appeared earlier on. he general feeling i

amplified by the use of digital reverberation in performance , of

been constructed! or attempted in the preceding movements.



5.9 Transposa%"#"t&

-nce again! all this is very much from a trombonist+s point of vi

translate or how can it be transposed to other instrumentsJ Expe

Househol Chemicals was first conceived as a trombone solo an

=though with the same score> to a work for undefined ensemble

around the trombone. $hich is when from something personal i

composition+. Important at this stage is that ;ummo never was c

performances that would not include him =hence the lack of verb

indications in the score>! and he normally would involve musicia

with. )e thus had a fair idea about the potentials those performe

piece. his use of human resources as a compositional paramete

case studies of this thesis. Another obvious comparison would b

working with 2iles 3avis in the 0s =cf. Ghapter D>. he compo

3avis+ case usually was limited to one or two riffs and a couple o

would on average yield pieces lasting half an hour. All of these!

incarnations! would be recogni/able and the interpretative differ

determined by the performers involved. Goincidentally! a remark

fingers! while the piece of music may be 4uite long.**9 =<

7egarding the +language of harmonic progression+! or its conscio

music! ;ummo says8

It is more a random uxtaposition of notes. I thought if ev

one of those patterns more or less , it could be as simple

f di k i hi h ld b h



four sounding , not knowing which one would be the ro

could be described as modal>! but the possibility was the

in which case harmonies could occur that I would not hav

hat+s a response to a// where people go through all the

usually arpeggiations and scales! and then the music ends

So I never pursued that way to learn a//. 2y studies wit

intervalic rather than chord based. (oth the callisthenics

Garuso and the more creative work from 7oswell 7udd h

term frame of mind of exploring the way the trombone w

intervalically! which involved choices like moving the sli

direction! but going up in the harmonics in order to get th

get by moving the slide in and staying on the same harm

motivation would be to try to make improvised music wi

that does not rely on chord changes.*D0 =:eter ;ummo>

Another interesting fact is that! as could be deduced from differe

work! the average length ratios of the different movements are a

general pace for the entire piece is intuitively chosen and the am

movement then determines the length. 'ven more remarkable is

ensemble performances so far! but removing the trombone could

specific cohesion! both sonic and compositional. ransposition t

compensate this by including instrument specificity! because! es

audience! many elements make perfect sense when performed on

without it that information would be lost. ransposition re4uires

physicality! but might also call for more radical compositional tr

structuring characteristics of the work should however be mainta

th di th b th th i l d d t i i f t



the diagramsB they are both the seminal and determining factors

generate motion! momentum. he fact that they don+t offer mean

for almost limitless constructions! with closure only coming from

5.10 The !"stener

his brings us to the listener. )ow does one listen to a work like

Househol ChemicalsJ )ow does one make musical sense out o

4uestion whether the work really is a composition or rather a "gu

:eter ;ummo himself indirectly answered that 4uestion when he

correctly considered composition is how long it takes to set up th

was when I had the urge to "see# the score! that it left ;ummo+s

begot the potentiality which usually can make the difference bet

composition and "performance notesinstructions# that a band le

band. So it does exist as a score and can be performed and perce

a work of music that may have an improvisational dimension! bu

that. Gould that audience sense the self,regulating hierarchy that

is this only relevant to the performersJ

Chapter 6

,nne !a /er(e 8 $u"e Improv"sat"on

Improvisation does not necessarily imply that you can do

anything! it is still a social and musical event. (ut you ha

you can do everything! otherwise you shut your head dow

your fantasy so it is sort of a delicate umping back and f



your fantasy! so it is sort of a delicate umping back and f

(erge>

In a way most open form works are examples of structured impr

boundaries! guidelines! instructions! but most of them rely on the

to fill in the blanks consciously left in the score by the composer

case in Anne <a (erge+s recent works. -f all the composers disc

is the only one openly using the word improvisation.

6.1 ,nne !a /er(e

@lutist and composer Anne <a (erge grew up in 2innesota and w

training as a flute player from an early age on! eventually ending

Galifornia in San 3iego! by way of %orthwestern Hniversity in '

of %ew 2exico =(A> and the Hniversity of Illinois =2A>. 3urin

was exposed to and involved in a lot of new music! making it he

She would further develop her expertise to extended flute techni

eventually technological applications. She has performed on inte

I did some improvisation when I was 1C! 19. It was based

Stockhausen+s us en 'ieben &agen I was ust kind of

and friends! schoolmates and then in 19C! when I went

Illinois! I was in an improvisation group with <arry :olan

others! maybe E or 5 of us! and we rehearsed and played!

real improvisation.

I had teachers from early on! say when I was eight or ten

improvise a bit to chords and harmonic se4uences 2y p



improvise a bit to chords and harmonic se4uences. 2y p

improvise melodies with chord se4uences and my first fl

develop technical exercises for myself without notating o

So I actually grew up with the concept that! as a classical

could improvise and that improvisation was not depende

avant garde free improvisation! it was playing your instru

as really being able to improvise in a way that made sens

contribute much of the credit to my fruitful young years i

played the music of composers like ohn Gage and 'arle

very active as makers and they were coming up with new

those years.*DE =Anne <a (erge>

In 19C9 she left the H.S.A. to establish herself in Amsterdam wh

improvised music scene as well as platforms for technological ex

S'I2>. In order to "stand her ground# on the mostly male and

improvising scene she soon became very proficient at implemen

amplification and processing. his use and control of amplificati

virtuosity and mastery of a wide range of extended techni4ues! t

new and impressively powerful instrument. Gombining improvis

echnology would also give her autonomy! as ac4ueline -skam

(erge+s composition Dri$e8

It is technology that allows her to perform such a layered

consisting of text! samples and live flute music! on her ow

without any difficulty two musical worlds which are e4u

adventurousness of improvised music and the precision a

contemporary chamber music *D6



contemporary chamber music.

6.2 $u"e Improv"sat"on

Already very active as a "free improviser#! in the mid,nineties <

she calls "guided improvisation#! making her able to combine co

improvisation and to have works performed not exclusively by p

field. Fuided improvisation combines digital technology with w

instructions.

I have been doing guided improvisation since I have bee

can play with other people. I like free improvisation! but

because they have to sound like me! or sound like someth

sound like. It started in the mid nineties and the basic rea

be able to utili/e improvising musicians. So that they can

still has an identity and a structure. he reason I did not w

improvisation is because I find that less clear and less fri

(erge>

have to do. @irst! as a fellow player! I sort of trusted that

with them! I could steer the musical language! I could ste

environments. I could guide the structure of the piece by

own playing and also with certain recorded material bein

manipulated. I wouldnYt say that the players were truly d

led by this other "stuff# that is playing with them! even if

them live and only the computer was playing sound files

were being led purely sonically. At some point I reali/ed



were being led purely sonically. At some point I reali/ed

good to have timelines or instructions for what I would li

play. hat way they would have an idea of how the piece

supposed to sound! but what it is supposed to mean.*DC =A

-riginally she would try to communicate her ideas ust verbally!

"scoring# them. (ut it turned out to be necessary and that necess

which became apparent during the very first try outs.

I was asked to lead a workshop for an improvisation grou

together and rehearsed improvisations and they brought g

make a proect. I went in and simply told them how I imp

looked at me with expectant faces. I went home to 3avid

(ergeYs husband! a composer and guitaristM and I said! "I

tell them what to do.# And 3avid said! ":eople are like t

made a set of pieces for them that IYve used in all kinds o

time. heyYre notated in the sense that they are scores wi

IYve been able to use them in workshops and courses and

asked to work with improvisers.*D9 =Anne <a (erge>



second layer. It consists of computer hardware and software =usu

2ax2S: and Ableton <ive>! which will either act automatically

base or be triggered by the performer=s>. It plays back samples a

output of the players. he text materials! if present! act as a third

of where one is in the piece and they also offer the players what

reliable respondent.



