Composing Processes and Artistic Agency: Tacit Knowledge in Composing

169 Pages·2018·14.31 MB·English

by  Tasos Zembylas and Martin Niederauer

Composing Processes and Artistic Agency
This monograph carries out an in-depth investigation into compositional
processes,sheddingnewlightonthecomponentsandconditionsthatconstitute
artistic agency.Artisticagencyreliesonthe interlockingof suchactivities that
emergefromvariouspropositionalandnon-propositional(experiential,corporeal,
sensory) forms of knowledge – listening, feeling, imagining, trying out, reflect-
ing, noting and correcting, which represents a small selection of the multi-
faceted composing activities. The book develops an understanding of artistic
agencyandmasteryinitsfundamentallysocialnature,throughtheimportant,
though largely ignored output of creative compositional processes.
Using a mixture of case studies and theoretical frameworks, this book will
appeal to sociologists, musicologists, creative studies scholars, and artists,
particularly those who teach composition or research on this topic, aswell as
students of MA- and PhD-level.
TasosZembylasisaProfessorofCulturalInstitutionStudiesattheDepartment
of Music Sociology at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna,
Austria.
Martin Niederauer (Dr. phil.) studied sociology in Trier and Frankfurt am
Main. He currently works at the Faculty of Design at the University of
Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt, Germany.
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221 Composing Processes and Artistic Agency
Tacit Knowledge in Composing
Tasos Zembylas and Martin Niederauer
Composing Processes and
Artistic Agency
Tacit Knowledge in Composing
Tasos Zembylas and Martin Niederauer
Firstpublished2018
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LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
Names:Zembylas,Tasos.|Niederauer,Martin.
Title:Composingprocessesandartisticagency:tacitknowledge
incomposing/byTasosZembylasandMartinNiederauer.
Description:Abingdon,Oxon;NewYork,NY:Routledge,2017.
Identifiers:LCCN2017001427| ISBN9781138215498(hardback)|
ISBN9781315443928(ebook)
Subjects:LCSH:Composition(Music)--Psychologicalaspects.
Classification:LCCML3838.Z42017|DDC781.3--dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2017001427
ISBN:978-1-138-21549-8(hbk)
ISBN:978-1-315-44392-8(ebk)
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Contents
List of figures vii
Composing Processes and Artistic Agency: Tacit Knowledge in
Composing viii
TASOSZEMBYLASANDMARTINNIEDERAUER
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction 1
Starting-point and research interest 1
Empirical bases and research design 5
Overview of chapters 7
1 The topography of composing work 13
1.1 Parameters and resources 15
1.2 Peers and non-peers 20
1.3 Material objects: musical instruments, computers and writing
materials 33
1.4 Immaterial objects: discourses, notation systems, algorithms
and software 41
2 The processuality of composing 57
2.1 Exploring – Understanding – Valuing – Making 60
2.2 The cohesion of activities inherent in processes 63
2.3 The artistic creative processes as a dynamic interlinking of
actions 75
3 Orchestrating different forms of knowledge 80
3.1 The various manifestations of artistic practical knowing 82
3.2 The centrality of learning 93
3.3 Forms of knowledge in composing processes: an interpretative
order 97
3.4 The synergy between the various forms of knowledge 103
vi Contents
4 Musicological perspectives on composing 111
ANDREASHOLZER
4.1 Perspectives on composing-as-process: a historical outline 112
4.2 The components of composing practices and their
interrelations: present-day observations 124
Index 152
Figures
1.1 The topographyof composing work 14
1.2 From Clemens Gadenstätter’s sketchbook for “Les Cris
des Lumières” 40
1.3 From Katharina Klement’s sketchbook for “lichte Sicht”
for 18 strings 42
2.1 The interrelatedness of various partial activities 63
3.1 Artistic practical forms of knowledge 98
3.2 Formal propositional forms of knowledge 98
4.1 Example of notes from Joanna Wosny’s “some remains”,
first system 137
4.2 From Joanna Wozny’s sketches for “some remains” 139
4.3 Operator interface for Karlheinz Essl’s work “Herbecks
Versprechen” 142
4.4 Section 1 of Karlheinz Essl’swork “Herbecks Versprechen”
(breathing – sputtering) 143
4.5 Section 9 of Karlheinz Essl’swork “Herbecks Versprechen”
(singing – like an organ [Orgeln]) 143
4.6 Graphical representation ofthesound files(Fminor toE minor)
from Marko Ciciliani’s work “LipsEarsAssNoseBoobs
(Gloomy Sunday)” 146
4.7 The beginning of Marko Ciciliani’swork
“LipsEarsAssNoseBoobs (Gloomy Sunday)” 147
Composing Processes and Artistic Agency:
Tacit Knowledge in Composing
Tasos Zembylas and Martin Niederauer
First published in German: Praktiken des Komponierens: Soziologische,
wissenstheoretische und musikwissenschaftliche Perspektiven. Wiesbaden:
Springer-VS, 2016.
Translation: Tom Genrich
The translation costs have generously been funded by the Austrian Science
Fund (FWF) and the Vienna Universityof Music and Performing Arts.
Acknowledgements
This publication and the research project on which it is basedwould not have
been possible without the financial support of the Jubilee Fund of the Cityof
Vienna (project no. J 2/12) and the Austrian Science Fund – FWF (project
no. P 27211-G22). The University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna was
thethirdfundingbody,sinceAndreasHolzer,AnnegretHuber,RosaReitsamer
and Tasos Zembylas are university employees and conducted their research as
part of theirofficial duties. The three organisations are due equal credit.
Due to other commitments, Annegret Huber and Rosa Reitsamer were
unable to prepare a text contribution for this publication. As members of the
project team they achieved much, both in developing theory and in collecting
data.Wewouldliketothankthemfortheirspecialisthelpandcollegialsupport.
Our warmest thanks go to the many composers – and especially those of
the case studies – for their time, interest and confidence in our work: Helga
Arias Parra, Katherine Balch, Marko Ciciliani,Renald Deppe,ChristofDienz,
Karlheinz Essl, Viola Falb, Clemens Gadenstätter, Bernhard Gander, Matthew
Gantt, Michael Kahr, Katharina Klement, Alexandra Karastoyanova-
Hermentin, Johannes Kretz, Hans Lassnig, Mikhail Malt, Veronika Mayer,
Bertl Mütter, Javier Party, Christof Ressi, Veronika Simor, Emiliano Sampaio,
Kristoffer To, Marianna Tscharkwiani, Dan Tramte, Judith Unterpertinger,
Nancy van de Vate, Judit Varga, Antoine Villedieu, Joanna Wozny and
Bärbel Zindler. In addition, we would like to thank Nicolas Misdariis, Markus
Noisternig and Adrien Mamou-Mani of the Institut de Recherche et Coordi-
nation Acoustique/Musique in Paris, who facilitated our understanding of the
collaboration between software developers, composers and sound engineers.
Florian Grote provided guidance on the development and construction of
electronic instruments.
We also owe thanks to other colleagues, whose advice and competence we
benefited from in workshops and discussions: Fritz Böhle, Sarah Chaker,
Nicolas Donin, Michael Huber, Georg Hans Neuweg, Tanja Paulitz,
Katharina Rosenberger, Mihály Szivós, Alfred Smudits and Martin Winter.
Finally,wemustalsomentionthehelpandsupportgivenbytheorganising
team of the ManiFeste 2015 at the Institut de Recherche et Coordination
Acoustique/Musique in making Martin Niederauer’s research visit possible.