The authors examine how materiality emerges from complex chains of mediation in creative software use. The primarily theoretical argument is inspired and illustrated by interviews with two composers of electronic music. The authors argue that computer mediated activity should not primarily be understood in terms of simple mediation, but rather as chains of complex mediation in which the dominant form of representation is metonymy rather than metaphor.
AbstractIn this article the authors present an overview of the current situation in Ukraine, with regards to the question of analytical terminology applied to new methods of creation in electronic music composition. The article establishes the differences and the similarities between the analyses of instrumental and electronic music structures, while considering the role of technology in the creation of new electronic music works. This paper also establishes a link between the origin of current analytical processes and electronic music practice in Ukraine, taking into account the function of a given terminology and its characteristic elements relating to a local geographical and cultural context. The authors underline the importance of integrating new music forms in academic circles and discuss external influences in the development of new musical systems. This is demonstrated by exposing selected musical materials, which can be considered representative of the creative and theoretical processes found in the field of electronic music in Ukraine.
This chapter traces the emergence of the spectrum as structural concern in music composition, performance and production. The earliest signs of such developments are traced to the beginning of the 20th century, in the musical revolutions of that era. This is followed by the developments in audio technology, which brought to the fore the spectral qualities of sound. Post-war electronic music and computer music are shown to have played a decisive part in the conquering of the spectrum by composers. The latter part of the chapter discusses two case studies of spectral music writing.
This article aims to elaborate Horacio Vaggione’s theoretical approach towards electronic music composition and his understanding of the musical structure, and to discuss how some of his key concepts come into presence during the compositional experience of temporality. Following the introduction of object-oriented composition and musical networks, I will discuss the concept of morphology alongside an investigation of how these ideas relate to temporality. In addition to this inquiry, I will briefly explore the possibilities of an ontological discussion on Vaggione’s compositional mindset and how his temporal perspective differs from some of his colleagues.
This article traces the evolution of electroacoustic music in Wellington and the South Island of New Zealand. Electroacoustic music has a well-established tradition in New Zealand, dating back to Douglas Lilburn's pioneering work
in the early 1960s. The Victoria University of Wellington Electronic Music Studios (VUW/EMS) that Lilburn established in 1966 became a focal point for electronic music activities in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This article
examines current approaches to electroacoustic music composition, and discusses the facilities at Victoria University, the University of Canterbury and the University of Otago.
This article attempts to explore working methods for developing hybrid tendencies within electroacoustic music compositions. These working methods, such as the novel concept of reconstructive sampling, are each explored with musical examples given. The article opens by giving definitions of genre, and then explores hybridisation as a concept through ideas developed by Duff (2000), Waters (2000) and Frow (2015). While the article focuses on the musical output of the author, personal compositions are placed in a broader context through the discussion of other artists within the wider field of electronic music composition.
Emerging Materiality: Reflections on Creative Use of Software in Electronic Music Composition