6.3 S:"m

'wamp =*011> was commissioned by the @ield of 'ars (and! an

Anne <a (erge herself! dedicated to blurring the borders betwee

improvised music. 'wamp is written for flute! trombonelap stee

cimbalom and sampler. he general setting of the piece! and in a

is given in the opening paragraph of the score followed by an ex

3ove which concentrates the idea8

$hen I was young we lived near a swamp. 2y parents to

sucked into the swamp if we stepped too close to the sog

supported the ducks! the bugs! the grassy bogs! the reeds

into it. 'very winter the swamp fro/e over and we skated

hours a day from %ovember to 2arch. -ur swamp becam

danger and pleasure mixed into one. It was a place that o

possibilities and kept us occupied during all four seasons

Swamp she born from! swamp

=?> or there is something that they can mull over and fi

expression to! li4e us en 'ieben &agen he text stimul

inspiration and is somehow random or chaotic enough th

but also some predictability that steers them towards a fo

=Anne <a (erge>

he score then proceeds with the description of the general techn



he audio samples for 'wamp are recordings of Cmm film

processed through 2ax2S: and Ableton <ive. hey are

2onacor E5 loudspeakers that surround the performers a

=cable length permitting>. =?> An Arduino*E6 controlled

controls the turning on and off of an Cmm film proector

household lamp. his proector functions as a member of

both sonically and theatrically. *E

It then gives full details about the technical re4uirements and ho

software! making performance very realistic.

-f the three works we will look at in this chapter 'wamp is the o

rely on text materials in the performance. It does however have o

"foreign body#8 a filmless Cmm film proector! triggered on and

software. he proector also has a ghostlike counterpart in the pr

=also software,triggered>. <a (erge welcomes the fact that this c

"I like that idea that certain things happen and you are not sure i

which from there on will guide the players through the twelve sc

piece. 'ach scene also has specific processing of the proector so

preset 18

high spectral processing

preset 28

like preset 1 with more rhythmic ticks from the proector

preset 38



tacet. his is a proector solo. he proector plays at a ran

preset 48

his plays samples with high filters and plays an extende

sinetones from 2ax2S:.

preset 58

his is similar to E but with some changes in the filtering

preset 68

his is similar to E and 5 but with some changes in the fi

preset 78

his is a proector solo where it begins very slowly and i

then sustains.

preset 88

his uses gating on the samples to give the result of click

preset 98

his uses the click gating with an 'W that boosts the high

random pattern for the proector.

preset 108

his uses an 'W that boosts the high fre4uencies.

sections =referring by first names to the musicians who performe

Anne <a (erge! fluteB oost (uis! lap steel and tromboneB 7o/em

bassB %ora 2ulder! cimbalomB )uib 'mmer! sampler> 8

section 1 7o/emarie solo cues Anne for samples

section 2 band enters with same material until proector

section 3 7o/emarie cues Anne , proector solo cuts ba

section 4 sinetones! Anne melody! 7o/emarie K oost s



section 5 )uib solo! 7o/emarie! Anne! oost long tones

section 6 %ora K )uib duo

section 7 %ora solo as transition for proector solo

section 8 clicks with interections from band using nois

section 9 Anne duo with proector! others tacet

section 10 proector stops! Anne cues band! busy materi

section 11 oost solo ,[ %ora solo interlude with section

section 12 proector comes on! we make an end and the

word*50

As said earlier on! the tone for the piece is set by the very first so

further indications or restrictions! except for the metaphorical su

the introductory text and poem. @rom there on! section after sect

very general indications as to who is playing and the expected en

sounds =e.g. melody! sustain! long tones! noise! busy>. his organ

in the performance*51 of the work which has clear sectional diffe

different from the typical free improvisation flow. Although the

perfectly match the free improvisation profile.

6.4 're"6%

&reas =*011> was composed for 090! a 3utch ensemble =violin

cimbalompiano! with or without electronics> speciali/ing in the

composition and improvisation. Again the score begins with a m

the composer+s intention.

&reas is a work about the space between our feet and th



Sometimes we are able to physically communicate direct

most of the time the communication is complicated by c

earth such as mud and snow or by man,made obstacles su

leather shoes. *5*

his is followed by three short poems! irt ! pa$ement ! snow! by

suggesting three different surfaces. 7ecordings of these poems w

in their entirety and fragmented throughout the piece.

he nine different sections have different processing presets! dif

and different indications as to who is playing and what the gener

sounds has to be =scratchy! staccato! low! high! melody!?>.

Settings for the processing and 2ax2S: patch8

preset music processing

preset 1 scratchy sounds mp rough

preset 2 scratchy sounds building

preset 3 tacet

end *5D

he performers rely mostly on the materials from the poems to s

course of events. he score suggests they should gradually get a

samples and the processing and can eventually make different m

he performance of &reas by 090 over all gives a less improv

of 'wamp by the @ield of 'ars (and. his can have different rea



give it a structured flavour and the musicians sound like they hav

background =although both ensembles have one performer in com

composed than the improvised domain. It is interesting that neith

way detrimental to the music.

6.5 3$m%

:umps =*011> was composed for rio Scordatura! augmented wi

built around an odd idea8

I set out looking for a subect that would draw rio Scord

let each musician tell their own musical story. I chose lum

ganglion cyst! as our common ground. Surprisingly! two

cysts and one of us knew someone who was afflicted wit

throat condition. hese various tales are woven through

voice samples while the musicians are asked to improvis

musical situations. *5E

I find that when people hear their own voices they are tou

way. <ast week! in a new proect! I recorded the performe

patch that played back them randomly within structured

performance and the performers got all warm and glowin

improvising music as they were listening to their own vo

enoyed "playing around# with their own voices.*55



Although <a (erge is maybe a bit too optimistic as to the perform

of their own voiceB not all agree.

I+ve never liked the timbre of my own voice =even though

hearing it by now> so I kind of s4uirm every time I hear i

challenging aspect of Anne+s piece for me. I had no obec

conceptually! in fact it+s a very nice and interesting idea t

the speaking voices of the performers into the piece , I u

mild revulsion every time I heard myself. I didn+t like the

context because it was me reading it and I tried almost to

mind when I played the concluding solo.*56 =(ob Filmore

he personal stories also add an element of theatre to the piece!

re4uired by the used technology. In :umps the performers are in

the implementation of the technology themselves rather than ha

keyboard player triggers the preset se4uence and the three other

and flute> can alter their own processing. his is done very theat

reasons> by hitting the forehead with a button on the back of the

and noise samples. he recorded voices are Alfrun Schm

Filmore and Anne <a (erge reading information about F

poetry. In preset 1 the samples are clipped to the extent th

understood. hey sound like clicks.

preset 28 In this preset a 2ax2:S obect continues to p

samples and the sample lengths gradually increase so tha

the cysts can be comprehended.

he acoustic players can change the character of their au

i h i b d h A d i h li



pressing their buttons connected to the Arduino. he live

gates and noise that relate directly to the character of the

It is the intention that the buttons are placed on the back

players need to stop playing and press the back of their h

to change the presets in the processing.

preset 38 In this preset a 2ax2:S obect plays sineton

D1\' =D1 '4ual emperament per octave>. he obect

information from the keyboard player and can learn up to

volume settings as continuous responses to the last 5 not

keyboard. he learning patch responds automatically wh

being played. hese settings are part of the nn<ists learni

preset 48 In this preset the singer has been asked to tell a

viola have the liberty to change the timing of the gates w

switches. In the first performances this preset has a theatr

preset 58 In this preset a 2ax2:S obect plays sineton

D1\' that eventually resolve to a simple ust intonatio

EE0. he text samples played are only excerpts from poe

any technical information or stories as they did in earlier

2ax2S:8 extreme clipped text playback! textpreset 1

:lay very tiny! dry! scratchy sounds. Sparse! close miked

preset 2

2ax2S:8 lumptextpresets * , 10 play fast clipping samp

comprehensible words8 text and noise. 'nds with 'lisab

ganglion cyst.

he XgritY processing is on. :layers can change processin

their buttons. Piola and flute play fast spitty passages. Po

t l i kl b d l h t f g t



extremely 4uickly. eyboard plays short fragments.

preset 3

2ax2S: learns the melodies played by the keyboard pl

data to influence a sine,tone harmony and envelope. ex

pitches recitative style. Piola and flute play broken melo

from D1\' harmonic basis. he processing is off.

preset 4

he vocalist tells a story about lumps. After each event h

trigger button to change the gating preset and the other tw

and play one long note before the vocalist continues with

section is intended to be theatrical and needs to be worke

performing situation.

preset 5 and 6

2ax2S: plays samples of entire sentences of poetry. h

enter later and resolve to ust intonation sinetones. his s

keyboard solo. he other players play fragments that are

inflection and are taken from the keyboard playerYs mate

or makes small clicking sounds similar to those in preset

of a personal story of the viola player. After a little more than a m

microtonal melodic passage follows! seguing into the next story!

singer. Hntil the end a gentle! 4uite impressionistic instrumental

he last 4uarter of the piece only features the poems as text mate

of closure after the original chaos and odd ganglion recollection

beginning! the piece never gives the impression of being improv

with <a (erge+s approach to having the members of rio Scorda

something that is not really a habit for them.



