THE CREATIVE PROCESS IN CROSS-INLUENTIAL COMPOSITION Jonathan Douglas Anderson,.A., M.M. Dissertation Preared or the Degree o DOCTOR O MUSICAL ARTS UNIVERSITY O NORTH TEXAS May 010 APPROVED: Cindy McTee, Major Proessor Stehen Slotto, Minor Proessor Joseh Klein, Committee Member and Chair, Division o Comosition Studies Graham H. Phis, Director o Graduate Studies in the College o Music James C. Scott, Dean o the College o Music Michael Monticino, Dean o the Robert. Toulouse School o Graduate Studies
Anderson, Jonathan Douglas. The Creative Process in Cross-Inluential Comosition. Doctor o Musical Arts (Comosition), May 010, 73., 1 illustrations, bibliograhy, 1 titles. This dissertation describes a comositional model rooted in cross-inluential methodology beteen comlementary musical comositions that share generative source material. In their simultaneous construction, to comosition airs resented challenges that inluenced and mediated the other s develoment ith resect to timbre, transosition, itch material, eects rocessing, and orm. A orking rototye irst rovides a model that is later develoed. The irst ork Thema is or iano alone, and the comanion iece Am3ht is or iano and live comuter rocessing via the grahical rogramming environment Max/MSP. Comositional rocesses used in the rototye solidiy the cross-inluential model, demanding lexibility and a dialectic aroach. Ideas set orth in the rototye are then exlored through a second air o comositions rooted in cross-inluential methodology. The irst ork Lusmore is scored or solo contrabass and Max/MSP. The second comosition Knockgraton is scored or string orchestra. The lexibility o the cross-inluential model is revealed more ully through a discussion o each ork s musical develoment. The utility o the cross-inluential comositional model is discussed, articularly ithin higher academia.
Coyright 010 by Jonathan Douglas Anderson ii
TALE O CONTENTS LIST O IGURES... iv PART I: CRITICAL ANALYSIS...1 Introduction... ackground and Signiicance... Prototye...10 Cross-Inluential Model...15 Conclusion...35 Aendix...37 ibliograhy...1 Discograhy... PART II: COMPOSITIONS...3 Thema... Am3ht... Knockgraton... Lusmore...70 iii
LIST O IGURES igure 1. Prototye thematic model...11. irst three measures o Thema...11 3. inal sonority o Thema...1. Excert rom the inal hrase o Thema...1 5. Oening measure o Am3ht...13. Diagram o the cross-inluential comositional rocess...1 7. Da Luan, da Mort...1. Transcrition o Mary O Hara s verse segment...1. Transcrition o Hiller s chorus segment...0 10. Grouing structure, metrical grid, and rebarring o Hiller s melody...1 11. Version o the Da Luan, Da Mort melody used in Lusmore... 1. Harmonic scheme or the our-voice chorale... 13. ragmented accumulation o the our-voice chorale...5 1. Resultant melodic lines rom the ragmented accumulation...5 15. Successive chorale samle recorders... 1. Contrasting material in the irst Jack Mcadden hrase o Lusmore...7 17. Soundile buers used in the Introduction o Lusmore... 1. our-art chorale in trile meter ith attemted timbral changes...30 1. our-art chorale ith attemted modulations at successive entrances...30 0. Cues moving through the Max/MSP atch...33 1. GUI Interace or the erormer o Lusmore...3 iv
PART I CRITICAL ANALYSIS 1
Introduction This dissertation describes a comositional model rooted in cross-inluential methodology beteen comlementary musical comositions that share generative source material. To comositional airs derived rom this model are documented in this accomanying essay. In their simultaneous construction, these orks resented comositional challenges that inluenced and mediated the other s develoment ith resect to timbre, transosition, itch material, eects rocessing, and orm. A need or ne dialectic comositional models is irst addressed, summarizing technological develoments that led to the current state o electronic music. The literature revie revealed a need or ne dialectic models o comosition. Resonses to the call or ne models must address challenges that hold relevance or both electronic and acoustic music comosition. They should be articularly helul to students and instructors in the academic institution. A orking rototye is then outlined that addresses these concerns and rovides a model that is later develoed. The creative rocess is documented surrounding a air o comositions or solo iano: the irst ork Thema is or iano alone, and the comanion iece Am3ht is or iano and live comuter rocessing via the grahical rogramming environment Max/MSP. Comositional rocesses used in the rototye solidiy the cross-inluential model, demanding lexibility and a dialectic aroach. Ideas set orth in the rototye are then exlored through a second air o comositions rooted in cross-inluential methodology. The irst ork Lusmore is scored or solo contrabass and Max/MSP. The second comosition Knockgraton is scored or string orchestra. Precomositional stages are discussed, including background inormation. The lexibility o the
cross-inluential model is revealed more ully through a discussion o each ork s musical develoment documented in this chater. inally, the conclusion examines the utility o the cross-inluential comositional model and its use in the academic institution. 3
