Music composition as hypothesis formation: a blackboard concept of musical creativity

1990 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Otto E. Laske
2021 ◽  
pp. 143-173
Author(s):  
Bruce Adolphe

This part is designed primarily with composers in mind, yet while experience writing music would be helpful here, it is not absolutely required to enjoy doing these exercises. The exercises may be done by an individual alone, and they are also useable in a composition class, private lesson, theory seminar, or improvisation workshop. Part V opens with an essay about creativity in general that also explores ideas of truth and beauty in music. Beauty is not discussed in a mundane sense—not in the sense of prettiness or loveliness—but rather the concept of Beauty within music composition as it is embodied in the relation of the parts to the whole, a sense of proportion, and the aptness of technique to the idea expressed. This is followed by a series of exercises designed to inspire musical creativity. These involve a range of approaches, including: imitating models; channeling composers; creating alternatives to existing music; using spoken text as subtext for composition; stylistic juxtapositions and confrontations; altering parameters such as meter; rewriting pre-existing music; using structural analysis to create new music; cutting and pasting; group composing games; versions and variations of a phrase; deceptive endings, detours, and interruptions; and music based on physical manifestations of emotion discovered through acting.


2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-88
Author(s):  
Thomas Studley ◽  
Jon Drummond ◽  
Nathan Scott ◽  
Keith Nesbitt

Digital games are a fertile ground for exploring novel computer music applications. While the lineage of game-based compositional praxis long precedes the advent of digital computers, it flourishes now in a rich landscape of music-making apps, sound toys and playful installations that provide access to music creation through game-like interaction. Characterising these systems is the pervasive avoidance of a competitive game framework, reflecting an underlying assumption that notions of conflict and challenge are somewhat antithetical to musical creativity. As a result, the interplay between competitive gameplay and musical creativity is seldom explored. This article reports on a comparative user evaluation of two original games that frame interactive music composition as a human–computer competition. The games employ contrasting designs so that their juxtaposition can address the following research question: how are player perceptions of musical creativity shaped in competitive game environments? Significant differences were found in system usability, and also creativity and ownership of musical outcomes. The user study indicates that a high degree of musical control is widely preferred despite an apparent cost to general usability. It further reveals that players have diverse criteria for ‘games’ which can dramatically influence their perceptions of musical creativity, control and ownership. These findings offer new insights for the design of future game-based composition systems, and reflect more broadly on the complex relationship between musical creativity, games and competition.


1978 ◽  
Vol 23 (11) ◽  
pp. 846-847
Author(s):  
GERALD J. BALZANO
Keyword(s):  

Author(s):  
Khafiizh Hastuti ◽  
Azhari Azhari ◽  
Aina Musdholifah ◽  
Rahayu Supanggah

2001 ◽  
Vol 89 (7) ◽  
pp. 719 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANTONIO PRETI
Keyword(s):  

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Banks Mailman

Babbitt’s relatively early composition Semi-Simple Variations (1956) presents intriguing surface patterns that are not determined by its pre-compositional plan, but rather result from subsequent “improvised” decisions that are strategic. This video (the third of a three-part video essay) considers Babbitt’s own conversational pronouncements (in radio interviews) together with some particulars of his life-long musical activities, that together suggest uncanny affiliations to jazz improvisation. As a result of Babbitt’s creative reconceptualizing of planning and spontaneity in music, his pre-compositional structures (partial orderings) fit in an unexpected way into (or reformulate) the ecosystem relating music composition to the physical means of its performance.


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