1 Interactivity, indeterminacy, and consistency in live electronic music: An analysis of two works in relation to my own compositional concerns.

In this paper I propose to look at two contrasting landmarks in live electronic music: 1) a composition, and 2) a piece of algorithmic composition software. Through a brief survey of some pieces of electronic music and a focus on the two landmarks, I hope to arrive at a picture of my own compositional concerns being a partial synthesis of the aforementioned works with some crucial differences. I may state my compositional intentions as follows: To e plore the field of interactive computer music through the usage of acoustic performers and visual programming languages such as !ure "ata #!d). $ corollary of this e ploration are three important notions. %ne, of algorithmic consistency, that is, an overarching idea that informs both the composition and its materials as well as how the computer interacts with the composition in real&time. Two, levels of indeterminacy: a relative measure of how indeterminate any facets of the composition and'or performance are. Thirdly, interactivity, i. e. a situation wherein both the computer is capable of genuinely influencing the performer and vice versa. The two pieces of work for discussion are Mikrophonie by (arlhein) *tockhausen, and (arlhein) +ssl,s software library named the ,-eal Time .omposition /ibrary, #-T.). I intend to give an analytical e planation of the first work in order to best place the reader for future comparisons within the essay and to show how it matches up with the criteria I have set forth. 0ith +ssl,s software, I shall give a working overview of it in order to e plain both its modus operandi and its advantages for the contemporary composer. I then move onto my own ideas with regard to future compositions as a result of having studied these works. I should also say something about why I feel algorithmic consistency is something worth striving for. 1irstly, I feel the virtue of consistency adds to the integration of all elements of that work and allows for stylistic cohesion. *econdly, the usage of one single algorithmic idea can produce dramatically different results on either the acoustic performer side or the electronic side, depending on the

2 compositional situation. Thirdly, I would say it affords a conceptual discipline during the compositional stages which eclecticism cannot supply by its very nature. 1irstly, it will be appropriate to define live electronic music with an interactive element, as the field of electronic music in spite of its relative infancy is one with several branches, with branches still developing out of previous research. It is still very much an 2unfinished history3 as %tto /uening titled a paper of his as far back as 1456.1 /ive electronic music does not presuppose interactivity. $ll that is re7uired is an electronic element which is featured as a crucial part of the composition. %ne of the first incorporations of electronics into live performance was +dgard 8ar9se3s Deserts for orchestra and tape. The part for tape was devised painstakingly by 8arese, begun in 14:; and reached near completion by 14:<. The composer had gathered the sound materials from sawmills and iron mills in !hiladelphia, which were then taken back to be mi ed and edited at his own studio in =reenwich, >ew ?ork. !ierre *chaeffer, becoming more aware of 8ar9se3s growing fascination with electronics in music, invited him to finish the tape parts at his studio in !aris, and by 14:@ they were completed. $s =riffiths puts it, Dserts is not intended to have an interactive element, but brings the electronic and orchestral music, 2face to face3 in a confrontation, drama&laden piece which is divided into si episodes, alternating between the orchestral playing and the electronic 2organi)ed sound3 with the orchestra and tape having three episodes each. 2 Its premiere at the Th9Atre des .hamps&Blys9es in 14:@ was a riot along the lines of *travinsky3s Rite of Spring some @1 years previously #it was not helped by being programmed alongside works by two classical stalwarts Tchaikovsky and Co)art) though it served to announce electronic music as a viable medium for composition. The work did go on to have subse7uent performances in *tockholm and >ew ?ork which were received more warmly than the premi9re. %ne review of the performance by /ouis .aplan is worth noting: 2%ne wonders, though, whether the two media here & instruments and tape & might work together more, might not develop more continuity instead of merely taking turns at the audience3. < Though intended as a criticism that 8ar9se did not
1 2