ackground and Signiicance This chater revies technological innovations that led to the current state o electronic music comosition. Common themes that emerged in this literature revie revealed concerns about a balance beteen material and ideas in comosition. Technological advances over the ast century have oened boundless comositional ossibilities. In a relatively short eriod, technology has shited emhasis aay rom innovations in acoustic instrument design in avor o electronic musical invention. Ater the develoment o the gramohone and telehone circa 175, this transition began ith vast and costly imlementations, as seen ith Thaddeus Cahill s ambitious Telharmonium in 17. Next came the develoment o ioneering electronic instruments: the Theremin in 10, and the Ondes Martenot in 1, and the accessible Hammond organ in 13. The develoment o magnetic tae recording gave rise to a central igure in electronic music s evolution, Pierre Schaeer, ho created tae ieces at the Radiodiusion-Télévision rançaise in 1. Schaeer and his objet sonore (sound object) olloed decades o invention and musical integration, culminating in his orming the rench Radio Institution s Groue de Recherche de Musique Concrète (GRMC). Additional rominent studios established themselves in Milan and Columbia-Princeton in the 150s and continued through the 10s in Utrecht, Paris, Stockholm, Padua, and Toronto. Hardare research led to the develoment o radio electronics, including oscillators, ilters, and variable-seed tae records. The birth o the RCA synthesizer at Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center and voltage-controlled instruments at Ottoa s National Research Council advanced this evolutionary trend. or those ith access to technological resources, the raid develoment o the ersonal comuter resented unique challenges challenges that extend into teaching today. Oen-ended,
ully-customizable comositional sotare, such as Max/MSP, 1 advanced the resence o interactive electronic music and continued a long history o musical instrument develoment. or comosers, heightened sensitivity to the eects o comositional decisions, technological choices, and their inluence on the overall artistic vision are required. As today s comosers have access to abundant, ne technological resources, ne aroaches in comosition are elcomed, esecially or students to gro as both acoustic and electroacoustic music comosers. ruce Pennycook noted in retrosect that a idely-acceted aesthetic osition had develoed among music researchers, hich is imortant to the develoment o the crossinluential comositional model: [T]he discovery o ne sounds through the maniulation o tae, or the construction o custom devices to generate unique timbres, gre to be as imortant or the success o the iece as matters o temoral context. Increased consumer and academic demand or oerul, less exensive, and intuitive inventions in hardare and sotare, rovided a ealth o ne sonic ossibilities. A alse satisaction o inding and orking ith ne sounds and technology led Pierre oulez to issue a arning against a otential imbalance beteen technological material and artistic vision. A decade ater comuters had been in use or music synthesis, Pierre oulez addressed this concern in 177, seaking o a need or ne comositional models. He erceived a conservative historicism among the musical community that ervaded attitudes toard ne comositions engaged not in making models, or in destroying them in order to create resh ones, but in reconstructing them and venerating them like totems, as symbols o a golden age hich has been totally abolished. 3 1 Puckette, Miller and David Zicarelli, Max/MSP. ver... (San rancisco, CA: Cycling 7, 00). Pennycook, ruce, Language and Resources: A Ne Paradox, in The Language o Electroacoustic Music, edited by Simon Emmerson (Hamshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 1), 13.. 5
oulez continued to assert that oscillators, amliiers and comuters ere not invented to create music; they ere conceived rom an inherently unmusical lace. He elt comosers anting to ork ith the ne sound material generated rom exerimentations in this medium must urther the exloration o technology or use in comosition. e have the courage or the means directly to conront the arid, arduous roblems, oten lacking any easy solution, osed by contemorary technology and its raid develoment. Rather than ask themselves the double question, both unctional and undamental, hether the material is adequate to the idea and the idea comatible ith the material, they give ay to the dangerous temtation o a suericial, simle question: does the material satisy my needs Such a hasty choice, detached rom all but the most servile unctions, certainly cannot lead ar, or it excludes all genuine dialectic and assumes that invention can divorce itsel rom the material, that intellectual schemas can exist ithout the suort o sound. In Simon Emmerson s collection o essays addressing the uture o electroacoustic comosition, 5 David Keane noted: The things that the electroacoustic devices could do, and could not do, very raidly became a art o contemorary musical ractice and this develoment took lace ith little relection on the art o comosers. Processes not articularly suited, even alien, to musical areciation or ercetion ound a lace in electroacoustic music. One examle o this as the degree o comlexity that became art o some electroacoustic music. The youthulness o the medium and its otential to extend beyond the hysical or sychohysical bounds o musical and artistic tradition thereore requires secial scrutiny hen e relect uon the aroriateness o electroacoustic music-making today. oulez challenged comosers to create ne dialectic models o comosition, esecially in the academic institution. He rote, 3 oulez, Pierre, Technology and the Comoser, Times Literary Sulement, May, 177, 570. Ibid, 570. 5 Emmerson, Simon, ed., The Language o Electroacoustic Music (Hamshire:Palgrave Macmillan, 1). Keane, David, At the Threshold o an Aesthetic, in The Language o Electroacoustic Music, edited by Simon Emmerson (Hamshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 1),.