In our rehearsals I referred to composed music they alrea

familiar the sound worlds and musical environments. @or

want Alfrun LSchmid! the singerM to have to sing in a way

uncomfortable for her! plus I wanted her to feel like she w

adventuresome in a way that she would respect herself. I

relate pretty directly to the text mainly because she was t

her to be a "singer singer# who would sing material that w

speaking. I wanted her singing to be directly related to sp

'lisabeth LSmalt! the viola playerM! we ust talked about v

she had played and that she could directly relate to. $e a

musical experiences that she has had that would relate to

environments in <umps. So it was more ust talking abou

in her head and saying "alright! weYll ust take this one an

them and there you go#. hat way of working was very c

part for her was keeping track of where we were in the pi

actually written in music notation. here was no reading

way to proceed through the piece. After she oriented hers

singer! Alfrun Schmid! describes her experience as follows8

In <umps it was convenient to have a rigid form. Indicati

+:ierrot <unaire+,style! were very helpful. In the end I did

impression that I was improvising in :umps. I had the im

of improvising experience caused Anne to tighten the rei

boundaries were made very clear.

he fact that the subect was "lumps# was not really insp

text passages were As a singer I am always very happy w



text passages were. As a singer I am always very happy w

are ust treated as a "sound source# =which can also work

imagination on a different level. -n the other hand the da

dominate the other performers or become one dimension

responsibility as a singer to avoid that.

I do not find improvisation difficult! but I do believe that

$hen improvising I feel but little expressive freedom be

make up the contents. his sometime causes me to feel m

I perform written music. -ne could think that in improvi

personality! but this is not really the case for me. I find it

clichNsB luckily I can spot them. It does help to work with

improvisers! but at times I also have found that to be inhi

I do enoy the fact that improvisation re4uires you to be e

fact that you have to listen so attentively to and are depen

can both be enoyable and frustrating.*60 =Alfrun Schmid>

eyboard player (ob Filmore! in a way underestimating a more

performance in :umps! is less nuanced about his discomfort with

I think it+s tied to the fact that I find myself a very uncrea

be given a subect to work on. I think this is why I+m a m

fiction writer or poet. his is why I found <lue :ight .e

to tackle than :umps! because more precise information i

regards improvisation! the keyboard part of :umps is onl

decided on the sort of material I+d play early on in the pro

Anne and I+ve tended to stick within those general param

rehearsal what we would all do! and apart from the timin

long certain material was allowed to continue =which in t



long certain material was allowed to continue =which in t

player controls> much of the material was 4uite similar! a

from performance to performance.

he nuance level of what I played was always influenced

were doing! particularly in terms of overall dynamics and

I+d say the texts don+t have an influence on what I play! o

general sense , chopped up text e4uals short! nervous! ph

=like the &eats at the end> e4uals slow! sustained phrases.

my lack of improvising chops from responding in a mo

=(ob Filmore>

It is interesting to compare these remarks to those of %ora 2uld

in 090 and the @ield of 'ars (and! who is an experienced impro

I play in various groups where improvisation is combine

Some are a// oriented! others contemporarycomposed.

improvise without composition! together with other musi

visual artists and with an art philosopher he big differe

both! are again different! because with them you enter in

composition.

Anne+s guidelines function as an inspiration! ust like the

way Anne controls them! so that you never know ahead w

sound. $ith different texts I would play differently.*6D

6.6 1p"tt& an 1cratch&



Although they deal with a similar concept U guided improvisatio

could not have been more different. 'ach of them approaches im

freedom it entails! from a very different angleB one ='wamp> evo

mechanical sounds of a film proectorB another one =&reas> acco

accompanied by a series of poemsB the third one = :umps> compl

and poems as the frame of the piece. hese are different types of

"guidance# leading the performers where the composer wants th

demonstratively imposing anything on them. Although the comp

=giving a metaphorical situation! explaining the technical set up

giving the very reduced playing indications> are of a similar kind

compositions! the results sound very different! ranging from clea

almost notated =even though it is ust as improvised>.

$hat is most apparent is the richness that can be obtained from

to the diversity of players+ backgrounds. It is a richness that disp

comparisons! making it impossible to say "this interpretation is t

this would come down to saying "this backgroundeducationcul

interpretation! the differences between faithful lectures are of a s

other hand the composer describes what has to be played as "ver

sounds#! or "fast! spitty passages#! or "melody#! we are dealing

language. $e can all imagine something that would match those

most likely sound different to each of us. herefore it can be ass

descriptions are sound pictures or gestures! abstractions that hav

totality of the work. hey are precise enough not to yield inappr

dry! scratchy sounds# exclude a lot of other sounds! so in the end

far away from a precisely notated score where there are still man



y p y

specific note while respecting pitch! duration! tempo and dynam

this around and state that in certain very complex notations the e

dry! scratchy sounds# instead of the painstakingly written collec

a similar! or ust as appropriate result.

Chapter 7

$UY D /I2R - WOR1 6995-6933

7.1 Or"("ns

"-ur idea was there might be blind alleys that mo

which we could develop.# 7em oolhaas*6E



Arriving at composition by way of free improvisation I have alw

"open form#. Although my first compositions were fully notated

decision making to the performer for the first time with two wor

<abbitt for unspecified instrumentation and laying 'olitaire! f

work provided the performer with fully notated "cells#! each one

se4uence of 5 pages! to be played chronologically. @or each page

given the number of bars to play! but the choice as to which and

laying 'olitaire was fully notated in a linear fashion! but each b

and last! could be skipped or repeated at will. hus the shortest p

consist only of the first and last bar.

I did not repeat the experiment! because it failed to induce the se

was looking for. I also reali/ed that regardless of the shared resp

audience a poor performance e4uals a poor composition.

After those two revealing experiences I stuck to fully notated woindeterminate methods during the elaboration! prior to handing t

for Anne <a (erge and Fene Garl> and the final score would be

possible navigations. Although I was always satisfied with the re

bit frustrating to know that all the other possibilities could have

more> interesting in their own way.

en years later I had arrived at a point where I was not sure I wa

producing scores that way! as I was feeling uncomfortable with t

missing performance spontaneity. Still! I did not see any immedi

composing altogether.



3uring that compositional sabbatical I paid extra attention to wo

that seemed to achieve the spontaneity I was after. -ne of the wo

attracted my attention when it was released on G3 in 1996! was

Experimenting )ith Househol Chemicals. he music seemed to

and improvised 4ualities in a way that was beyond my imaginati

obsessed with the work that I ended up asking :eter ;ummo for

there was such a thing. -nce I obtained the score I put an ensem

performing the work! which we only managed satisfactorily in *

composer over to oin us.

aking part in the performance of Experimenting with Househol

process leading up to it! was a revelatory experience =especially

metaphor of moving through the score like a herd! not necessaril

with the same attention for certain details! but in the same direct

successfully combine notation and spontaneity. $hat became cleof choosing the right people! because what they bring to the wor

he six works*65 discussed in this chapter were all conceived bet

and all explore "open form#. hey were either composed on my

commissioned and as much as possible tailor made for the comm

musiciansensembles.

