Music

Our musical history continues to expand at a rapid pace. Aesthetic boundaries are stretched to their limits and we begin to question if they exist at all. Yet we remain interested and excited by developments, both technical and aesthetic, in sound and it seems obvious that both are engaged by an understanding of theoretical and contextual elements. We all have access to our own critical histories and some are bound to be deeper and stronger than others, but the democratisation and change of technology has given rise to a breadth of information that stifles in-depth study. I would like to focus my
thoughts around the inextricable links between composition, theory, analysis and historical context and the need to access pertinent data that is highly organised. I would like to suggest that our current archives do not allow for the addition of human emotional content because they are (quite naturally) obsessed with storage and retrieval of large quantities of electronic data. I would also like to suggest that for electroacoustic composers writing especially for fixed media, there is a huge responsibility to document above and beyond an audio file and that one should consider how others may adapt your work in the future.

Our musical history continues to expand at a rapid pace. Aesthetic boundaries are stretched to their limits and we begin to question if they exist at all. Yet we remain interested and excited by developments, both technical and aesthetic, in sound and it seems obvious that both are engaged by an understanding of theoretical and contextual elements. We all have access to our own critical histories and some are bound to be deeper and stronger than others, but the democratisation and change of technology has given rise to a breadth of information that stifles in-depth study. I would like to focus my thoughts around the inextricable links between composition, theory, analysis and historical context and the need to access pertinent data that is highly organised. I would like to suggest that our current archives do not allow for the addition of human emotional content because they are (quite naturally) obsessed with storage and retrieval of large quantities of electronic data. I would also like to suggest that for electroacoustic composers writing especially for fixed media, there is a huge responsibility to document above and beyond an audio file and that one should consider how others may adapt your work in the future.

This paper considers some of the numerous relations that hold between acousmatic works and their performances, and proposes a compositional method that responds to the art of sound diffusion. Acousmatic works have a long and established history that goes hand in hand with a solid performance practice. It is right then to consider, as the art of the acousmatic changes and is impacted notably by technology, that the art of performance of acousmatic works might change also. We propose a 'fractured' approach to composition and performance, one that recognizes the need to work in the studio and create fixed forms but which affords a degree of flexibility in performance. In extreme cases, this may tend towards an open form. Breaking into the composition and performance processes may however afford a development of interpretation in performance and a greater sense of performance practice.

Unauthorized use and/or duplication of all material on this blog without express and written permissions from this blog's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Adrian Moore with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Acousmatic music asks for very active listening and is often quite challenging. Allowing for cross-modality enables strong, often physical associations to emerge and potentially affords greater understanding during the work and greater recollection of the work. Composers of acousmatic music are often aware of the need to engage the listener at numerous levels of experience and understanding, creating sounds that tend both towards the superficial and the structural. Acous-matic music in multi-channel formats affords certain degrees of freedom, allowing the listener to more easily prioritise their listening. This freedom potentially affords a more immersive experience making cross-modal listening easier through the acceptance of a plausible sonic reality no matter how foreign the sound-world and despite being deprived of any direct visual cues, senses of sight and touch are engaged.

A discussion of rhythm, pulse, groove (and time) in electroacoustic music with specific reference to the audio project 'Metricity'. Abstract The 'Metricity' project is an umbrella term for my current creative explorations into what is for me very dangerous territory: pulse, rhythm and repetition. I will hopefully have completed a new work during a residency in Ohio in November 2016 which will explore creatively a number of methods for generating pulse and rhythm but which relies more on angularity rather than regularity as a driving force. Suffice it to say, I have been tempted by pulse and the 'metro' in numerous works, Junky perhaps being the most obvious. Pulse, rhythm and repetition allow for interesting aesthetic stances, particularly when one works primarily within the acousmatic tradition. Pierre Schaeffer used repetition as an aid to reduced listening. Many composers use repetition as 'something to hold on to' (Landy, 1994). It is obviously an hierarchical structuring device. Broadly speaking it can be developed (after Emmerson (1986)) from an abstract perspective (a sequencer and sampler) or be abstracted from 'happy accidents' found in manipulated materials. Given that repetition leads to redundancy, the compositional challenge for a work of 13-20 minutes is immense. Although Schaeffer was right to suggest that after one 'train' sound, the same sound repeated leads to the identification of quality over quantity, he failed to realise that we might actually be getting bored.