When either the material or the idea develos indeendently, unconcerned hether or not they coincide, a serious imbalance develos, to the detriment o the ork, hich is tugged this ay and that, beteen alse riorities. 7 In the tradition o oulez, Tristan Murail challenged comosers three decades later to radically rethink traditional methodology. Murail asserted: any attemt to integrate these ne sounds that are above all, as e shall see, sounds o a comlex character, necessitates a roound revision o traditional comositional techniques (by traditional I include serialism, aleatoric comosition, stochastic comosition, etc.: techniques that continue to use antiquated grids o arameters) and o our very concetion o the comositional act. An imbalance beteen technology s rocess and music s roduct is evidenced by research surrounding electroacoustic and acoustic comosition s inluence on one another. Electronic music changed the ay comosers traditionally rote acoustic music. Electronic music continued the shit rom traditional concets o itch, melody, and harmony toard an emhasis on timbre and sound events a ocus both indebted and tied to the blossoming tentieth century reertoire or ercussion instruments. Additionally, as comosers and erormers began exerimenting ith their traditional ractice, sounds exlored in electronic music insired extended techniques on acoustic instruments. Sound evolved in resonse to electronic hardare and sotare develoment and insired instrumental techniques challenging traditional ractice and standard custom. As a result the groth o electronic music comosition led to a large-scale reevaluation o conventional listening and the emergence o ne comositional techniques. These electronic techniques, such as delays, loos, and reverberation, ere realized in acoustic comositions and insired exeriments in the acoustic realm, such as sounds o ininite duration, sound masses, comlex 7 oulez, 570. Murail, Tristan, The Revolution o Comlex Sounds, Contemorary Music Revie, no. -3 (003), 11. 7
timbres, and innovative organizational aroaches. Murail noted that electronic music alloed or the luctuation beteen abstract concet and aural ercetion that ermits access into the deth o sounds, that allos us truly to scult sonic material, rather than iling u bricks or layers. He concluded that electronic music established the very essential idea that the musical atom is not the notehead ritten on sta aer. The musical atom is the ercetual atom, tantamount, erhas, to Pierre Schaeer s sonic object. 10 e ritings, hoever, directly addressed the oosing inluence acoustic music had on electronic music comosition. Agostino DiSciio, attemting this reversal, 11 examined orks o Iannis Xenakis and Paul Dolden, illuminating each comoser s use o the orchestra as a sonic resource or electroacoustic music. Others, such as Gerard Grisey and Tristan Murail, 1 concentrated on the orchestral simulation o comuter analyzed sound-sectra, hich inluenced many orks by Kaija Saariaho. Todd Winkler, 13 Noel Zahler, and Mari Kimura 1 examined the added notion o transarent technology as an imortant aesthetic ersective or combating heavy technological resence in interactive electroacoustic comositions. oulez issues a inal challenge to comosers at the end o his essay: Research/invention, individual/collective, the multile resources o this double dialectic are caable o engendering ininite ossibilities. What is absolutely necessary is that e should move toards global, generalizable solutions. In material as in method, a Ibid., 13. 10 Ibid., 13. 11 Di Sciio, Agostino, On Dierent Aroaches to Comuter Music as Dierent Models o Comositional Design, Persectives o Ne Music 33, no. 1/ (15), 30-0. 1 Murail, 003. 13 Winker, Todd, Comosing Interactive Music: Techniques and Ideas using MAX, (Cambridge: MIT Press, 001). 1 Kimura, Mari, Creative Process and Perormance Practice o Interactive Comuter Music: A Perormer s Tale, Organised Sound, no. 3 (003), -.
constant lo must be established beteen modes o thought and tyes o action, a continual exchange beteen giving and receiving. uture exeriments, in all robability, ill be set u in accordance ith this ermanent dialogue. Will there be many o us to undertake it 15 In resonse, this dissertation is oered as one anser to this call in electroacoustic and acoustic comosition by actively engaging in cross-inluential dialectic decisions. More seciically, linking to musical orks through the same generative material and abstract concetual rameorks allos the comosition airs to beneit rom mutual and simultaneous develoment. This model romotes heightened sensitivity to the creative rocess in a cross-inluential comositional aroach. 15 oulez, 571.
Prototye This section articulates an adatable cross-inluential comositional model addressing concerns reviously discussed. irst, this model is exlored through documentation o a rototye air o comositions and the eects o comositional decisions made in a crossinluential environment. olloing a discussion o the rototye s indings, the model is then exlored on a larger scale or a second air o comositions using similar methodology. It is not the aim o this model to rovide a deinitive, one-size-its-all, ste-by-ste solution. Rather, the methodology exlored in these to studies encourages an organic rocess, alloing comosers to adat and modiy stages o the cross-inluential aroach. The attached to airs o comositions reresent to ossible realizations o the model. The urose o the rototye as to design a model instrumental in the creation o to short comositions or iano, sharing similar generative material. While Thema remained a ork or iano alone, Am3ht incororated live signal rocessing via Max/MSP. Max/MSP 1 is available rom Cycling 7 17 or Macintosh and PC latorms. ased on the MAX 1 objectoriented rogramming language develoed by Ocode Systems and IRCAM, Max/MSP integrates MIDI and audio data alloing the comoser to rogram atches that unction at the control and audio rate o the comuter system. or the rototye, imrovisational sessions on an acoustic iano exlored recomosition material. This generative material centered around to motives x and y shon 1 MSP 17 David Zicarelli All rights reserved based on Pd by Miller Puckette 17 The Regents o the University o Caliornia. 17 Cycling '7, 11 olsom Street San rancisco, CA 103 USA. (15) 1-573. ax (15) 1-53. ino@cycling7.com. URL htt://.cycling7.com 1 MAX coyright 10-17 Ocode systems/ircam. 10
in igure 1. The motives share the same oening to itches but the tonal x motive centers on longer-note values, hile the shorter-note value y creates a comlementary atonal gesture. When exanded and integrated, they comrise the oening hrase shon in igure. igure 1. Prototye thematic material. igure. irst three measures o Thema. Since the material in Thema ould later be exlored in the electroacoustic interactive environment, ortions ere constructed modularly. This alloed or an imrovisatory structure and organization in Am3ht. The inal sonority o Thema is shon in igure 3. In an attemt to integrate the solo iano ork ith the Max/MSP comosition, this sonority as relicated at the beginning o Am3ht as a comlementary structural gesture. A Max/MSP atch as rogrammed to samle this chord into a memory buer. When recalled and rocessed throughout the live erormance, this unctioned as the electroacoustic ork s irst thematic gesture. 11