7.2 4n6 4bove 4ll

n bo$e ll =*00> was the first work in the series. It was com



view of upcoming concerts and also as a test case for new ideas.

and can be performed with optional electronics. hese electronic

different effects which are to be changed and altered at random b

other autonomous controlling device. 2ore than half of the effec

effects! ranging from very large room simulations to gated =whe

only present with loud sounds> and ducking =the opposite of gat

reverberation. he other effects are ring modulators and simulati

manipulations. Apart from the switching between effects! the mi

so called continuous controller data! which alters effect paramet

manipulations are intended to provide unpredictability! so as not

he score consists of EE small cells! to be read from the upper le

right one. In between these two corners the performer is free to p

hori/ontally from cell to cell! with permission to go back or to sp

on certain cells than others =not all the cells have to be played>.

interpretation#! i.e. the stemless pitches can =but do not have to>

representation. '.g. a single pitch can be seen as the fundamenta

he piece should evolve at a slow pace and rhythmic features ar

performer+s discretion. he performer is free to pause between =o

consider how to proceed next. hese moments of reflection are v

should ideally be sensed by the audience as well.

he score should be seen as a field through which the performe

animal or an explorer. 3ifferent areas have different flavours. So

the page offer a more chromatic colouration. $hen divided into

dominances! or gravitations! can be heard =e.g. ' in the upper le



lower left 4uarter>. (ut again! this depends largely on the interpr

ignore those dominances. he six whole notes in the score could

stasis! but they could ust as well function as attraction points in

cells do contain an Cth rest in between the series of pitches! givin

suggestion.

As with all the works in this series each performance! including

should be uni4ue. he duration should be spontaneous rather tha

did show that n bo$e ll has a "natural life span# of about *

should not exclude either shorter or much longer performances.

n bo$e ll and two other works in this series are optional! i.eperformed without them. As said above they are intended to add

unpredictability! surprising the performer at least as much as the

preventing routine or planning ahead! which would be contrary t

work.

So far n bo$e ll has only been performed by myself! about

velvet to be seen nor is it a lounge. 2y performance was part of

very experimental music tending more toward the "indie#! at tim

had not expected this but reali/ed that n bo$e ll allows for

situations! making it possible to play a version that would be mo

3armstadt audience! or a rougher version to suit an "indie# audi

version would have accommodated headbangers! but it did make

the audience that night! which was 4uite different from the audie

gallery that I provided with a more laid back version one week l



n bo$e ll was first performed =on lap steel> at the Pelvet <o

3.G. on -ctober *1 *00.

7.3 l$e 3ig#t!.e6 3ig#t

<lue :ight6.e :ight =*00> implemented the ideas of n bo$

=or more> performers. I wrote it with very specific musicians in m

(erge! trombonist :eter ;ummo! and myself>! musicians I knew

little as a single note on a piece of paper. I could! compared to

myself to simplify the musical contents of the score even more.

with an emphasis on the fifth! 3! which also ends the piece.

It is to be played according to instructions identical to those of

also use randomly controlled electronic effects =one set per perf

individually>! which is what happened in all performances I was$hen performing with Anne <a (erge or :eter ;ummo! I let the



them would go against my intentions as a composer.

<lue :ight6.e :ight was first performed =by :eter ;ummo on tr

lap steel>! at 3iapason Fallery! (rooklyn! %ew &ork on -ctober

7.4 "c

ac4 =*00C> was commissioned by 'nsemble IntNgrales =speci



saxophone and double bass> and gave me an opportunity to try th

other works of this series in a situation in which I am not taking

score consists of three different pages! one per instrument. he i

as those of the previous two works8 moving at will! vertically or

possibility of going back and forth> from the upper left to the low

cells have to be played. Fiven pitches can be "interpreted#. her

agreements between the players as to how they will roam throug

interpret the materials.

@or this work I developed and built =during a residency at S'I2

device that would randomly change the pitch of two ring modula

violin and the saxophone separately> and produce a 2I3I signal

balance of a digital reverb common to all three instruments! gua

unpredictable changes. @or instance about two minutes and thirty

recording of the )amburg concert the saxophone reacts to a slow

2oments with longer reverberation seem to intensify players+ ac

drama alternating with more tongue in cheek phrases! all infused

he performers took stage positions 4uite distant from one anoth

very individual roaming through a common situation.

ac4 was first performed by 'nsemble IntNgrales during an -p

)amburg! Fermany in anuary *00C.

7.5 St"re nto t#e 3ig#t



'tare (nto the :ight =*00C> was commissioned by pianist )eleen

no longer gives the performer the extreme freedom of the three w

and uses more notational detail. (ut it does use a similar metaph

roaming through a field. his field consists of five pages to be k

order. @our of the five pages are composed of "cells# of notated

one bar of a EE meter. (ut again the performer is encouraged to

especially the left hand part! which always only consists of a sin

he performer moves vertically or hori/ontally from cell to cell!

tempo =as mentioned in the instructions "to get ac4uainted with

accelerating. She can pause between cells to reflect upon how to

page is different from all the others and should be seen as a "pon

waded through to the last two pages of the score. his "pond# is

pianist does not have to play it in its entirety. She should enter th

the last cell she played on page * =though she is free to play throone! or any other! before entering the "pond#>. @rom there she ha

vertically connect different cells and their colours can serve as a

interpretation.

he indeterminate 4uality of the piece can optionally further be

containing short bits of harmonically related electronic materials

mode.

2ore directly than the other works discussed in this chapter! 'ta

upon improvisation by means of the un,notated coloured patche



pianist is completely left to her own devices.

he only recorded performance was reali/ed at the Hniversity o

pianist! seems more comfortable taking liberties than she was wh

the piece! still she remains reserved as far as the improvisation s

coloured patches. She enters the pond in the upper left corner anthe third line! not playing the final chords and entering page E at

skipping of the chords and the entrance one line below are libert

nice flow of the performance are legitimate. he flexibility of th

appropriative interpretation! especially in the case of the dedicat

version ends with an almost obnoxious last "comment# from theintended did not give too much consideration to the delicacy of t

acted as a series of sonic events happening within the field regar

through it.

'tare (nto the :ight was first performed by )eleen Pan )aegenbPleugels in Fent! (elgium! in uly *00C.

three parts as a beacon for the audience.

he lay out of the score is different in that it consists of cells con

material with different degrees of notational precision. hose ce

lines which have to be followed by the player. 'ach performer is

order in which to play the pages. his order should each time be

discussed with the other performers. he performers can move b

cells and stay in them as long as they want. hey can leave the p

to another page.



he instructions call for a "high riff,coefficient#! meaning certai

be looped. Gertain cells show a repeat symbol =^^8 8^^> meaning th

is compulsory. Gells containing a fermata symbol call for pitche

time. Gells with a V or , _ re4uire a 4uarter tone pitch change! to

Scordatura+s experience with microtonality. :erformers can pauscells to reflect upon how to proceed! based or not upon what the

&he .elati$e robability of Forming a >not ( has not yet been pe

7.7 '#e .el"tive rob"bility o& Forming " ;not

&he .elati$e robability of Forming a >not (( =*009> was comp

initiative and is an adaptation of the work written for rio Scord

very curious of the possibilities of the concept =among other thinspecific and common materials> and wanted to try working out a

he lay out is identical to the Scordatura version and so is the m

Again looping of fragments and holding single pitches for a long

Ideally the piece =which again is supposed to have a slow pace>

thirty and sixty minutes. :erformances so far have shown that pe

use all four pages.

&he .elati$e robability of Forming a >not (( was performed tw

with different performers beside myself. (oth performances use



pre,recorded 4uiet environmental sounds =sounds of a constructidistance! which I had been hearing during the entire period that I

score>! an optional possibility. he performers involved in both e

that they were composers and seasoned improvisers themselves

involving flutist Anne <a (erge! electric bass player Tavier Perh

steel! had had only a preliminary sound check as first very brief piece. It starts very slowly and 4uietly! as if indeed all three play

the situation. he first intensification occurs only after about sev

moments where similar materials are clearly explored commonly

separate again. After sixteen minutes begins a new! eight minute

slower passage! as if the performers needed re,orientation beforein a long improvised elaboration! eventually leading! through an

closing and commonly sustained Ab. his performance lasted a b

=which was re4uested by the organi/ers>.

he second performance involved next to myself! trombonist :eflute player 3 :arran and accordionist Fuy lucevsek. It was p

umping over and diving under each other before gradually achi

closure.

