Can you identify a modern musical composer some of whose compositions
for several instruments are written in squares, not all of which can
be played on each instrument. The squares contain approximate
information for the performers about pitch or volume or duration or a
combination of these. The players begin on different squares and then
each moves to any other square he/she can play. |
Request for Question Clarification by
markj-ga
on
08 Mar 2004 13:47 PST
roderick --
I have found several 20th century composers who employed squares as a
component of graphical notation in their scores. However, I have not
found one that uses them in quite the exact way you have described.
1. Composer "A" wrote a piece in which each page of the score has nine
squares (like a tic-tac-toe layout). Each square has its own musical
material (conventional notation, vocal sounds, improvisational
prompts, etc.). The leaders of two "teams" of musicians choose the
order of the route through which their instrumentalists progress, but
the instrumentalists can move at their own pace through the squares
based on whether the interaction of the two groups in a particular
square is interesting, e.g.
This information relates to a particular piece, and I have not found
evidence that he used similar compositional techniques in other works,
although he might well have.
2. Composer "B" used squares, among other graphical means, to provide
exact information about pitches and rhythym, but also provided
information about when such specific directions could be ignored and
replaced by improvisation.
This information applies to this composer's work in general, so there
are presumably numerous examples of this technique in his works.
3. Composer "C" used squares to convey approximations ranges of sounds
to be produced in a defined time period. He later abandoned this
techique (and its characterisic use of squares) in favor of specifying
pitch material without binding the performer to particular meter
(i.e., time period)
All of these composer worked until late in the 20th century, but all
are now deceased.
If none of these composers strike you as being the one you are
seeking, can you provide any more information? Is "your" composer
definitely living? Is the compositional technique you describe
typical of his work, or are you referring to a particular piece? Any
and all further clues would be appreciated.
markj-ga
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Clarification of Question by
roderick-ga
on
08 Mar 2004 23:57 PST
The extract I have is described as being from a modern musical
composition, written for three instruments, viz an unpitched
percussion instrument, a keyboard instrument, and a string instrument.
The squares do not contain conventional notation. Three of them do
have what look like five staff lines running across horizontally, but
the other marks in these squares are completely unconventional
(unconnected vertical lines, some thick, some thin, or in one case
four thick slanting lines forming an M-shape). Three of the squares
contain circles; one of these squares contains three circles of
decreasing size, touching each other and extending from the left edge
of the square to the right edge, while another contains just one large
circle in the left half of the square with a very small square with a
dot in it in the right half (this may indicate silence). The remaining
three squares from the extract contain a continuous line running from
the left edge of the square to the right edge, either horizontal, in
which case it is sometimes augmented by a wavy decoration, or slanting
up or down. The music is plainly aleatoric in nature, in that each
instrumentalist can perform his squares in any order he chooses. I
hope that this further information helps.
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Request for Question Clarification by
techtor-ga
on
09 Mar 2004 07:30 PST
Hello Roderick,
I'm just guessing, but would this be an example of the square, or
would it be similar?
http://homepages.tesco.net/~musicalsquares/msqset22.html
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Request for Question Clarification by
techtor-ga
on
09 Mar 2004 08:25 PST
Pardon me, I meant if the "squarish" notation you saw was like this square I found.
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Request for Question Clarification by
markj-ga
on
09 Mar 2004 09:37 PST
roderick --
This is just to let you know that, based on your clarification, I have
a very good lead on the identity of the composer (and the score). I
expect to have confirmation one way or the other by this evening.
markj-ga
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Clarification of Question by
roderick-ga
on
09 Mar 2004 10:08 PST
techtor --
I'm afraid that your example is absolutely nothing like mine, as I
think my clarification of 08 Mar 2004 23:57 PST makes clear. Sorry!
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Request for Question Clarification by
markj-ga
on
09 Mar 2004 14:34 PST
roderick --
The particular composition I had in mind does not contain the exact
form of graphical notation that you described in your clarification.
However, the composer of that work remains my best guess at the moment
as to the composer you are seeking, so I need a little more assistance
from you at this point.
First, would you take a look at the following two images and let me
know if these graphical score excerpts are reminiscent in any way of
the extracts you have:
http://plottegg.tuwien.ac.at/36405.jpg
http://homepage1.nifty.com/iberia/score_gallery_ramati.htm
Then, could you answer the following questions?
1. Do you have reason to believe that this composer is/was prominent
in the world of contemporary music?
2. Are you certain that the composition in question is for only three
players and for only those instruments you mention (keyboard,
unpitched percussion and
a stringed instrument)? For example, could there be more than one
player in each of the three categories, or could there be other
players/instruments/vocalists in other parts of the piece in question?
3. Are the extracts you have from a single page of the score, or are
they drawn from various parts of the score for purposes of
illustration?
And, again, anything else you can tell me about the composer or the
piece might prove to be useful.
markj-ga
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Request for Question Clarification by
markj-ga
on
09 Mar 2004 14:39 PST
roderick --
Here's one more for you to look at. Again, my examples are clearly
not the exact score extracts that you have, but I am interested in if
they contain elements that look familiar to you and that might well be
contained in scores of another of the many works by this composer.
http://www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu/picturesofmusic/html_zoom/rhr_mobile/s_rhr_mobile_L1_0x1.html
markj-ga
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Clarification of Question by
roderick-ga
on
09 Mar 2004 21:11 PST
The material in all your three examples is a good deal more complex
than the material in mine, and also in all three there is some
recognizable conventional notation whereas there is none in mine apart
from what could be staff lines in three of the squares.
I'm afraid that I have no idea how prominent the composer was. The
text I have (written in 2002/2003) says "Above is an extract from a
modern musical composition. ... This extract is for three instruments,
a percussion instrument, a keyboad instrument, and a string
instrument". The use of 'extract' rather than 'extracts' suggests that
the squares come from a single page of the score, but it is certainly
possible that there are further players elsewhere in the piece.
One further piece of information that might be helpful. The text
implies that it should be clear which of the nine squares shown could
be played by a percussion instrument (such as a drum), which of them
could be played by a keyboard instrument (such as a piano), and which
of them could be played by a string instrument (such as a violin); it
also states that some of the squares could be played by more than one
of the three types.
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Clarification of Question by
roderick-ga
on
09 Mar 2004 21:24 PST
markj --
I have a bitmap of the nine squares, but it does not seem possible to
copy it to this location. If I had your address, I could email it to
you, if that would help.
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Request for Question Clarification by
markj-ga
on
10 Mar 2004 05:37 PST
roderick --
Thanks for the clarification.
Unfortunately, Google Answers policy forbids direct contact between
customers and researchers. You could upload a scanned image of the
extract to a site such as the one linked below and post the URL of the
uploaded image:
http://www.villagephotos.com/
Alternatively, if you would identify the text that contains the score
extract, I might be able to get access to it at one of the university
and public libraries that are conveniently available to me.
markj-ga
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Clarification of Question by
roderick-ga
on
10 Mar 2004 10:24 PST
markj -- I have done as you suggest.
The url is http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrowse.asp?selected=812143
Please let me know if you need any further assistance or clarification.
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