igure 3. inal sonority o Thema. In the electroacoustic version, it as decided to rogress through the score o Thema in reverse motivic order. The irst samle as rocessed to create a sot, resonant background texture. A second samle buer as added to cature the more active hrase based on motive y that receded the chord in the acoustic score. This second buer as rocessed at gradually increasing seeds and rovided necessary contrast to the irst rocessed samle s more ethereal quality. The inal measures o Thema illustrate the acoustic version s rogression orard, hile Am3ht moves backard rom the x chordal sonority, as shon in igure. Material samled into the to buers is circled in igure as uer 1 and uer. The resultant iano score is shon in igure 5. A comositional decision to extend creative license as taken to avoid an exact note-or-note coy o this reversal rocess. igure. Excert rom the inal hrase o Thema. 1
igure 5. Oening measures o Am3ht. The rocess described above as reeated: the solo iano score develoed, olloed by electroacoustic realization. Motives evolved into subsequent hrases, and the ormal elements in Thema solidiied. In this rototye, Thema as comleted irst (see Aendix ). The electroacoustic version demanded additional considerations. Sections o the modular iano solo ere used in imrovisational sessions and recorded to best determine ho the sound buers ould interact ith the larger orm o Am3ht. In addition, because Am3ht as to be executed solely by the ianist, the rogramming design o the interactive element in Max/MSP required a design ith minimal amount o technical execution or the ianist. In this case, the comositional decision as made to have the ianist erorm ith a lato on the iano, simly ressing the sacebar to advance the atch. These moments or advancement are marked ith square rehearsal numbers throughout the score o Am3ht. To mirror the gradual build in measures 1-15 o Thema, a similar design develoed in the electroacoustic version. The oening measures oulated the sound buers ith the oening x chord and the olloing y material. The x material sloly roduced a subtle background texture or the ianist s oening material. The y buer, hoever, gradually built in intensity hile the ianist orked through a variety o ree transormations o both original motives. The buer as read through at gradually decreasing timerames. Initially, a ast read resulted in a chaotic jumble o sounds; hoever, as the buer as read through more sloly, the sounds 13
revealed the disjunct nature o the y motive. Eventually this led to a climactic section at Score Number 5. An abrut cut-o o the y material, cued by the ianist, occurs at Score Number here material rom the oening section is then reintroduced. As a result o orking through this initial rototye, to cross-inluentially related comositions or dierent mediums ere successully created. It became clear that this model, emhasizing comositional dialogue beteen to orks ith similar generative material, could be adated to a larger scale. In this instance, the rototye model avored comletion o the acoustic ork beore the electroacoustic version. 1 Movement through this comositional model rototye as necessarily discretionary. This alloed or variations, making it a highly adatable model so long as the conscious eort to engage in comlementary comositional thought rocesses beteen acoustic and electroacoustic orks as attemted. This rototye served as the basis or the second air o comositions, outlined in the next section. 1 The oosite ould later occur in the large-scale model resented in the next section as the material or the electroacoustic version as solidiied beore the acoustic version reached its comletion. 1
Cross-Inluential Model The irst air o comositions discussed in the rototye rovided a model that is exanded in this section. Ater ork on the rototye as comleted, a basic lochart o the cross-inluential model s methodology as constructed. This as alied to a second air o comositions on a larger scale. The irst comosition Lusmore as an interactive electroacoustic ork scored or solo string bass and Max/MSP; the second comosition Knockgraton as an acoustic ork scored or string orchestra. This comosition air as not intended to roduce direct, comosed-out arrangements o each other. Rather, in their simultaneous cross-inluential construction, decisions made in one ork aected the other s develoment. The result as a air o comositions that could either be erormed searately or together on the same concert. In an eort to ormulate a orking basic model o cross-inluential methodology, the olloing general rocess as solidiied (igure ): A) Pre-comosition material as develoed. ) Sessions ith the solo erormer enabled exloration and exerimentation o material using the chosen sotare rogram (Max/MSP in this case). All sessions ere recorded. C) Material rom Ste as rescored as a comositional exercise or the other medium (in this case string orchestra). Material as urther develoed and revisions ere made outside o the electroacoustic environment. D) Processes exlored in the revisions in Ste C ere evaluated or use in the electroacoustic solo. These ere subsequently imlemented, urther develoed, reserved or ossible use later, or discarded. E) Dialogue beteen Stes C and D continued until the ork as comleted. 15
igure. Diagram o the cross-inluential comositional rocess. Ste A: Pre-Comositional Material Develos Generative material or each comosition as derived rom the Gaelic myth, the legend o Knockgraton. The version o the story used as recalled in 15 by Irish antiquarian and 1
humorist T. Croton Croker. 0 A brie synosis o Croker s version o the tale ollos; the unedited story is documented in the aendix. Lusmore as a societal outcast due to the enormous hum on his back. One day he encountered a dazzling grou o orest airies hose never-ending song ascinated him. Ater careul listening, he realized the song as stuck in a tiresome round. The airies ere unable to comlete the song because they had orgotten the inal cadence. Ater atiently studying the round, he joined them in an attemt to disel the curse. The airies ere recetive to Lusmore s melodic counteroint. As a reard or Lusmore s heroic act, the airies removed Lusmore s hum, and he as able to rejoin society and live a hay lie. Ater Lusmore s triumh, the tale introduced a second humback, Jack Mcadden, ho learned o Lusmore s miraculous healing by the airies. Motivated urely by selishness to have his on hum removed, he also located the airies resonsible or Lusmore s miraculous transormation. Unlike Lusmore, hoever, Mcadden interruted the round ith his on attemt devoid o Lusmore s musicality and atience. As unishment, the airies merged Lusmore s old hum on to o Jack s hum, adding to his misery. Mcadden as orced to leave the orest. In some versions o the tale, the eight o the to hums later crushed Jack Mcadden to death. Various elements imbedded in this tale ere alied to the thematic material, instrument selection, and orm o Lusmore and Knockgraton. The itch material used throughout the comositions, irst discussed belo, as derived rom a traditional melody ound in the tale s dissemination. The choice o string bass and string orchestra as aroriate or the comosition air is then discussed, olloed by an exlanation o the score s ormal elements as they ertain to the Lusmore story. 0 Croker, T. Croton, airy Legends and Traditions o the South o Ireland (J. Murray: 15), 3-3. 17