$hat I find most successful about both performances is that they

spontaneous self,organi/ation. he performers oin to weave a fa

now and then they can emerge with a shorter or longer solo elab

repetition can then become accompaniment to someone else+s so

between back and foreground. he parts that happen to be comm

more players allow them to locate one another at times and act u



encounters. here are recurring motifs played by different playeplayer> at different times! something I did hope would happen an

to the audience. he resulting image is one that holds the confus

composed and improvised! which is definitely something I was a

&he .elati$e robability of Forming a >not (( was first performof flutist Anne <a (erge! bass player Tavier Perhelst and myself

%ovember 10 *009 in the arnatic <ab series in Amsterdam.

7.8 oer 'e%t

o4er &est =*011> was commissioned by guitar 4uartet ;werm.

bears most resemblance to 'tare (nto the :ight ! as players have t

each one bar long. (ut it is different in every other aspect. It is s

guitar music. he contents of the cells are a distant reference to bstyle! limiting itself to the first position on the guitar neck and us

with the other performers. :erformers are allowed to use electro

their choice! also without informing the other players beforehand

he pages can be entered anywhere along the edges. he cell are

divided into two sections! separated by different Fb chords. :erf

or hori/ontally from cell to cell and are asked to repeat cells at le

more often. It is up to the individual performers to decide wheth

synchroni/e what they do with any of the other players. :erform

cells! to reflect upon how to proceed next. 2oving from cell to c

d f h i d h h



an edge of the page again and move to another page or cross throchords can be rhythmically deconstructed at wish but can only b

followed by a seven second rest =to be timed mentally> before pl

again or the next chord or before moving into "cell territory# aga

he performance should ideally last between ten and sixty minuwith all the players =except the bass! if present> in a chord sectio

A first version was recorded during a private try out in Antwerp

players working their way steadily through the material! in a 4ui

4uietening down together after about two minutes. It does soundexploration of uncharted territory. -nly after four minutes! when

the players starts playing chords! the scene intensifies and hocke

=accidentally or not>. he chord territory is again abandoned aft

more gentle return to the melodic cells! including some nice acci

followed by a final minute of chords! 4uieter than their previousafter nine minutes and thirty seconds.

minutes>! a risk one takes when performers are asked to estimate

but in itself no maor shortcoming to the piece.

A third performance took place early September *011 during %e

G/ech 7epublic. In this version all four players operate in a relatsynchroni/ed manner. 3uring the first half they seem to follow t

guitar player. his is less obvious in the second half =which has m

but there still is a certain beat feeling to it as well! which dissolv

seven minutes this is a shorter version than the previous ones.



@inally! so far! ;werm performed o4er &est on -ctober 1D *011

@oundation in Fhent! (elgium. In this! even shorter version =6+D

more synchroni/ed and takes more liberties =e.g. ending with a s

melodic cell rather than chords>. (ut the general feeling is that b

completely assimilated the work and made it their own in a veryappropriate way! which is the ideal outcome I hoped for. (oth co

share e4ual responsibilities in the success of the final result.

o4er &est was first publicly performed by ;werm at Gafe -to!

*011.

7.9 Compose vs. "mprov"se

hese six works all have a common concept8 the creation of a sialmost infinite number of musical results! all bearing the specific



that the performers can approach the materials in a relaxed mann

technical apprehension. echnical complexity would re4uire pra

gestures! which would bias decision making. he virtuosity has

he final complexity should be an =ideally irreducible> emerging

than a pre,existing one.



Chapter 8

COD,

=...> I don+t really concern myself too much about form. Abecause I know it+s there. I+m always surprised to find ou

aylor>

=...> free improvisation moves beyond matters of express

collective structureB it is not formless music making but f



collective structureB it is not formless music making but f=3avid (orgo>

<eaving things "open# in a musical score means leaving certain

initiatives to the performer=s> discretion. All the works and pract

thesis rely on the creativity the performers can add to the compo

compare the works by (rown! 3avis! 7udolph! ;ummo! <a (er

reali/e they all have very distinct identities. -ne of the more obv

can draw is that open! mobile or indeterminate form is not a mus

techni4ue yielding very different kinds of music. -ne of the com

all of them is that the works cannot necessarily be recogni/ed by

composed or not! or improvised or not! or to what degree they ar

$hat they also have in common is that they provide or re4uire a

situation which has to be dealt with! if not inhabited! by the perf

degree of independence and responsibility. -n the other hand! th

them in the first place have to do with the different background

showing up in details of the materials8 there is an unmistakable s

2ore generally one could say that the discussed compositions ar

the average! fully notated! fixed score. In "open form# composit

amount of "preprocessedness# goes from very much =e.g. :ierre

'onata> to very little =e.g. 'arle (rown+s December 1952>. At th

preprocessedness we find the territories of free improvisation. (essays on improvisation*6C! referring to 'rnest @erand+s 19DC boo

er !usi4 *69! deduces that in @erand+s view "improvisation ends

$here the examples in this thesis are concerned! the opposite m

improvisation begins where notation ends.



$ithin my own work the notation is situated at a stage prior to th

"conventional# score. It contains the ideas or seeds that earlier o

composer would have yielded a fully notated score. $ith the ope

performer=s> to use the materials to produce a work that I might

possibly achieving a degree of complexity beyond my notationame to integrate the strengths of improvisation =flexibility! sponta

unpredictability! renewal> within a compositional idea. It allows

creativity of very talented performers! from the knowledge they

and from their willingness to let themselves be surprised. I can v

what saxophonist Steve <acy had to say about improvisation and

with notation8

I am attracted to improvisation because of something I va

a certain 4uality! which can only be obtained by improvis

cannot possibly get from writing. It is something to do w

being on the brink of the unknown and being prepared fo

<eading the performers to the edge is certainly what :eter ;umm

myself try to do! each in our very own way! or to our very own e

music is different! in that it deals with another kind or combinati

conductorcomposer+s edge! the more challenging one! the one thdisaster! and the performers+ micro,edges! which are a bit safer! a

out of danger at any moment by the conductor. 2iles 3avis+ wor

again something else! it is so blurred that it would be hard to find

edge is. All rely to a greater or lesser extent on improvisation! ye

that is usually understood as "improvisation#.



t at s usua y u de stood as p ov sat o .

-ften! these days! improvisation is associated with a// =usually

period! approximately 19E0,1965>! especially when it is approac

musical angle. his might have to do with convenience and clari

improvisation happens within boundaries =16 or D* bars>! 4uite wchoruses and bridges! on a distinctive support =chord changes! in

figured bass U another form of relatively indeterminate composit

easy to analyse! explain and discuss. As stated in chapter D! the a

boundaries and the support is one of the things that caused puris

3avis+ music after 196C as a//. &et it was clearly improvised! ev

was accepted as "proper# a//! probably too much so.

he works discussed in the case studies all deal with different ap

improvisation! different degrees of freedom. In Adam 7udolph+s

improvisation lies in the hands of the conductor! but the decision

be influenced by the decisions made by his performers. )ere var



of openness.

-f course! musical notation is of an inconceivable stupid

classicism a whole mysti4ue has been made of it! conden

exact notation. It should be taken only as a code! a mechacommunicate ideas that are way below the reality aimed



Recor"n(s o) m& works on CD 3 @as mpAB.

1. n bo$e ll =*00> -ctober *1 *00 =*C+1*#>

Fuy 3e (iRvre! lap steel U Pelvet <ounge! $ashington 3*. n bo$e ll =*00> -ctober *C *00 =*C+ED#>

Fuy 3e (iRvre! lap steel U Safe Fallery! (rooklyn! %ew

D. <lue :ight6.e :ight =*00> -ctober *E *00 =DE+ED#>:eter ;ummo! tromboneB Fuy 3e (iRvre! lap steel U 3ia

&orkE. <lue :ight6.e :ight =*00> @ebruary 1* *00C =*9+E5#>

Anne <a (erge! fluteB Fuy 3e (iRvre! lap steel U arnati

5. <lue :ight6.e :ight =*00> August D *00C =*1+01#>rio Scordatura =voice viola keyboard>B Anne <a (erge



rio Scordatura =voice! viola! keyboard>B Anne <a (erge

Synagoge! Amsterdam6. <lue :ight6.e :ight =*00> 2ay 1* *009 =E+*1#>

rio Scordatura =voice! viola! keyboard> U Sonorities @es

. ac4 =*00C> anuary *5 *00C =1D+19#>'nsemble IntNgrales =violin! saxophone! cello> U -pera S