Otto Luening, An Unfinished History of Electronic Music, Music Educators Journal, 55 (19 !" #$ul %riffiths, Modern Music and After& Directions Since 1945 (O'ford& O'ford Uni(ersity #ress, 2))2", *+ 129+ , Louis -$*l$n, ./e(ie0 of 1eserts., Christian Science Monitor (1955"

, e plore blending the magnetic tape he had composed with the sounds of the orchestra so as to achieve a more consistent palette of sounds, the composer never had the intention of a synthesis between the two mediums as 8ar9se was influenced by *travinsky3s compositional practice of disDunct blocks, that is, Du taposing contrasting blocks of compositional material to emphasise their differences. The usage of industrial sounds as sound sources for electronic manipulation underscores this furthermore. >evertheless, subse7uent composers seemed to take their e plorations down the route of greater synthesis rather than difference in their works for electronics and instrument. %ne such composer worthy of mention in this regard is Cario "avidovsky, who served as +dgard 8ar9se3s technician in the 145;3s. Eis Synchronisms series of compositions are landmarks in the usage of tape and live performer. The tape, which is scored to play along with the acoustic instrument aims to present contrasts as well as integration with the acoustic 2subDect3 of the piece, and the character of the piece depends upon the timbre of the instrument used. "avidovsky focused on solo or small groups of performers, such as his : th *ynchronism for percussion and tape #1454), or his 5 th *ynchronism for piano and tape #14F;). "avidovsky,s work is algorithmically consistent in that both tape part and the part for performer are based on serial principles. The character of the works throughout the series #there are 1; at present) is one of a pointillist, klangfarbenmelodie character, with a liberal usage of dynamics from ppp to fff, shifts in timbre, register and of course, non&repeating rows. >evertheless, tThe interactivity in these pieces is 7uite limited being mainly pre&compositional and hence predetermined. 1or starters, as shown, the piece is entirely scored so that each performance of the piece is the same in that the tape part remains unvaried and unaffected by whoever decides to perform the instrumental part or operate the tape part. There is no indeterminacy or improvisatory aspects. Instead, the interactivity in live performance is mainly down to communication between the tape operator and performer in order to achieve a synchroni)ed performance. The mediums, both acoustic and electronic are fi ed and are not capable of acting upon each other. This is not intended as criticism, but as a negative e ample in my intention to demonstrate what I mean by interactivity.

2 3t is 0ith 4$rlhein5 6toc7h$usens Mikrophonie I #145@) that we begin to see the genesis of an interactive aesthetic with regard to acoustic performers and live electronics. *tockhausen3s earlier works such as Kontakte featured pieces that unified electronic music with instrumentsG piano and percussion in the case of Kontakte. The material scored for the instruments in this piece are 7uite imitative of the electronic sounds, demonstrating a strong degree of integration, but again, no possibility is allowed for interaction as both the tape part and performance part are meticulously scored in *tockhausen3s typically detailed fashion. *tockhausen3s Kontakte features a degree of serial control in its design, much like "avidovsky,s. The reali)ation score describes the initial idea for the piece as being a serially&derived microstructure in which ten impulses, and not the customary twelve, are varied with respect to amplitude and their temporal distance. The plan for Kontakte took several twists and turns, with the amplitude of the impulses becoming constant, then morphing into a plan based on the arpeggiation of sine tones. The final plan settled on five layers of pitch which oscillate out of phase, which each dot in the se7uence representing :cm in tape. This pattern shown below is then superimposed into one single layer on the tape, shown in 1ig 1. @

93% 1& 4O:;A4;E /EAL3<A;3O: 6-O/E

/o8in M$conie, Other Planets: the Music of Karlheinz Stoc hausen (6c$recro0 #ress& O'ford, 2))5", *+ 2)2