Thematic material as derived rom Croker s documentation o the legend o Knockgraton since Croker s collection o Irish airy legends as the irst to include a transcrition o the airies song Da Luan, Da Mort by A. D. Roche. This melody, shon in igure 7, as assed don through centuries o aural tradition. igure 7: Da Luan, da Mort This major transcrition, notated in dule-comound time, resents the comleted airy song. In the story, the airies ere orced to reeat the Da Luan, da Mort ortion o the melody (translated as Monday, Tuesday ) as they had orgotten the augus da Dardine (translated as Wednesday ) cadence, hich Lusmore later rovides. Croker comosed a simle counteroint to the melody that eatures a near-steise octave descent ith a backrelating dominant C in measure to the subdominant -lat as art o an overall lagal I-IV-I rogression. This corresonds to the oint at hich the airies are unable to comlete the melody and is couled ith the emhasis on D in the melody. Without the bass accomaniment, this D emhasis obscures the melody s tonic and mode. Contemorary olk musicians ho recorded variations o this ublished melody illuminate this vaguarity and rovided additional oints o reerence or Lusmore s generative 1
material. Irish olk harist Mary O Hara and storytellers Timmy Abell and Stehen Hiller recorded to versions o the Lusmore melody. Subtle dierences in their use o Croker s melody are analyzed belo. Harist Mary O Hara recorded the story o Lusmore on her 13 album Irish Traditional olk Songs. 1 O Hara set the Croker melody to the verses o the tale, rather than the main Da Luan Da Mort chorus. My on transcrition o her melody is given in igure. igure. Transcrition o Mary O Hara s verse segment. O Hara s version closely ollos the 15 transcrition ith a e modiications. Most notably, some melodic embellishment allos or the setting o the more verbose text in each verse. Structurally, hoever, the main hrase A maintains both the original sentence rameork (a+a+) and cadential structure o Croker s transcrition in a airly redictable manner. The melody, as in Croker s version, is set in the major mode in dule comound meter. In 1, Stehen Hiller comosed a version o the Legend o Knockgraton or Timmy Abell s children s album Stories to Gro On. In Hiller s version, Croker s melody as used 1 Mary O Hara, Irish Traditional olk Songs, Legacy International 73 70333, 13, comact disc. 1
or their Da Luan, Da Mort chorus; hoever, they chose to emhasize the natural minor mode. A transcrition o his melody ithout accomaniment is given in igure as a traditional Irish sli jig 3 in trile comound meter. igure. Author s transcrition o Hiller s chorus segment (d minor) in trile comound meter. The hrase grouings are initially similar to the O Hara and Croker versions. The only change is a metric alteration rom dule to trile comound time. This metric change is urther intensiied and exlored, hoever, in the accomaniment. A metric reorganization o the melody utilizing methods emloyed by Ray Jackendo and red Lerdahl is used to reveal my on erceived rhythmic comlexity that is common in Irish olk music. Ray Jackendo and red Lerdahl s Generative Theory o Tonal Music introduced rhythmic analysis o common-ractice era music using hierarchical metric grids. These grids layered simultaneous ulse levels that occur at dierent division levels o the beat. This enabled asects o rhythmic design to be included in traditional analysis o harmony and melody. igure 10 adds a metric grid to reveal levels o rhythmic hierarchy. Dots are irst rovided or each Timothy Abell, Stories to Gro On, Ustream 05701X, 1, comact disc. 3 Liz Doharty, Jig, in The Comanion to Irish Traditional Music, ed. intan Vallely (Ne York: Ne York University Press, 1), 0. Lerdahl, red and Ray Jackendo. A Generative Theory o Tonal Music (Cambridge, MIT Press: 13). 0
ulse o the beat level (). Dots are also added or the larger grou levels (G1 G) and the division levels (D1) as aroriate. When taken into consideration the accomaniment rovided by Abell and Harris, my on subjective metric understanding o the melody is shon in igure 10. When combined ith the beat level ulses and overall hrase structure, the dots reresenting the irst grou rhythmic level sho my erceived hearing. igure 10. Grouing structure, metrical grid, and rebarring o Hiller s melody as erceived by the author. Hiller s third beat o measure receives a large-scale synchronous emhasis in both the sli jig transcrition and in my on erceived rhythmic grid. Phrase A still divides into to equal grous o six dotted-quarter notes as in O Hara and Croker s version. Hoever, this metric accent rovides additional contrast beteen the subhrases. My hearing starts ith an unaccented anacrusis to rearing the irst subhrase grou s (a+a) large-scale synchronous ulse on the donbeat o measure one, olloed by the eaker large-scale ulse at the donbeat o measure to. Phrase contrasts this by overlaing the sace beteen the to hrases and interruting the redictable ubeat rearation. In doing so, 1
my hearing o the melody shits beteen dule, trile, and quadrule meters (3+++3). igure 10 s rebarring relects this rhythmic comlexity inherent in the melody. The Lusmore variation exlores the rhythm through erormer interretation o roortional notation. Evoking more o a chant-like quality, the note values convey comarative duration (igure 11). As the Da Luan text as not incororated in this instrumental solo/ensemble ork, comositional liberty as taken to emhasize other asects o this melody. The oening ascending major nd serves as a recurring introductory gesture or Lusmore s character. The motive s contraction to a descending minor nd is used to reerence the Mcadden character. The Croker melody as also given an alternate agogic treatment, emhasizing the highest itches o each subhrase (corresonding to the irst to hole notes in igure 11). This rovided a subtle, alternative ersective to the melody and introduced a comlementary rhythmic lo. igure 11. Lusmore s version o the Da Luan, Da Mort melody. Additionally, a third ossible tonal center as introduced. While the overall shae o the Croker melody is maintained in igure 11, the subdominant G as added at the end o the second subhrase. This reerences Croker s retrogressive dominant to subdominant counteroint (see igure 7). It also suggests G as another ossible tonal center or the melody, adding to an overall tonal ambiguity exlored in the oening assages.
