MUSIC
336
COMPOSITION
MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES
FLUIDITY AND EXPRESSION
MATTHEW
BURTNER
University
of Virginia
Department of Music
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by George Crumb
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by Iannis Xenakis
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by John Coltrane
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MUSI
336 Composition Materials and Techniques Fluidity and Expression
Monday and
Wednesday, 3:00-4:45 Rm. B012, Old Cabell Hall
Occasional meetings on Tuesday at 6-8pm with ARTS 382 and ARTS 208 in Brooks
Hall: 2/12, 2/19 and 3/26
Instructor:
Matthew Burtner - mburtner@virginia.edu
office hours: Tuesday 2-5pm, OCH 201
Prerequisite: Theory 2 or equivalent experience and permission of the instructor
Music 336 is a music composition class exploring extended instrumental techniques and notational concepts, and music for multimedia. Contemporary music notation will be studied especially in relation to the freeing of various musical parameters and the use of structured performer improvisation in composition. These techniques will be expanded to include artistic collaborations with dancers and artists. Students will be given the opportunity to work collaboratively on a multimedia project and develop work for a performance/installation in April 2002. Fluidity is used as a metaphor for the expressive relationship between the composer and performer. Tools are sought that enhance sonic collaboration between artists, and between other artistic media. On the theme of “Liquid and Fluidity” we will work with performers, dancers and artists on developing collaborative compositions. The subject of “Liquid” was chosen to connect with the theme of the 2002 Fringe Arts Festival. Select collaborations from this course can be developed and showcased at this arts festival in October 2002.
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- Attendance and Participation %30 (includes attendance of the New Music in Old Cabell Concert, the Digitalis computer music concert on April 17, and presentations by guest composers)
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- Extended Notation Project: %20
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- Improvising Ensemble Project: %20
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- Multimedia Collaboration Project: %20
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- Final Project: %10 The final project is a selection of one of the three projects, revised and expanded as necessary. Documentation should be supplied in the form of a score and at least a 1 page commentary. Other documentation such as audio and video may also be submitted.
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Part
1: Notation and the Concept of Specificity
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a) Review of Notation b) The Specific to the nonspecific c) Extended Instrumental Techniques/ Extended Notational Practice |
| Listening and Discussion: Ferneyhough, Lutoslawski, Penderecki, Berio, Crumb, Xenakis (see listening list for specific pieces on reserve) |
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Extended Notation Project part 1: Write a phrase of music for a solo instrument in which every detail of the sound is notated. Concentrate on pitch and rhythm details, dynamics, timbre, vibrato, phrasing, everything. It is not necessary that you be able to perform your own score. Imagine that the performer is not going to interpret anything, but will only play what you write. Try to put as much expressive energy as possible into the instrumental phrase. These compositions will be evaluated for notational accuracy and expressive detail. Working in small groups we will analyze the pieces and generate an abstraction or series of abstractions from the pieces, isolating the gestalt of the phrase. Extended Notation Project part 2: Focus on a small technique on a single instrument and create a varied expression of this single technique. Create a new notation that specifies the variation and compose a short piece using your notation symbols. The symbols should be clearly understandable. |
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Part
2: Indeterminacy and Improvisation
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a) Indeterminacy b) The Performer as Composer c) Composing for Improvising Ensembles: |
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Listening and Discussion: Cage, Feldman, Brown, Zorn, Oliveros, Lewis, The Hub, MICE, Brown, LaBarbara, Gustafsson, Parker, Coleman, Coltrane (see listening list for specific pieces on reserve) |
| Improvising Ensemble Project: Compose a short piece for a small ensemble using notational techniques discussed in this part of the course. The composition should be two things: 1) clearly notated/described for the performers, and 2) offer a varying degree of interpretation to the performers |
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Part
3: Multimedia: Collaborating With Dance and Art
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a) Expanded notions of space b) Expanded notions of time c) Collaboration |
| Listening and Discussion: Pieces from this class |
| Multimedia Collaboration Project: Compose music for a multimedia piece in collaboration with sculptors and dancers from ARTS 382 and ARTS 208 |
LISTENING LIST
| Brian Ferneyhough String Quartet 2 (1980) Recording: CD 8564 Score: M452 .F47 no.2 1981 Time and Motion Study II (1973-76) for cello and electronics Recording: CD 8563 Score: on order |
| Witold Lutoslawski Jeux Venetiens (1962) for orchestra Recording: CD 03122 Score: M1045 .L975 J5 (MU-OVERSIZE) String Quartet (1964) Recording: Lutoslawski.Ligeti: String Quartets. Burtner collection Score: M452 .L87 1970 |
| Krzysztof
Penderecki Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima (1960) for 52 strings Recording: CD 1823 c.2 Score: M 1145 .P4 T6 1961 De Natura Sonoris 2 (1971) for orchestra Recording: Penderecki: Burtner collection Score: M1045 .P397 no.2 |
| Luciano Berio Circles (1961) for female voice, harp and 2 percussion players Recording: CD 3017 Score: M 1613.3 B53 C6 1961 |
| George Crumb Black Angels (1970) for string quartet Recording: CD 2317 Score: M452 .C88 B5 (MU-OVERSZE) |
| Iannis Xenakis Metastasis (1953-54) for orchestra Recording: CD 936 Score: M25 .C35 M8 v.1-v.4 |
| John Cage Music of Changes (1978) for piano Recording: LP 3150, LP 6141 Score: M25 .C35 M8 v.1-v.4 Concert for Piano (1978) for piano Recording: CD 3859 c.2 |
| Earl Brown Times Five (1963) for flute, trombone, harp, violin, cello, and four- channel tape Recording: CD 8118 Score: M562 .B94 T5 Folio (1954) for piano Recording: CD 7208 Score: M1470 .B76 F6 (MU-OVERSIZE) |
| Morton Feldman Last Pieces (1959) for piano Recording: CD 6641 Score: M 25 .F4 L3 1963 Intersection III (1953) Score: M25 .F415 |
| John Zorn Naked City (1989) for alto sax, guitar, keyboards, bass, drums, and vocals Recording: CD 7526 Forbidden Fruit (1987) for voice, string quartet and turntables Recording: CD 1670 Road Runner () for instrument Recording: CD 5171 Score: Zorn/RoadRunner Burtner collection |
| Pauline Oliveros Ione (1989) for trombone, digeridu, accordian and cistern Recording: CD Deep Listening - Burtner collection |
| George Lewis Airplane (1993) for trombone, digeridu, viola, percussion and voices Recording: CD 6382 |
| The Hub Hub Renga (1989) for interactive computer ensemble Recording: CD 6647 |
| MICE (Music for
Interactive Computers) Live at the 2001 Fringe Festival for network computer ensemble Recording: MICE CD - Burtner collection |
| Chris Brown Chain Reaction (1991) for MIDI piano, MIDI Airdrums, tenor saxophone and electronics Recording: CD 4647 |
| Joan LaBarbara Erin (1980) for multitracked voices Recording: Sound Paintings - Burtner collection |
| Mats Gustafsson A Visit to Kallom (1995) for baritone saxophone Recording: Mats Gustafsson: The Education of Lars Jerry - Burtner collection |
| Evan Parker Serpent in Sky (1998) for soprano saxophone, violin, double bass, and electronics Recording: Evan Parker Electroacoustic Ensemble, DrawnInward - Burtner collection |
| Ornette Coleman Free Jazz (1960) for ensemble Recording: Free Jazz - Burtner collection |
| John Coltrane Ascension (1965) for ensemble Recording: Ascension - Burtner collection |
Copyright 2002, Matthew Burtner