5 *tockhausen3s concerns moved onto electronic music live in concert by the 145;3s. "ue to the unwieldy nature of the e7uipment used at .ologne -adio and the immense amount of time to be invested in editing, mi ing and reassembling the tape according to compositional constraints *tockhausen sought more fle ible means of reali)ing his finely&honed ideas in the electronic works he had produced up to now, with the added frisson of using human performers. : Mikrophonie is scored for tam&tam, two microphones, two filters and potentiometers, for si players in total. The acoustic element of the piece consists in various probings of the tam&tams using an array of implements that aim to e tract a huge range of differing types of sounds from the instrument. In structuring the piece, *tockhausen relied upon his discontinuous 2moment&form3, that is where the music consists in a series of self&contained sections that do not necessarily relate to each other in terms of harmonic, motivic, or even rhythmic 7uality. 5 *tockhausen articulated this theory in somewhat parado ical fashion:
+very present moment counts, as well as no moment at allG a given moment is not merely regarded as the conse7uence of the previous one and the prelude to the coming one, but as something individual, independent and centered in itself, capable of e isting on its own.F

It is not too difficult to see the parallels between the structural idea of moment&form with its emphasis on the temporal 2>ow3, and integral serialism3s emphasis on the absoluteness of each note, which through the serial row assigns each note its own dynamic, attack, pitch, articulation, and timbre. Hecause of this, each note in the series has its own identity in the series and does not depend functionally on the previous one. Coment form could be seen as an application of this idea to forms of a pieceG a relative move from micro to macro in compositional terms. Inlike the precise and fi ed order of the musical material in total serialist pieces, moment form does not imply a 2beginning&to&end3 structure which is delineated by points of arrival, cadences, clima es

M$conie, **+ 255=> ?on$th$n 1+ 4r$@er, Mo@ent 9or@ in ;0entieth -entury Music, !he Musical "uarterl#, 2 (19>!", **+ 1>!= 1!) > 4r$@er, *+ 1!)

or the like, but a structure through which one 2travels3. That is, there may be one moment may be one a repeated note at ff, followed by a moment with dense chordal material, varying in dynamics from mp to pp. >o continuity is intended, rather, a focus on the >ow as it is passes in time. $ good e ample of *tockhausen3s early utili)ation of moment form is yklus #14:4) for percussion, wherein the player has si teen pages of music surrounding him, he is free to pick any page as a starting point and play around the circle, and thus there is no composed beginning or end, though there is certainly a stoppage. 0ith Mikrophonie, things are little more complicated. The plan of the piece is simple enoughG << moments are given to the two performer groups of three who operate in alternation. The choice of moments is constrained by the presence of a 2connection scheme3 denoted by three signs that are shown below #1ig. 2)

93% 2& M34/O#HO:3E -OMMU:-A;3O: 6-HEME

These are the strictures followed by the performers in selecting the order of the moments. Thus, although the moments are structured relatively loosely, there is no 2in&the&moment3 selection of what may come ne t as all of the decisions are taken pre&performance. +ach of the moments are notated, and given a name that is describes the sound 7uality. There are also three Tutti sections that feature both of the groups and these always occur in the places indicated. $ word on the instrumentation: The players are split into two teams or 2groups3, each of which has an 2e citer3, that is, the player who stimulates the surface of the gong with various implements and devices to provide the sound material of the piece. Then, a 2microphonist3 moves the microphone

> around the surface of the gong in prescribed varying degrees of position and distance, which picks up the sound caused by the e citer. The sound of this is transmitted to the operator who sits at a sound console off stage. The sound console consists of an electronic filter that alters and controls the fre7uency bandwidth of the sound, as well as two sliding potentiometers that act as the volume control. The combination of these electro&acoustic events are proDected through loudspeakers, which are placed around the performance hall. The two teams stand on both sides of the tam&tam, with =roup 1 on the left, and =roup 2 on the right. The outputs of =roup 1 to two loudspeakers situated on the left, and likewise with =roup 23s outputs to loudspeakers on the right. Thus, moment&form here has been given a tweak by *tockhausen to make the moments relate to each other more than they might have done in previous works. In selecting the moments, one has to look at the aforementioned connection scheme in selecting the succeeding moment. $s *tockhausen notes:
1irst a moment is freely chosen for the end, i. e. for !osition I -G ne t a moment is selected for the beginning, i. e. for position I $, which should be #JcorrespondingK, i. e. JsimilarK, JsupportingK, JconstantK) in relation to I -.6