C. 'tare (nto the :ight =*00C> %ovember *00C =5+D6#>

)eleen Pan )aegenborgh! piano U Hniversity of Surrey! 9. &he .elati$e robability of Forming a >not (( =*009> %o

=D*+E9#>Anne <a (erge! fluteB Tavier Perhelst! electric bassB Fuy

arnatic <ab! Amsterdam10. &he .elati$e robability of Forming a >not (( =*009> 3e

=5*+ED#>

Fuy lucevsek! accordionB :eter ;ummo! tromboneB 3Fuy 3e (iRvre! lap steel U 'xperimental Intermedia @ou

11. o4er &est =*011> April 10 *011 =9+D6#>;werm =guitar 4uartet> U 3e Singel! Antwerp

1*. o4er &est =*011> 2ay D *011 =C+1E#>

;werm =guitar 4uartet> U (runel Hniversity! <ondon1D. o4er &est =*011> September * *011 =+0C#>

;werm =guitar 4uartet> U %ew 2usic -strava

RFRNC1

Pr"mar& 1ources

Interv"ews conucte %& the author

:eter ;ummo! -ctober *00! 3ecember *009

Adam 7udolph! %ovember *010! 2arch *011

Anne <a (erge! August *011

Pr"vate Corresponence w"th the author



Pr"vate Corresponence w"th the author

:eter ;ummo! 199C

Alfrun Schmid! *011

(ob Filmore! *011

%ora 2ulder! *011

,rch"va# Co##ect"ons

'arle (rown 2usic @oundation! 7ye! %&

1econar& sources

A3-7%-! .! *006! hilosophy of "ew !usic! 2inneapoli

2innesota :ress

Gambridge! 2A8 3a Gapo :ress

(A7A ;.! @lynn 7. K FI7A<3AH <.A.! 199! +Feometry

group8 a genetic algorithm approach+! roceeings <iol

*6E! %o. 1DC5

(AG-G! F.! 19C1! <rea4ing the 'oun <arrier- a criticmusic! %ew &ork8 '.:. 3utton

('A<! A2& G.! *006! "ew !usic- "ew llies A merican

)est #ermany from the Bero Hour to .eunification- (erk

Galifornia :ress

(')72A%! 3.! 1965! +$hat Indeterminate %otation 3eter"ew !usic PolD %o * =Spring Summer 1965>



"ew !usic- PolD! %o.* =Spring,Summer 1965>

('%S-%! (. '.! *00D! &he (mpro$isation of !usical Dialo

of !usic! *00D! Gambridge8 Gambridge Hniversity :ress

(-')2'7! .! 199! +Ghance as Ideology+! October- Pol.C

(oston! 2A8 2I :ress

(-7F-! 3.! *00*! +%egotiating @reedom8 Palues and :ract

Improvised 2usic+! <lac4 !usic .esearch Qournal! Pol.

*00*>

(-SS'H7! 3. K ,&.! 199! .$olutions !usicales- la mus

epuis 19,5! :aris8 'ditions <e Sycomore

(-H<';! :.! 1966! .ele$s apprenti! :aris8 'ditions du S

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,! 195! ar $olont et par hasar- entretiens a$

:aris8 'ditions du Seuil

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,! 19C6! Orientations! <ondon8 @aber and @aber

(-H<';! :. K GAF'! .! 199D! &he <oule8*Cage Correspo

Gambridge8 Gambridge Hniversity :ress

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,! *00*! interviewed by Gornelius 3uffalo and F

*00*! http8musicmavericks.publicradio.orgprogramsp

on uly 1 *010>

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,! *00C! +-n 3ecember 195*+! Qournal of meric

%umber 1GAF'! .! 19D- 'ilence! 2iddletown! G8 $esleyan Hnive

G)A2('7S! .! 19C5! !ilestones- the !usic an &imes of

Hniversity of oronto :ress

G-:'! 3.! 19C9! "ew Directions in !usic! =191>! 3ubu4u

:ublishers

G- 19E 'toc4hausen Con$ersations with the Comp

http://musicmavericks.publicradio.org/programs/program7.html

http://musicmavericks.publicradio.org/programs/program7.html



G-! .! 19E! 'toc4hausen Con$ersations with the Comp

(ooks <td

G-$'<<! ).! *00*! Essential Cowell! 'electe )ritings on

Cowell 1921*19+,- ingston! %&8 2c:herson K Gompa

G7-HG)! S.! 1990! +:lay the 7ight hing+! &he "ew .epub

3APIS! 2. K 7-H:'! W.! 19C9! !iles- &he utobiograph

Schuster

3'G7-H:'! :.! 199E! D$eloppements et ramifications

.echerches et oeu$res musicales e <oule8- H ousse

1951 N 195=- unpublished thesis! HniversitN de ours! 4

*00D! Cin7uante ans e moernit musicale e Darmsta

Sprimont! (elgium8 2ardaga

3'<I-! .! 19CE! Circumscribing the Open 0ni$erse- <anh

:ress of America

'G-! H.! 1965! :oeu$re ou$erte! :aris8 'ditions du Seuil

'<<IS! 3.! 1961! liner notes! "ew (eas- <:! :restige %C*5

F--3$I%! (.G.! 19C5! +3eveloping -rganisms as Self,org

!athematical Essays on #rowth an the Emergence of F

Antonelli! 'dmonton! Alberta8 he Hniversity of Alberta

F7AI%F'7! :.! 1915! +he Impress of :ersonality in Hnwr

!usical /uarterly 1915 1D! ED*)'IS'%('7F $.! 195C! :hysics and :hilosophy! <ondon8

'%3A<<! 2.F. K (A(I%F-% S2I)! (.! 19DC! +7an

Sampling %umbers+! Qournal of the .oyal 'tatistical 'oc

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,! 191! &ra

&ables of .anom 'ampling "umbers! Gambridge8 Gamb

<-S&! .! 19C6! !erce Cunningham! %ew &ork! %&8 <i



<-S&! .! 19C6! !erce Cunningham! %ew &ork! %&8 <i

-S'<A%';! 7.! 19CC! Con$ersing with Cage! <ondon

<'PAI<<A%! 3ennis! 19C1! :impro$isation musicale- s

eu! :aris8 ean,Glaude <attRs

<'$IS! F.! *00E! +Improvised 2usic after 1950! Afrologica

:erspectives+! in @IS)<I%! 3. K )'(<'! A.! &he Other

impro$isation- an communities in ialogue! 2iddletown

Hniversity :ress

<-G! F.! 19CC! Forces in !otion- &he !usic an &hough

Gambridge! 2A8 3a Gapo :ress

2A7I%! ).! 199! +he %ature of 7ecomposition8 2iles 3

Starlight#+- nnual .e$iew of Qa88 'tuies 9 =199,199C

2'7G'7 2.! *00! Footprints &he :ife an )or4 of )ayn

archer:enguin

2';'<AA7! ).! *00E! +$omen and +raakgeluiden+8 the

improvisers in the 3utch electronic music scene+! Organi

Polume 11 %o.5

:'&S'7! .! 196! <oule8! %ew &ork8 Schirmer (ooks

:-HSS'H7! ).! *00E! Ecrits &hori7ues 195,*19+;- chois

ascal Decroupet ! Sprimont! (elgium8 2ardaga

7A<I@@! (.! *009! +(ob (rookmeyer8 7aging! and $riting2achine+! "ew 3or4 &imes! 2ay 1* *009

7-S'%! G.!191! &he Classical 'tyle! <ondon8 @aber and @

7H3-<:)! A.! ure .hythm! *005! 7ottenburg! Fermany8

7;'$SI! @.! 1999! +<ittle (angs8 A %ihilist heory of Imp

!usicology8 @all 1999B 66C

SA(('! ).! 19! Het mu8i4ale serialisme als technie4 en



! ! !

unpublished thesis! 7iksuniversiteit Fent! (elgium

SA%I! @.! +@eldman+s 3urations I8 a discussion+!

http8www.cnvill.netmfsani1.htm =accessed on anuary

SG)'7'7! .! 195! :e J:i$reK e !allarm ! :aris8 Fallim

SG)-'%('7F! A.! 196! Funamentals of !usic Compos

and @aber <td

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,! 19CE! 'tyle an (ea! (erkeley! GA8 H