As the melodic variation unolded in the re-comosition stage, the instrument and ensemble choice as solidiied. or the solo version, the size and eight o the string bass aroriately evoked an intrusive visual reresentation o Lusmore s hum. The range o the instrument also rovided rich exloration o material ith great rocessing otential. The comanion iece, ritten or string orchestra, as chosen to maintain instrumental amily consistency, essential or acilitating cross-inluential dialogue beteen the to mediums. One imortant requirement o the electroacoustic realization as to design a ork that could be executed solely by the erormer utilizing a lato ith minimal technical assistance. Pitch recognition as chosen to rogress through the Max/MSP atch. Seciic itches trigger events in the atch, eliminating the need or additional erormance hardare. Since the erormer is already ielding a large bo, additional equiment such as MIDI oot control edals, or keyboard resses rom the erormer, as as done in the rototye comositions, or to emloy a erormance artner sitting at the lato ere not incororated. Timers could have been used to move through the ork as ell but ere excluded to kee the technology as transarent to the audience as ossible. Pitch recognition as used to allo or erormer lexibility in the timing o their erormance as they rogressed through the score. Ste : Solo Perormer Sessions In order to begin ork on both comositions, a variety o recording sessions ere arranged ith the bassist, David Molina. We ere rimarily interested in recording ortions o all three Da Luan, da Mort melodies ith dierent temos, boings, and articulations. Additionally, Molina s imrovisation on the instrument yielded a variety o sound samles that 3
alloed exloration and integration o otentially ne electroacoustic environments outside o the recording sessions. rom the structure o the airies song, one o the irst comositional structures emerged. Since Da Luan, Da Mort melody is resented in the Knockgraton legend as a continuous round, it as imortant to ormally acknoledge the idea. Three additional voices ere comosed that could be erormed by the soloist and gradually layered on to o each other by the comuter. This accumulative structure or the soloist eaved together our melodic lines that sloly evolved into a our-art chorale. The harmonic scheme or the chorale, shon belo (igure 1), as then solidiied. At times disjointed and sometimes muddy, the harmony centers on a ourth tonal region: C major, instead o O Hara s major, Hiller s D minor, and my on G emhasis in the oening melody. The concluding major chord o the rogression again emhasizes the subdominant in a lagal ending. igure 1. Harmonic scheme or the our-voice chorale. It as necessary to alleviate redictability in the chorale s reetition. Rather than simly layering each o the our lines successively, the soloist meandered among the our voices as shon in igure 13. Weaving through the chorale introduced a tension in the otherise smooth voice-leading o the chorale. As each voice is layered in the Max/MSP atch, the main melody and its accomaniment are revealed in a ragmented accumulation. igure 1 shos the resultant our solo lines actually erormed by the soloist.
igure 13. ragmented accumulation o the our-voice chorale. igure 1. Resultant melodic lines rom the ragmented accumulation. The disjunct rogression o the chorale connects ith Lusmore s atience. His determination to understand the oreign airy song and his successul contribution orm the main event in the story. Hoever, even ithout the inluence o the Lusmore story, the chorale s evolution rovides basic musical rogression, sloly moving rom disorder to order. To accomlish the additive chorale, a atch shon in igure 15 as created. Three memory buers ere dedicated to record the live audio. Ater each recording, the resultant samle as layed back hile the erormer recorded in a second buer that as activated. In this examle, visual cues are added in anticiation o grahical user interace (GUI) that as eventually created or the erormance. Colored rogress bars ere added to visually reresent the oint hen the comuter is recording the erormer (corresonding to the red lines), and at hich oint the comuter is laying back reviously recorded material (corresonding to the 5
Examle 15. Successive chorale samle recorders.
green lines). To contrast the material in the chorale, ossible sections ere investigated that ould break u the chorale s accumulation ith a secondary develomental motive. The interaction o Jack Mcadden ith the airies served as an imortant storytelling contrast to Lusmore. y similarly inserting secondary musical hrases in the comosition (see igure 1), the chorale s develoment as interruted and dislaced over time. The idea o having both storylines engaged simultaneously as exlored and served to halt an otherise linear rogression o the musical structure. igure 1. Contrasting material in irst Jack Mcadden hrase o Lusmore. An introduction as then develoed, contrasting melodic characteristics rom the chorale melody and the Mcadden gesture. The oening gesture or the solo bass increases the bo seed over a stable edal tone, thus altering the string s timbre rom smooth to gritty textures. Oening gestures such as this ere samled live into memory buers (see igure 17), maniulated, and later recalled throughout the electroacoustic erormance. 7
igure 17. Soundile buers used in the introduction o Lusmore. Ste C: Material rom Ste as Rescored or the Acoustic Medium Having established re-comositional material, the next ste involved orking though ideas sculted in Ste. Portions ere realized or acoustic string orchestra, beginning ith the chorale. In this stage, rocesses used in the electroacoustic comosition ere evaluated or their eectiveness in a traditionally acoustic medium.