This differs from the earlier e plication of moment&form and in this piece *tockhausen clearly thought of giving back to the listener #or the performer at any rate) a se7uence of musical events that are goal&directed and have tangible relationships between each other, however abstract these may seem. The teleology is somewhat fragmented in that the connection scheme only relates two moments to each other, and does not serve as an overall superstructure for the piece. $n e ample from the Hrussels performance of 145: demonstrates the logic of the moment selection process.

4$rlhein5 6toc7h$usen, Mi ro$honie (Uni(ers$l Edition, 19 5", *+ 12

93% ,& 9O/M 6-HEME O9 M34/O#HO:3E& MOME:;6 ? = /

1ig

and y have moments 2; and 21 from the performance. 1or Coment 2; #=roup 1 () the

performers selected a moment named ,-aschelnd #-attlend), ,Curmelnd,, which means crackling #rattling), signalled by a change to a ,Curmuring, noise at 26 seconds. 1or Coment 21 #=roup 2 () the moment named ,*charrend, was chosen which translates as scraping. Coment 2 ( is selected in relation to Coment 1 ( by the connection scheme, and Coment 2 (,s relation to 1 ( should be ,opposite,, ,destroying,, and ,decreasing,. Coment 1 (,s overall dynamic is mf 0here$s Mo@ent 2 4.s is p de@onstr$ting the decre$sing ch$r$cteristic+ ;he $ctions of the e'citer could not 8e @ore different eitherA in ./$schelnd., the e'citer r$ttles the gong in *eriod f$shion 0ith .const$nt intensity., in $ddition to intoning reson$nt %er@$n *refi'es $nd suffi'es into the gong, such $s .=@urr.+ 3n Mo@ent 2 4, the e'citers $ctions $re $re @ore ($ried, consisting in $d li8 short, gentle *roddings of the gong 0ith the direction of .@uch colour ch$nge.+ ;here is no s*eech in Mo@ent 2 4 either, de@onstr$ting the .decre$sing. sche@e, $s 0ell $s the o**osite connection in gener$l+ ;he $ctions of the @icro*honist $lso ($ry fro@ Mo@ent 1 4 to Mo@ent 2 4+ 3n 1 4 he no longer h$s the role of *ic7ing u* the sounds of the gong 8ut is instructed to s*e$7 $8ru*t *$rts of s*eech into the