Electroacoustic music on fixed media has predominantly comprised one fixed file played back in performance. This has been ideal on many levels. From an aesthetic point of view, decisions made by the composer are 'burned in'. There is a level of exactitude which cements the reduced listening approach and marks a clear divide between composer, performer and listener. A number of composers have seen this as an inflexible approach and looked for something where chance, risk and interpretation can take place to a greater degree. In current contemporary practice one can see a continuum between the fully fixed work on one hand and an improvisation with sound at the other. However, very few composers have been prepared to investigate any sort of middle-ground where the exactitude of fixing sounds merges with content decisions taken by a performer during performance. This paper develops the idea of the 'fractured acousmatic' within a context of works, both instrumental and acousmatic that are not fixed. In so doing, it highlights the potential for extended performance with semi-structured blocks of pre-composed sound and tests how we might create a work with multiple outcomes. A case-study work entitled Routes is used to probe this theory. The complexities of composition and performance The vast majority of acousmatic music is fixed on a supporting medium (normally one soundfile). This file may comprise any number of channels. The progression from concept to concert has often been solitary: there is one sole composer and only one performer (and quite often these are one and the same person). There is a growing tradition of performance practice in sound diffusion but its growth is slow despite a tradition of some seventy years. In performance a file is played back over multiple loudspeakers with the sound diffusion artist working some kind of controller, spatialising the work in real-time; in broad terms rendering the work in the best possible fashion considering the space, loudspeakers and audience. The performer also interprets the work at a functional and musical level from spatial placement to exaggerated spatial gestures to overall volume control. In many respects the performer balances artistic expression with respect to the content, and audience awareness. Failure to give attention to any one aspect of this performance is at best noticeable on a musical level and, at worst, painful and subject to litigation. 1 1 It would not be worth commenting upon sound pressure levels at concerts were volumes balanced and respectful. Given an increasingly risk-aware public, ear plugs are often provided at concerts. Ear plugs have been in common use for rock concerts for decades. However, there is some understanding that acousmatic music (should) work in an unprotected environment. It is bizarre that this is a problem that never seems to find an equitable solution.

No cautious, creative person starts a project nowadays without a back-up strategy...it is wise to maintain a living archive of all work. [1] Acousmatic composition begins with source material that is processed and reflected upon. Given a set of concrete sources and a set of build instructions it is theoretically possible to compile a composition from a limited number of critical initial sounds. This is analogous to the build process for software. By modifying existing compositional tools such that decisions and parameters are recorded, we construct a set of build instructions that reproduce the finished work from original source. Using version control with this methodology to track and record development it is possible to explore a trace of the composition process and use some of the features of the latest version control systems such as branching, tagging and merging. We demonstrate a methodology for composition that enables the composer to use version control effectively and in so...

Electroacoustic music on fixed media has predominantly comprised one fixed file played back in performance. This has been ideal on many levels. From an aesthetic point of view, decisions made by the composer are 'burned in'. There is a level of exactitude which cements the reduced listening approach and marks a clear divide between composer, performer and listener. A number of composers have seen this as an inflexible approach and looked for something where chance, risk and interpretation can take place to a greater degree. In current contemporary practice one can see a continuum between the fully fixed work on one hand and an improvisation with sound at the other. However, very few composers have been prepared to investigate any sort of middle-ground where the exactitude of fixing sounds merges with content decisions taken by a performer during performance. This paper develops the idea of the 'fractured acousmatic' within a context of works, both instrumental and acousmatic that are not fixed. In so doing, it highlights the potential for extended performance with semi-structured blocks of pre-composed sound and tests how we might create a work with multiple outcomes. A case-study work entitled Routes is used to probe this theory.

Higher education institutions (HEIs) have been awash with buzzwords in the last decade or so, as teaching has become 'entrepreneurial', 'enquiry-based', 'reflective', 'collaborative' and 'creative' (e.g. Gaunt and Westerlund, 2013; Burnard and Haddon, 2015). While the words may change with sometimes alarming rapidity, these approaches share an underlying encouragement to academics to think creatively about educational practice, and to consider the impact of students' learning experiences on their broader development and future destinations. The Music in the Community module that forms a case study for this chapter came about through one such University of Sheffield initiative around 'enterprise' education – a term used (often interchangeably with 'entrepreneurial' education) to capture the interplay of thinking and doing through cycles of reflexive and experiential learning. First popularised in school curricula with an increasing focus on preparation for work and citizenship, enterprise learning involves students having 'the freedom to come up with ideas for creating and maintaining a project, take responsibility for it and experience first‐hand learning which offers a real sense of utility and audience' (Deuchar, 2004: 224). The approach has relevance for university level musicians who need to be responsive and flexible thinkers in their learning and their future careers, and worked well as a framework for our shared research and teaching interests in community music. Our new undergraduate module put students in touch with community groups in Sheffield, and engaged them in commissioned pieces of research and planning around potential musical activities. These community-based projects were intended to support and enrich the organisations, while developing the students' skills in managing group work, applying their musical skills to new contexts, and articulating and evaluating the benefits of music in community settings.

Amateur folk singing in England is enthusiastically participatory, with its simple musical structures and group singing practices. Folk events are represented as places where wide participation is celebrated-a self-defined Voice of the People. Many events build opportunities for everyone to lead a song, and group chorus singing is a dominant feature. Events are typically held in function rooms attached to pubs, further advocating the premise that all are welcome. These characteristics of amateur English folk singing facilitate wide inclusion and enable whole groups to contribute to music-making; despite this, the scene can be difficult for the outsider to penetrate. The underlying ideology of the English folk scene as being open and all-embracing belies a complex array of performance practices. This paper reflects my own and others' experiences of the tensions between the scene's portrayal of informality, the practice of wide participation, and the intrinsic structures to be negotiated for successful engagement. Building a combined approach of autoethnography and more traditional ethnomusicology, I focus on my subjective experience as a singer and organizer of events, alongside the opinions and practices of others. I offer insights into the complex processes that facilitate musical inclusion, recognising the positive and negative impacts of participation through a study of English folk singers. This will shed light on the ways amateur musicians negotiate access to, and find mechanisms for inclusion in, musical practice through engaging in performance.