:ress

SG)-%('7F! ).G.! 196E! +(ernstein et al Gonduct 5th Ava

3or4 &imes! @ebruary 196E

S'A(7--! .! *009! +he Abstractionist! ;aha )adidYs H

&he "ew 3or4er! 3ecember *1 K *C! *009

S2I)! G.! 199C! +A Sense of the :ossible8 2iles 3avis and

Improvisation+! in %'<! (.! 7HSS'<<! 2.! 199C! (n t

erformance- 'tuies in the )orl of !usical (mpro$isa

G$ol1I- :aris8 <a :lNiade! Fallimard

PI<<A7S! G.! *006! !orton Felman 'ays- 'electe (nter$

19+,*199; ! <ondon8 )yphen :ress

$)IA<<! A.! @orm. In #ro$e !usic Online. Oxfor !

http8www.oxfordmusiconline.comsubscriberarticlegro=accessed on April 1* *00C>

$-<@@! G.! 196*! liner notes for Qohn Cage*Christian )ol

7ecords! Inc.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.! 199C! Cues- )ritings an Con$ersations- Gol

2usikexte

$-<:'! S.! 19CE! +-n %ew =and not,so,new> 2usic in Am

http://www.cnvill.net/mfsani1.htm

http://www.cnvill.net/mfsani1.htm



= >

!usic &heory! Pol. *C! %o.1 =Spring 19CE>

$--3 2ASSI! 7.! *006! +Gaptain Gook+s @irst Poyage! An

@eldman+- =19C>- in PI<<A7S! G.! !orton Felman 'a

an :ectures 19+,*199; ! <ondon8 )yphen :ress

&A@@'! .! *00! +An Interview with Gomposer 'arle (row

!usic .e$iew! Pol. *6! %os D,E! uneAugust *00

;H22-! :.! 1995! Experimenting with Househol Chemic

'xperimental Intermedia @oundation

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,! *006! Bummo with an @ ! G3 C0656,*! %ew $

Appendix: portfolio of scores

– And Above All

– Blue Light/Red Light

– 3 Pack

– Stare Into the Light



g

– The Relative Probability of Forming a n

– The Relative Probability of Forming a n

– Poker Te!t

And Above All - Guy De Bièvrefor solo instrument

When you turn the cornerAnd you run into yourself

Then you know that you have turneAll the corners the are left.Langston ugh

#nstructions$

The score is to %e read from the u&&er left to the lower right corner. 'oving from on

only ha&&en vertically or hori+ontally. #t is &ermitted to go %ack to the &revious cell.%e &layed the only thing that matters is reaching the lower right corner in the end.



The &erformer should regard the score as a field through which she or he roams o*tra attention can %e &aid to certain cells or very little or none at all.

The cells re&resent very %asic material and what to do with that material is left to thres&onsi%ility the &erformer. .g. if a cell contains a single &itch that &itch can %e &held for a long time or re&eated/ %ut it can also %e seen as a fundamental to a cert

can %e &layed !ar&eggiated or made into a &hrase of some kind or...". But the &erfres&onsi%ility of going %eyond the given &itch as long as any kind of musical sensedecision. When more than one note is given in a cell the notes can %e read as a &hnum%er of se&arate single &itches !and the &erformer can decide to &lay all or onlyas a series of fundamentals to certain chords.

The &erformer is allowed and even encouraged to take rests %etween the cells to ta what to do ne*t %ut cells can also %e &layed without any %reak %etween them. 0ela &ossi%le rhythmic &hrasing.

The general idea of the &iece is one of renewed reflection. ach &erformance shouthe &iece cannot %e rehearsed it can only %e &erformed/ meaning that try-outs areconcert or vice versa. Try-outs are meant to get a feel of the materials and to e*&lo

The general tem&o of the &iece should %e slow !although this does not e*clude temAccidentals only a&&ly within the cell and on the line on which they a&&ear.All &arts are notated in concert &itch !no trans&ositions".

The !o&tional" electronics are meant to add to the un&redicta%ility. A microcontrolleca&a%le of achieving a similar result" randomly changes &atches and settings of an

u y D e B i è v r e

m e n t

0 9 / 2 0 0 7



A n d A b o v e A l l -

G

f o r s o l o i n s t r u m

Blue Light / Red Light - Guy De Bièvrefor two or more instruments

Instructions:

The score is to be read from the upper left to the lower right corner. oving from ononly happen vertically or hori$ontally. It is permitted to go bac% to the previous cell.be played' the only thing that matters is reaching the lower right corner in the end.

The performers all play the same score (it is only one page). They should regard th which they roam' each to their own taste' on the way to the e#it. *#tra attention canvery little or none at all. The performers can ignore each other or react to one anoth

The cells represent very basic material and what to do with that material is left to thresponsibility the performers. *.g. if a cell contains a single pitch' that pitch can be



p y p g g p ' por held for a long time' or repeated+ but it can also be seen as a fundamental to a cchord can be played (arpeggiated' or made into a phrase of some %ind' or...). But thta%e the responsibility of going beyond the given pitch as long as any %ind of musicthat decision. ,hen more than one note is given in a cell the notes can be read as as a number of separate single pitches (and the performers can decide to play all oagain as a series of fundamentals to certain chords.

The performers are allowed and even encouraged to ta%e rests between the cells t what to do ne#t' but cells can also be played without any brea% between them.

The general idea of the piece is one of renewed reflection. *ach performance shouthe piece cannot be rehearsed' it can only be performed+ meaning that try-outs areconcert or vice versa. Try-outs are meant to get a feel of the materials and to e#ploerformers should not ma%e any preliminary agreements with each other' e#cept mlength of the performance. length which should preferably be estimated rather tha

The general tempo of the piece should be slow (although this does not e#clude temccidentals only apply within the cell and on the line on which they appear.ll parts are notated in concert pitch (no transpositions).

The (optional) electronics are meant to add to the unpredictability. microcontrollecapable of achieving a similar result) randomly changes patches and settings of onperformer.

h t -

G u

y D e B i è v r e

s t r u m e n t s

0 9 / 2 0 0 7



B l u e

L i g h t / R e d L i g h

f o r t w o o r m o r e i n s

3 Pack (2007)for Ensemble Intégrales

for violin, saxophone, double bass and (optional) active e

Gu !e "i#vre

Instructions$

%he score is to be read from the upper left to the lo&er right corner' oving from ononl happen verticall or hori+ontall' It is permitted to go bac to the previous cell'be plaed, the onl thing that matters is reaching the lo&er right corner in the end'

%he performers should regard the score as a common field through &hich the mov

case, lie three stra dogs)' %he can pa extra attention to certain cells or let themother cells according to &hat other plaers are doing, but the can .ust as &ell ignoare doing'



g

%he cells represent ver basic material and &hat to do &ith that material is left to thresponsibilit of each plaer' E'g' if a cell contains a single pitch, that pitch can be por held for a long time, or repeated/ but it can also be seen as a fundamental to a cchord can be plaed (arpeggiated, or made into a phrase of some ind, or''')' "ut thtae the responsibilit of going beond the given pitch as long as for themselves th

sense of their decision' hen more than one note is given in a cell the notes can bnumber of separate single pitches (and the performer can decide to pla all or onlas a series of fundamentals to certain chords'hen a chord is given (&hich happens a lot in the saxophone part), a reverse interthe chord can be broen up into all or some of its constituents (not necessaril its fchord can be invoed' %he string instruments can, if possible and desired, pla comsingle pitch collections as double stops'

1hthmic indications are relative, and in the case of the patterns indicated above c

suggestions' %he order of the given notes in one cell can be disregarded and rearrare allo&ed and even encouraged to tae rests bet&een the cells to tae time to denext, but the ma also pla through a number of cells &ithout breas in bet&een' the cells before and after the rest cannot be lined &ithout a clear brea in bet&een

%he general idea of the piece is one of rene&ed reflection' Each performance shouthe piece cannot be rehearsed, it can onl be performed/ meaning that trouts areconcert or vice versa' %routs are meant to get a feel of the materials and to exploperformers should not mae preliminar agreements, except as to the approximate

performance (and for this trouts &ill be useful, as after a &hile everbod &ill noapproximatel taes to reach the end)' 4ll interpretative decisions should be made