9 @icro*hone directly Bust li7e the e'citer does+ ;he @icro*hone *osition re@$ins st$tic, $s does the reson$tors *osition+ As 0e 0ould e'*ect, Mo@ent 2 4 differs de@onstr$8ly+ ;he const$nt *osition of the @icro*hone s0itches to frenetic, Bolting @o(e@ents fro@ indirect to close u* $s *ossi8le $nd then 8$c7 to dist$nt *ositions, 0ith no *osition l$sting $ny longer th$n h$lf $ second+ 9or s$7e of co@*leteness, $nd *erh$*s (isu$lly the e$siest to co@*$re, the third *l$yer in e$ch grou* @ust 8e co@*$red+ 3n the ./$schelnd. @o(e@ent, the (olu@e fluctu$tes so@e0h$t, re@$ining $t f$irly loud le(els for the @ost *$rt u* until the 2! second @$r7, the first three dyn$@ic shifts 8et0een loud $nd Cuiet 8eing f$irly $8ru*t in ch$r$cter, the su8seCuent ones @ore tr$nsition$l $nd gr$du$l+ 3t is the o*er$tion of the filter th$t 0ill h$(e the , rd *l$yers @ost $ttention in this @o@ent ho0e(er, $s it flits in s@$ll chun7s 0ithin the tri*$rtite freCuency di(ision in to high, @iddle $nd lo0 (e$ch freCuency 8$nd is su8di(ided into three $lso, le$(ing 9 8$nds" ;o 8egin 0ith the filter shifts $round 0ithin the high register fro@ 1))) H5 to ,))) H5 to the highest *ossi8le freCuency (1)))) H5" $nd 8$c7 $g$in, only to Bu@* to the lo0est freCuency 8$nd 0here the r$nge is fro@ 1)) H5 to 25) H5+ ;here is (ery little utili5$tion of the @iddle 8$nd register, $*$rt fro@ $ section Bust $fter the 2! second @$r7 0hich includes $ll freCuencies for little o(er $ second+ -on(ersely, 0ith the .6chn$rrend. @o(e@ent, the freCuency filter is 7e*t $t $ f$irly const$nt le(el $round 25) H5, 0hich is *unctu$ted 8y ultr$=Cuic7 sh$r* st$8s into the u**er register $nd res*onding do0n0$rd dr$gs into the lo0er register+ Dith the difficulty of e'ecuting these filter gliss$ndi *recisely 6toc7h$usen chooses to let the (olu@e re@$in $t $ const$nt le(el, 0ith $ gentle decrescendo $t the end, in contr$distinction to the dyn$@ic ($ri$nce in the *re(ious sche@e+ Eere then, we have some of the components for the earlier e plication I set out at the beginning of the essay. 0ith regard to algorithmic consistency, *tockhausen has not utili)ed systems such as serialism in the content of the writing for the tam&tamG as such measures would be inappropriate for a strictly non&pitched instrument. Ee has utilised levels of chance in the selection of the movements, which are themselves constrained by a connection scheme, but this is the only algorithmic system he has used in the piece. The moments themselves are not subDect to any element of chance once selected as they are precisely notated for both those involved with the gong and the electronics. Eowever scripted or

1) notated the sound processing is, we have a semblance of interactivity between an acoustic performer and an electronic operator, whereby the electronic operator acts upon the acoustic sounds to transmute them into an entirely different sonic profile. In comparison with *tockhausen,s !esang der "#nglinge, which featured a tape of a youth singing alongside electronically modified versions of the syllables, as well as *tockhausen,s beloved sine&tones, there is no variation of the tones once heard. In Mikrophonie, the transformation of the gong sounds takes place during the performance. 0e have live electro&acoustic music, in short. LLLLLL

11

EE 1& M34/O#HO:3E, ./A6-HEL:1. MOME:;

12

EE 2& M34/O#HO:3E& .6-H:A//E:1. MOME:;

1,

LLLLLL The first link to be drawn between (arlhein) *tockhausen and (arlhein) +ssl3s -eal Time .omposition /ibrary #apart from the similarity of forename) is that many of +ssl3s tools are based upon ideas derived from serialist practice:
2F$sed on *$r$dig@s 0hich h$(e 8een e'tr$cted fro@ seri$l thin7ing (cf+ %ottfried Mich$el 4oenig $nd 4$rlhein5 6toc7h$usen" $nd its further de(elo*@ent until no0$d$ys it does not force to0$rds $ cert$in $esthetic, 8ut *ro(ides $ *rogr$@@ing en(iron@ent for testing $nd de(elo*ing co@*osition$l str$tegies+9

+ssl3s software library is oriented towards providing composers with the ability to make real&time algorithmically generated music, with the composer able to determine each parameter that is present in the patch.1; The software includes 1) rhythm generators based on aleatoric principles or serial principles, 2) harmony generators, based either on probabilistic or intervallic considerations and <) chance operations, which are mainly concerned with the generation of numbers as data for processing. $n elegant e ample of a rhythm generator in the -T. is, continuing with the theme of serial procedures, the ,serial&rhythm, generator. The function of the serial rhythm is generation of serial permutations from a geometrical row as defined by a minimum entry delay, and a ma imum entry delay and a number of entry&delay values. The serial rhythm generator uses ,entry&delays, in milliseconds #ms) which form a geometrical row between the specified minimum entry delay and the ma imum delay. In 1ig, we have a row of : elements as our serial steps, and a row between the boundaries of 1;;ms and 4;;ms is constructed, as shown in the table below:

4$rlhein5 Essl, 4$rlhein5 Essl& /;-=li8 G /e$l ;i@e -o@*osition Li8r$ry for M$'HM6#H?itter $nd #d, (2)1)" htt*&HH000+essl+$tH0or7sHrtc+ht@ Id$te $ccessed )1 M$y 2)11J 1) A *$tch is $ collection of code designed to 8e used in $ co@*uter *rogr$@ in order to fi' cert$in *$rts of or o*er$te cert$in fe$tures of the *rogr$@+ An e'$@*le of this is the inst$ll$tion of .security u*d$tes. to $ co@*uter in order to *rotect it $g$inst security holes+

12

ROW INDEX ; 1 2 < @

ENTRY DELAY 1;; ms 1F<.2;: ms <;; ms :14.51: ms 4;; ms

The mathematics of the above are fairly easy to e plain. +ach value is in a constant ratio to each other and this can be illustrated by dividing any two consecutive values in order to obtain the common ratio. $nd so, 4;;':14.51: M 1.F<2;: and this is an appro imation of the common ratio #r). 11 0e find the same for other values: :14.51:'<;; N 1.F<2;:. Thus, taking row inde ;,s 1;; ms as our starting value, henceforth denoted scale factor #a), we can obtain the se7uence as follows:

a, ar, ar$, ar%, ar& etc''' e'g ()) ('*%$)+ , (*%'$)+ ()) #('*%$)+-$ . %)).

93% 2& E66L.6 6E/3AL=/HK;HM #A;-H D3;H3: ;HE /;11

More *recisely, 1+>,2)51 151,!1,111 ,)>2 595 5255

15 This is what is meant by a geometrical se7uenceG the consecutive terms relate to each other by a common ratio, with a term multiplied by the ratio to find the nth term. The serial rhythm patch will produce row inde es like the above, making sure that each number does not repeat until all have been produced. 1or instance, one could have the inde O1, ;, 2, @, <P generated, which would mean that the first rhythm is attack #an attack of 5;ms, as shown in the patch) is delayed by 1F<.2 ms, the second attack follows 1;;ms after the first, the third attack follows <;;ms from the second, and so on. %ne is able to vary the parameters to an enormous degree. 1or instance, one could have <5&step serialistic rows with very short minimum and ma imum delay times, resulting in a dense statistical web of rhythms, with each inde ical value related to each other by a common ratio. %n the other hand, one could opt for a smaller number of steps than the usual 12 in dodecaphony, with long delay times for both minimum and ma imum. Hetween these two e tremes are an enormous range of generated rhythms, each with their own characteristics, but always related mathematically, as e plained. This is but one of of the 1F;Q patches in +ssl,s -T.. 0hen one factors in the possibility that one patch can contain several patches within it one has a huge range of possibilities for generating compositional material in real&time. +ssl has used the -T. to generate music in real&time. 1or instance in /e0icon1Sonate #1442) he uses compositional algorithms to generate music on a computer& controlled piano, with the algorithms adDustable in real&time, allowing it to be used in either live performance or as transcription source material for composition. 12 +ssl has also written a piece which strives towards the genuine interactivity between computer and performer. In 2hamp d34ction #1446) for real&time composition environment and computer&controlled ensemble, which has as its program one based on the -T. again, players improvise based on the notation produced by the patch. The patch itself produces graphical'verbal notation, as well as symbolic data to indicate elements such as phrasing, registers and timbres. The computer is operated by a human ,conductor, and the role of the
12