It quickly became clear that, as ritten or a ull string ensemble, the reetitive nature o the simle rhythm and ixed itch center o the chorale, regardless o the accumulation rocess, ould not have the same novelty as the solo erormer. The irst dilemma in translation to the string ensemble as creating a virtual evolving ensemble rom multile versions o one s on erormance. This as the irst challenge to the electroacoustic comosition rom a traditional acoustic ersective. In an acoustic iece, reetition (unless art o a minimalist ork) ould require some degree o rhythmic, melodic, transositional, or timbral modiication. A rhythmic modiication o the chorale as exlored as illustrated in igure 1. This version incororated the trilet eel in the original O Hara and Croker versions o the melody and exlored timbral quality changes ossible ith the string ensemble. In addition, modulations ere emloyed ith each successive addition to the chorale. igure 1 deicts the resulting our lines. oth examles resented a challenge to the electroacoustic version central to the crossinluential model. Modiications made in this stage o the model ere attemted in the solo electroacoustic comosition during Stage D.
igure 1. our-art chorale in trile meter ith attemted timbral changes. igure 1. our-art chorale ith attemted modulations at successive entrances. Ste D: Processes Evaluated or use in the Electroacoustic Solo Modiications made by the acoustic realization in Ste C ere addressed in the electroacoustic version. Changes made to the variety in meter, timbre, and transosition ere 30
tested or their incororation in the string bass solo. Additional sessions ith the soloist incororated ne versions o the chorale. It as evident that neither the rhythmic nor the transositional versions roosed in the acoustic realization o the chorale ould ork in Lusmore. The chorale layers samled in the Max/MSP atch did not allo or such transositions. Although it as ossible to transose and read through each ass at a dierent itch level, the transition beteen hrases as too abrut and unmusical in the electroacoustic version to be usable. In addition, the metric alteration detracted rom the overall accumulation that as central to the success o the electroacoustic ork. Thereore, a decision as made to discard the indings o the acoustic realization in the electroacoustic version. Hoever, interruting the accumulation ith alternate material seemed to be a viable solution to advance the musical tension toard the inal reveal o the chorale. This dialogue as central to the successul realization o the electroacoustic ork, even though the results o the string orchestra version ere not aroriated. Ste E: Continued Dialogue at the Comoser s Discretion Ste E calls or continued dialogue beteen the acoustic and electroacoustic exeriments. Since the transosition and metric changes made in Ste C ere not going to be adoted in Ste D, then its the electroacoustic version required some other element to augment interest. To avoid incessant reetition, the chorale statements ere sread throughout the duration o the electroacoustic version. These statements ere interruted by the contrasting Mcadden hrase material in Lusmore. A climactic oint in the comosition is reached hen the comuter and soloist in Lusmore inally reach the -art chorale. Even though the chorale as comlete ith the inal 31
statement o the ourth voice, another comositional challenge arose because the harmonic scheme as still based on the incomlete lagal cadence. The harmonic structure at this oint as unalterable due to the reliance on the looing layers o recorded material, so ocus shited on combining the agitated nature o the Mcadden hrases ith a ne descant. Incororating the shorter note values o the Mcadden hrases, this ne counteroint as samled into the looing structure, yet erormed ithout synchronization restrictions that alloed or a degree o imrovisational reedom or the erormer against the chorale. To reresent the comuter s lace in the score, an elaborate system o cues (igure 0) as develoed and linked to seciic score measures. A simliied grahical user interace as then develoed to assist the erormer in locating his lace in the score. This GUI, shon in igure 1, rovides score location reerences to the erormer via a continually rereshing comment box. In addition, the red and green rogress bars that corresond to the our-art chorale recordings are cued by a larger maroon rogress bar. In igure 1, or instance, the erormer has already been cued or the second chorale recording (indicated by the ull maroon color bar). He has also erormed one ass through the chorale (indicated by the ull red color bar) and the comuter is no laying back the multilayered result (indicated by the rogressing green bar). 3
igure 0. Cues moving through the Max/MSP atch. The text in the lighter yello boxes is dislayed to the erormer throughout the erormance or syncing uroses. 33
igure 1. Perormer s grahical user interace (GUI) or Lusmore. The oening and closing sections o Knockgraton ere then realized. Part II resents this string orchestra version that incororates artistic license in modulation and melodic content. The inalized score or the electroacoustic version is also resented in Part II. In 00, David Molina remiered Lusmore at the Wild Ginger Philharmonic Orchestra concert. The ork as subsequently erormed at the 00 SEAMUS Conerence in Muncie, Indiana. 3
CONCLUSION The to comosition airs are roducts o a comositional model grounded in crossinluential methodology. Each set shared generative material and inormed the other s construction. The simultaneous creation o these orks resented comositional challenges that imacted and mediated each other s develoment in mutually beneicial ays. As illustrated in the revie o literature, technological develoments and innovations indicated the need or ne comositional models in electroacoustic music comosition. A orking rototye as develoed by airing the construction o to comositions: a ork or solo iano and a comanion iece or iano and interactive electroacoustic music. The rototye solidiied a methodology and conirmed the useulness o the cross-inluential model on a small scale. On a more ambitious level, the rototye methodology as emloyed or the creation o a second set o cross-inluential comositions: Lusmore, an interactive electroacoustic solo or contrabass and Max/MSP; and Knockgraton, an acoustic comosition or string orchestra. Having alied the model in to airs o comositions, it is clear that this model is an eective tool or use by comosers interested in ne aroaches to electroacoustic comosition. Each comosition is enhanced by the other s simultaneous develoment. Creative otential in the acoustic version is similarly aected by musical choices made ossible by technology. ecause the model stressed lexibility in its imlementation, not all choices made in one version necessarily needed to be alied verbatim in the other. Most imortantly, it is this relective and roductive dialogue in the rocess stages that inorm the core o the strengths in this crossinluential model. The cross-inluential model holds the romise o highly useul alication as a edagogical tool in the academic setting. This model can be alied in a variety o levels ith 35