3 P a c k – G u y D e B

i è v r e



s a x o p h o n e



stare into the lightfor piano (and optional electronic accompanimen

Guy De Bièvrefor Heleen Van Haegenborg [and Sofia]

instructions

!lace s"eets #$ %$ &$ '$ net to one anot"er* +nter t"e ,field, in tand move from cell to cell vertically or "ori-ontally* ."e entering temslo/ (get ac0uainted /it" t"e terrain) and s"ould increase gradually /."e cells can be freely interpreted$ especially t"e left "and /"ic" proinformation to be ,eplored, in a /ay not necessarily related to t"e rig1"en entering a coloured patc" consider yourself in a spot /it" very

move t"roug" it using t"e "armonic information (left "and) you /ere uit* 2ou are allo/ed to go bac3 on your steps or to remain in a specificplease*



p+ventually you /ill reac" page &$ /"ic" could be seen as a pond in t2ou "ave to /ade t"roug" it to t"e opposite side* 2ou s"ould do so bentire ,line,$ but you can play more4 if for instance you enter t"e poncorner (assuming you ended up t"ere on page %) you could very /ellentire section*

."e tempo of t"e middle section can be anyt"ing bet/een 55' and2ou can only only leave t"e ,pond, by entering page ' and cannot goproceed t"roug" pages ' and in t"e same /ay as pages # and %$ sfurt"er you are from t"e ,pond,*

."e optional electronic accompaniment is presented as a 7D contain

sounds and silences$ to be played in s"uffle mode (as unpredictable ."e sound level s"ould matc" t"at of t"e piano* 8deally t"e loudspeapositioned under t"e piano (or at least be"ind t"e pianist$ not in frontaudience)*

H+9:87 S7;<!.;9+1e =oin t"e animalsnot /"en /e fuc3

or s"itnot /"en tear falls

1



3



4



3

5



3

The Relative Probability of Forming a Knot (2009) -

for Trio Scordatura

performance instructions:

Each instrument has 3 pages, labelled , 2 and !common!" The pages and

specific instrument, $hile the !common! page is common to all three"The performers can freel% choose the order in $hich the% $ill perform the p$ithout prior agreement and differentl% from the last performance&rehearsalEach page should be started $ith the cell in the upper left corner and endedlo$er right corner" 'et$een these t$o cells the performer can moe to an% These moements can happen in both directions (and cells can be perform

ithin a cell an% or all elements can be performed in an% se#uence"

There are three t%pes of elements:

– !rh%thmic! notation indicates relatie length of the pitches

notation $ithout rh%thmic specification can be interpreted freel%



– notation $ithout rh%thmic specification can be interpreted freel%

– chords can be pla%ed as chords, if the instrument allo$s it, or can bother $a% (e"g" arpeggiated, fragmented, elaborated into an% *ind of

The $or* is conceied $ith a high !riff-coefficient! in mind, i"e" phrases can b

containing the : : s%mbol, looping is compulsor% ($hile ust suggested in ageneral tempo is slo$, $ith pitches held for longer times (though this does ngestures)" /gain, in cells containing a fermata s%mbol the holding of at leastime is compulsor% ($hile ust suggested in other cells)"ells containing -&1 or &1 are to be pla%ed a #uarter tone lo$er or higher

Specific parts:

– oice: pages and 2 proide double l%ric lines and the singer can f

them or combine them" The chords do not come $ith l%rics, $hen uscan hum or use $ords of her o$n choice or !rec%cle! some of the othpiece"

– 4e%board: *e%board materials on pages and 2 are $ritten on concan be fragmented, an% part of them can be looped" The left hand sindependentl% from the right (the ertical relation doesn!t hae to beperformer can feel free to for instance loop segments of one stae $the other" 5e can ump bac* and forth bet$een discretionar% chosen!common! page the same rules appl% as for the t$o other instrument

– 7erformers should feel free to s*ip an% cell (in so far as the connectallo$ it) or an% element of a cell the% feel li*e The% can at an% time

Voice 1 the relative probabil



Voice 2 the relative pro



-1/4

Voice (common) the relative pro

- 1/4



Viola 1 the relative proba



Viola 2 the relative

- 1/4



Viola (common) the relative prob

-1/4



- 1/4

Keyboard 1 the relative proba



Keyboard (common) the relative



- 1/4

The Relative Probability of Forming a Knot II (2009) -

instructions:

the pages:In addition to a compulsory common! page" each per#ormer chooses

%2" B&" B2" D&" D2" 'ithout consulting or in#orming the other per#orm*ach per#ormer is #ree to decide on the order in 'hich to play the + c

the cells:,he pages can e started in any o# the cells and 'ith any o# the elem%t least one element o# each cell should e played oving #rom cell happen according to the connecting lines It is permitted to go ac. a

cells

the elements:- chords: can e played as chords" can e arpeggiated or canother 'ay relevant to the chord (e g as a melody generator)/ i



other 'ay relevant to the chord (eg as a melody generator)/ i- melodic seuences: can e played in any direction (1 to orsegments/ rhythmic interpretation is #ree/ they can e played in

oving to a ne3t page can happen at any time" also i# all the cells hais permitted to return to a previous page,he general pace should e slo'" pre#eraly%t times melodic or chordal seuences should e looped (groove loc5itches should every no' and then e singled out and sustained #or a

,he piece should end 'ith % and or D Droning those pitches 'oulother players that the per#ormance could6should end 7# course it hasaccording to 'here one is on a page" there#ore it can ta.e time e#orethat drone

7ptional: the per#ormance can e accompanied y a recording o# env

I (common) the relative prob



A-2 the relative p



B 1 the relative probability o



B 2 the relative probab



D1 the relative prob



D2 the relative prob



Poker Test (2011) - Guy De Bièvrefor Zwerm (guitar quartet)

Instructions:

ac! "#ayer receives "ages 1$ 2 an% &' If one of t!e "#ayers is %esign

(t!is is o"tiona#)$ t!e assist receives "age ' *!e "#ayers cannot te## "ages t!ey inten% or %o not inten% to "#ay or in w!at or%er t!ey wi## %oin%ivi%ua# c!oices wi## e %ifferent for eac! "erformance (inc#u%ing t!ere!earsa#s are on#y inten%e% to get acquainte% wit! t!e score$ to set sto try t!ings out, eac! re!earsa# s!ou#% e seen as a "erformance an%iffer from t!e "revious an% t!e net one)'

*!e tem"o is very s#ow$ etween ..1/ an% &0'

ac! "age can e entere% from any of its four e%ges' rom t!ere on !orionta##y or vertica##y from ce## to ce##' It is a#so on#y "ossi#e to mofrom one of t!e ce##s a#ong t!e e%ges'



#aying s!ou#% !a""en wit! a "ic3$ "refera#y on e#ectric guitars (or$ iacoustic guitars wit! stee# strings)'

ac! "#aye% ce## s!ou#% at #east e re"eate% once or more (one cou#%4etreme5 inter"retation %uring w!ic! one "#ayer (or more) confines !re"eating it for t!e entire #engt! of t!e "erformance)'

*!e ce##s can e tie%$ ut %o not !ave to e, "#ayers s!ou#% fee# free tce##s$ to ref#ect u"on !ow to "rocee% furt!er'

*!e "itc!es $ 6$ %$ g$ an% e7 (t!e "itc!es of t!e in%ivi%ua# strings) so"en strings'

#ayers %o not !ave to sync!ronie t!eir "#aying wit! t!at of t!e ot!er

*!e 4ce## ones5 are se"arate% from eac! ot!er y c!or%s (a## %ifferenc!or%s can e "#aye% wit! a sing#e strum$ or t!e %ifferent "itc!es can

(t!e on#y t!ing "ro!iite% is a forma# %own or u"war% ar"eggio)' *!e cre"eate%$ ut etween eac! re"etition 8 secon%s s!ou#% e menta##y

1



G u y D e B i è v r e – P o k e r T e s t ( 2 0 1

1 )



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G u y D e B i è v r e – P o k e r T e s t ( 2 0 1 1 )

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G u y D e B i è v r e – P o k e r T e s t ( 2 0 1 1 )

Analisi Brown E. November e Altri Contemporaneo

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Transcript of Analisi Brown E. November e Altri Contemporaneo