4$rlhein5 Essl, .Le'icon 6on$te (6-FM 95 H 4l$ngArt 9>". (1999" Lhtt*&HH000+essl+$tH8i8liogrHle'son= s8c@+ht@lM (d$te $ccessed )1 M$y 2)11" My e'*l$n$tion is loosely 8$sed on Essl.s o0n of $ different *$tch+

1 conductor is to send triggers to the players, as the algorithm determines autonomously to which player#s) the notation is sent.1< The result is a tour de force of interactive real&time computer musicG the algorithm,s notation determines and gives suggestions on how the musicians are to improvise in accordance with the structures shown, as well as determining which players receive the data. The conductor triggers the changes in the algorithms, as well as fulfilling the conductor,s classical role of timing and pacing. 1@ $s mentioned previously, the -T. has several patches based on chance principles, and so one is able theoretically to build in a level of chance to every decision that is made in e ecution of the algorithm. This alludes back to my principle of levels of indeterminacy, of which there was little in Cikrophonie, but a superabundance of with the -T. especially if one were to replace *tockhausen,s sound filters and potentiometers with a patch from the -T.R 0e now have the basis for which interactivity, algorithmic consistency, and levels of indeterminacy may play a role in electro&acoustic composition. >aturally, I intend my own compositions to aim at something slightly different than +ssl,s. I would still like to preserve a level of determinacy at the level of content, that is, with a printed score or notated passages at the least. The e treme of indeterminacy would be free improvisation. 0ith free improvisation, a fre7uent argument is that musicians are liberated by not having to follow the demands of a score and a potential taskmaster of a conductor. This point, as =riffiths notes with classical musicians, may be reversed: !layers used to reading from scores and watching conductors for their cue may view the removal of a score from which to play as a terrifying prospect in live performance.1: *imilarly, should one decide that a piece is to alternate between freely improvised passages and scored passages, one faces the tricky prospect of having to recruit players with significant technical ability in being able to improvise convincingly and perform accurately and e pressively. $nd yet, very little of a classical musician,s training involves being able to improvise even as specified in +ssl,s 2hamp, let alone free improvise. This is not to say however that I rule out
1,

4$rlhein5 Essl, .-h$@* d.Action. (199!" Lhtt*&HH000+essl+$tH0or7sHch$@*+ht@lM (d$te $ccessed )1 M$y 2)11" 12 Essl, i%id+ 15 %riffiths, *+ 2)5

1> improvisation, nor that performing classical musicians should not be subDected to new, potentially unnerving conte ts in which to perform music as they would be with +ssl,s piece. Eowever as a composer, I believe there are many levels of indeterminacy one can e plore without necessarily using free improvisation. $s stated, I intend to preserve written scores or notated passages as the basis for which a composition is performed. Eowever, the content itself could be subDect to operations that leave it relatively open in its performance. %ne such e ample may split up a piece into numbered sections, once the player#s) have rehearsed them sufficiently. Ising such software as !d, one could present the material in real& time to the performer'performers who is unaware of the order in which the material will come out. The ordering of this material could be structured along serial principles, or chance principles, depending on how much repetition the composer wishes for. This doesn,t necessarily allow the performer to interact with the software which is a key part of what I am aiming for, nor does it feature the live processing and manipulation of acoustic sound discussed in Mikrophonie. There are two potential solutions, which may satisfy as meeting the three elements I mentioned in my introductory paragraph in an electro&acoustic setting. The first is composing a defined, closed&form piece for any given instrument#s). In order to satisfy algorithmic consistency, I would have to choose which algorithms I wanted to use both in the composition and use the same principles in the patch which will interact with the performer in some way. The input from the performer in playing the score would be fed into the computer patch which could generate sound material in response to a certain pitch, dynamic or some sort from the player. The sound generated by the computer could of course be subDected to manipulations, such as filters, reverberation, 1ast 1ourier transforms, which are constructable in !d. The level of determinacy could fall on the side of the computer, for instance, a patch could be built which determines what inputs it responds to and what it does not. This could be decided by the computer in terms of a randomi)er. The computer thus interacts with the performer very clearly in this case, triggering certain sounds