undergraduate and graduate comosition students. Young comosition students orking through their irst exeriences ith electroacoustic ieces can beneit rom the model s clear design and multile bridges to the acoustic aradigm. or graduate students solidly orking in the electroacoustic medium, the cross-inluential model rovides an alternate ersective o comosition. y shiting to the acoustic medium, musical elements such as orm and motivic material can be evaluated rom a ne vantage oint, enhancing the ork s overall musical statement. As an additional beneit, the cross-inluential model s comletion rovides the otential or to stand-alone comositions. More ragmatically, each comosition may be submitted to various estivals and rogrammed on a variety o concerts aroriate to the medium. The comosition air thus serves to increase the comoser s visibility in the larger musical community, articularly invaluable or young comosers in higher education. This model may also be alied to other discilines such as visual art, dance, and theatre, in a global eort to romote the rethinking o the creative rocess in the arts. Hoever, this one instance o the cross-inluential model is oered as a direct resonse to the need or ne dialectic comositional models in music. 3
Aendix The Legend o Knockgraton 5 There as once a oor man ho lived in the ertile glen o Aherlo, at the oot o the gloomy Galtee mountains, and he had a great hum on his back: he looked just as i his body had been rolled u and laced uon his shoulders; and his head as ressed don ith the eight so much, that his chin, hen he as sitting, used to rest uon his knees or suort. The country eole ere rather shy o meeting him in any lonesome lace, or though, oor creature, he as as harmless and as inoensive as a ne-born inant, yet his deormity as so great, that he scarcely aeared to be a human being, and some ill-minded ersons had set strange stories about him aloat. He as said to have a great knoledge o herbs and charms; but certain it as that he had a mighty skillul hand in laiting stra and rushes into bats and baskets, hich as the ay he made his livelihood. Lusmore, or that as the nickname ut uon him by reason o his alays earing a srig o the airy ca, or lusmore [literally, the great herb - Digitalis ururea] in his little stra hat, ould ever get a higher enny or his laited ork than any one else, and erhas that as the reason hy some one, out o envy, had circulated the strange stories about him. e that as it may, it haened that he as returning one evening rom the retty ton o Cahir toards Caagh, and as little Lusmore alked very sloly, on account o the great hum uon his back, it as quite dark hen he came to the old moat o Knockgraton, hich stood on the right hand side o his road. Tired and eary as he, and noays comortable in his on mind at thinking ho much arther he had to travel, and that he should be alking all the night; so he sat don under the moat to rest himsel, and began looking mournully enough uon the moon, hich, "Rising in clouded majesty, at length, Aarent Queen, unveil'd her eerless light, And o'er the dark her silver mantle thre." Presently there rose a ild strain o unearthly melody uon the ear o little Lusmore; he listened, and he thought that he had never heard such ravishing music beore. It as like the sound o many voices, each mingling and blending ith the other so strangely, that they seemed to be one, though all singing dierent strains, and the ords o the song ere these: - Da Luan, Da Mort, Da Luan, Da Mort, Da Luan, Da Mort, When there ould be a moment's ause, and then the round o melody ent on again. Lusmore listened attentively, scarcely draing his breath, lest he might lose the slightest note. He no lainly erceived that the singing as ithin the moat, and, though at irst it had charmed him so much, he began to get tired o hearing the same round sung over and over so 5 Croker, T. Croton, airy Legends and Traditions o the south o Ireland (J. Murray: 15), 3-3. 37
oten ithout any change; so availing himsel o the ause hen the Da Luan, Da More, had been sung three times, he took u the tune and raised it ith the ords augus Da Gadine, and then ent on singing ith the voices inside o the moat, Da Luan, Da Mort, inishing the melody, hen he ause again came, ith a'ugus Da Cadine. [correctly ritten, Dia Luain, Dia Mairt, agus Dia Ceadaoine, i. e. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.] The airies ithin Knockgraton, or the song as a airy melody, hen they heard this addition to their tune, ere so much delighted, that ith instant resolve it as determined to bring the mortal among them, hose musical skill so ar exceeded theirs, and little Lusmore as conveyed into their comany ith the eddying seed o a hirlind. Glorious to behold as the sight that burst uon him as he came don through the moat, tirling round and round and round ith the lightness o a stra, to the seetest music that ket time to his motion. The greatest honor as then aid him, or he as ut u above all the musicians, and he had servants 'tending uon him, and every thing to his heart's content, and a hearty elcome to all; and in short he as made as much o as i he had been the irst man in the land. Presently Lusmore sa a great consultation going orard among the airies, and, notithstanding all their civility, he elt very much rightened, until one, steing out rom the rest, came u to him, and said, - "Lusmore! Lusmore! Doubt not, nor delore, or the hum hich you bore On your back is no more! - Look don on the loor, And vie it, Lusmore! " When these ords ere said, oor little Lusmore elt himsel so light, and so hay, that he thought he could have have bounded at one jum over the moon, like the co in the history o the cat and the iddle; and he sa, ith inexressible leasure, his hum tumble don uon the ground rom his shoulders. He then tried to lit u his head, and he did so ith becoming caution, earing that he might knock it against the ceiling o the grand hall, here he as; he looked round and round again ith the greatest onder and delight uon every thing, hich aeared more and more beautiul; and, overoered at beholding such a reslendent scene, his head gre dizzy, and his eyesight became dim. At last he ell into a sound slee, and hen he aoke, he ound that it as broad daylight, the sun shining brightly, the birds singing seet; and that he as lying just at the oot o the moat o Knockgraton; ith the cos and shee grazing eaceably round about him. The irst thing Lusmore did, ater saying his rayers, as to ut his band behind to eel or his hum, but no sign o one as there on his back, and he looked at himsel ith great ride, or he had no become a ell-shaed daer little ello; and more than that, he ound himsel in a ull suit o ne clothes, hich he concluded the airies had made or him. Toards Caagh he ent, steing out as lightly, and sringing u at every ste as i he had been all his lie a dancing-master. Not a creature ho met Lusmore kne him ithout his hum, 3