1! based upon inputs and selecting according to algorithmic constraints, giving each performance a level of interactivity. Eowever, this is only one way interaction between human and computer. $s mentioned, the performer plays through the score as normal triggering certain sounds in the computer, with both score and patch based upon the same algorithm or formula. There is no way that the human is forced from his course on the score. %ne must therefore find a method in which the computer gets its turn to pose interactive situations to the performer, achieving a measure of e7uipollency. This could be done in several ways: %ne is to make the score from which the performer plays open& form and provide suggestions for how to select certain sections of the piece based upon what the computer is producing in response the piece as it has transpired up to that point. To borrow an idea for Mikrophonie the composer may suggest to the performer that they select parts of the score that are similar, different, or opposite to what the computer is producing. $nother suggestion could be to have a patch that suggests alternative parts of the score as a dilemma based upon an input from the acoustic performer, posing a creative dilemma for the performer over which score to choose as the one to perform their material one. 1ollowing +ssl,s 2hamp d34ction, the patch may by itself trigger certain different musical materials from which one could play, which are somewhat different in character to the printed score. 1or instance, if the score was one which featured mostly traditional notation, the computer could throw up graphical instructions to the performer, although these of course would have to be in some way influenced by the algorithmic considerations that went into the composition. %ne such development I am looking at reali)ing is the creation of a piece based on serialistic techni7ues #without using dodecaphony as the numerical principle which must be obeyed) which interacts with a pitch tracker operating along similar grounds. The pitch tracker would look to detect pitches based on a randomly&generated serial row and from here trigger sonic material when that pitch is recogni)ed. The serial principles themselves, as seen in the e ample of the patch above, are subDect to e perimentation themselves, adding a layer of indeterminacy. The computer could be operated by a human to vary its parameters in real&time, and thus vary what it responds to.

19 Taking things further, a recent development has been the practice of generating new notation a priori for performers in the heat of the moment by algorithms. This practice responds to the audio input of the musician and generates music notation at the moment of performance, Doining human musicians with algorithms designed to work in real time. The musical score thus becomes ,an e pression of the algorithm and the process or the people that drive it,. 15 0ith this, performers not only create an input that causes the algorithm to generate either digital sound or data for other computer devices, the performers can also interpret the algorithm,s notational output. This system therefore combines the output of the computer with the musician,s on&the&spot interpretation of the output, creating a tightly& integrated performance. If I were to utili)e this, it would be difficult to maintain my own position of algorithmic consistency here between notated performance and electronic response, however, one solution might be to include notated passages as a ,Dump&off point, for further structured improvisation which is generated according to the same rules that influenced the composition of the notated passages. This is similar to the concept of a ,head, in Da)) which is usually a series of chords and melody which serve as basis for improvisation and e ploration between the players. In sum, there are a great number of possibilities on offer when combining human performers, and the still e panding hori)ons of interaction between electronics and humans were clearly the impulse that led *tockhausen to create his masterpiece and +ssl to create his toolkit. Though they differ entirely in intention, I have attempted to show how by taking common elements from each, one has a wide array of compositional strategies to pursue, in accordance with the three challenges which I set myself earlier in the essay. Cany of the compositional ideas are still yet to be reali)ed but this paper has aimed to give a scholarly idea of where I intend to aim those ideas, set against a conte t of works I believe to be important in giving me the impetus to continue these researches.

?$son 9ree@$n, .E'tre@e 6ight=/e$ding, Medi$ted E'*ression, $nd Audience #$rtici*$tion& /e$l=;i@e Music :ot$tion in Li(e #erfor@$nce., Co&$uter Music Journal, ,2 (2))!", 33, *+ 2>+

2)

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!rovisional 0ord .ount: @4<6