Manuel J.

Snchez Garca 2013-2015 Master student - Composition

esearch paper ! "irst dra#t
Research : $So the stro%e sounds& calli'raphic 'esture as a mean #or articulatin'(
precise and re#ine noise production)
Chapter-by-chapter outline:
*ntroduction& +h, calli'raph,- +h, noise-
.art *& calli'raph, as a soundin' acti/it,
- Chapter 1& Calli'raph,& 'esture 0 traces
- Chapter 2& Gesture importance in music per#ormance
- Chapter 3& *ntroduction to the calli'raphic 'esture
- Chapter 1& hapin' the letter( shapin' the sound
- Chapter 5& 2aria3les o# the calli'raphic 'esture in terms o# sound production
- Chapter 4& +ritin' s,stems and their sonic implications
o 5he ultimate 3oundar,& creatin' ne6 sound-oriented alpha3ets
.art **& li/e per#ormance
- Chapter 7& 5he calli'rapher as a per#ormer
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Manuel J. Snchez Garca 2013-2015 Master student - Composition
o +or%in' out the hard6are
o 5rial and error a3out the calli'rapher8s des%
- Chapter 9& *mplementation o# calli'raphic 'estures in traditional instrumental
practice
- Chapter :& 5he challen'e o# notatin' calli'raph, #or musical purposes
o +hat8s to 3e notated& pre#erences and choices
o Calli'raph, notation #or calli'raph, students
o +a,s o# adaptation
;ppendi< **& =ist o# 6or%ed-out pieces( 6ith a le/el indicator o# calli'raphic in#luences
;pendi< *& *ma'es o# spectro'rams #or all the 3asic stro%es o# t6o or three concrete
calli'raphic st,les
Abstracts:
*ntroduction& +h, calli'raph,- +h, noise-
5his introduction 6ill set the main causes #or the accomplishment o# this 6or%( comin'
#rom m, personal e<perience 3oth as a musician( composer and amateur calli'rapher.
*t also e<plains the reasons #or concretin' the su3>ect around the #ocus o# noise
production.
.art *& calli'raph, as a soundin' acti/it,
- Chapter 1& Calli'raph,& 'esture 0 traces
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Manuel J. Snchez Garca 2013-2015 Master student - Composition
?rie#l,( some de#initions o# calli'raph, 6ill 3e 'i/en( as stated in di##erent treatises on
the su3>ect. =atel,( much emphasis 6ill 3e 'i/en to clari#, the separation 3et6een
'esture and trace in the actions o# the calli'rapher and as related to some eastern
philosophical concepts.
- Chapter 2& Gesture importance in music per#ormance
5his chapter 6ill 3e dedicated to spea% 3roadl, a3out the /oluntar, and in/oluntar,
ph,sical mo/ement o# musicians durin' per#ormance( their possi3le conse@uences and
some e<amples o# conscious usa'e o# this set o# 'estures #or e<pressi/e purposes.
- Chapter 3& *ntroduction to the calli'raphic 'esture
Gi/en the notion o# 'esture in calli'raph, and in music per#ormance( this chapter 6ill
start to discuss the ph,sical components o# the calli'raphic 'esture. ; #irst
di##erentiation 6ill 3e set 3et6een interrupted and non-interrupted 'estures o#
hand6ritin'. ;natomic notions 6ill also 3e 'i/en( as 6ell as remar%s on the di##erences
in these 'estures alon' di##erent calli'raphic cultures.
- Chapter 1& Shapin' the letter( shapin' the sound
5his core chapter 6ill 3e de/oted to sho6 the potential o# a calli'raph,-oriented 'esture
as an ideal 6a, o# articulatin'( characterize and identi#, noise production( as opposed
to the usuall, random noise production in man, music 6or%s o# our da,s. Matters such
as muscle memor, 6ill 3e sho6n as common #or 3oth %inds o# artistsAartisans in an
attempt to esta3lish and ideal marria'e o# musical and calli'raphical education.
- Chapter 5& 2aria3les o# the calli'raphic 'esture in terms o# sound production
*n this chapter 6e #inall, start to connect calli'raph, 6ith sound production in a more
e<plicit and anal,tic 6a,. +e8ll 'o throu'h the di##erent #actors o# sonic di##erentiation&
materials used( positionAan'le o# the tool( speed( pressure( etcB Cach one and its
implications 6ill 3e anal,zed #rom a purel, sonic perspecti/e.
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Manuel J. Snchez Garca 2013-2015 Master student - Composition
- Chapter 4& +ritin' s,stems and their sonic implications
o 5he ultimate 3oundar,& creatin' ne6 sound-oriented alpha3ets
*n this separated chapter 6e 6ill 'o throu'h di##erent hand6ritin' s,stems in order to
ma%e at least a super#icial characterization o# their sonic implications in terms o#
rou'hness( #lo6 or #le<i3ilit,. "inall, 6e 6ill #ace the postulation o# ho6 to ma%e our
o6n 'raphic s,stems to 'i/e some sort o# coherence and character to interdisciplinar,
calli'raphic-sound pieces.
.art **& li/e per#ormance
- Chapter 7&5he calli'rapher as a per#ormer
o +or%in' out the hard6are
o 5rial and error a3out the calli'rapher8s des%
5his chapter 6ill re/ise the possi3ilities and needs o# a ne6 %ind o# sound per#ormer& a
per#ormer capa3le o# producin' 3eauti#ul pieces o# 6ritin' 6hile de/elopin' a coherent
and thou'ht sound or music per#ormance. Some precedents 6ill 3e mentioned. M,
e<periences 6hile tr,in' so 6ill 3e 3rie#l, 3rou'ht up( to'ether 6ith m, trials #or #indin'
the 3est set-ups in these per#ormances. +e 6ill 3rie#l, discuss as 6ell the electronic
de/ice de/eloped in Ma<AMS. #or controllin' and e<pandin' the sonic possi3ilities o# a
calli'raph, per#ormance.
- Chapter 9& *mplementation o# calli'raphic 'estures in traditional instrumental
practice
?esides purel, calli'raphic per#ormances( m, intentions 6ere to 3rin' this 'esture to a
traditional instrumental #ield. "rom the most strai'ht #or6ard solutions 6ith percussion
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Manuel J. Snchez Garca 2013-2015 Master student - Composition
techni@ues that are alread, @uite esta3lished( 6e 6ill e<plore the possi3ilities that each
instrumental #amil, o##ers #or this special %ind o# noise-ma%in'.
- Chapter :& 5he challen'e o# notatin' calli'raph, #or musical purposes
o +hat8s to 3e notated& pre#erences and choices
o Calli'raph, notation #or calli'raph, students
o +a,s o# adaptation
Dnce e<plored the possi3ilities o# a ne6 and sophisticated 6a, o# articulatin' noise( the
issue o# ho6 #i< the instructions in a most concrete and precise 6a, comes to mind.
"rom 'eneral issues a3out the 'oals o# an, notational s,stem 6e 6ill mo/e to di##erent
sets o# pre#erences 6hen dealin' 6ith calli'raph,-oriented music. Ei##erent solutions #or
di##erent pre#erence-orders 6ill 3e e<posed and discussed in the su3se@uent pa'es(
illustratin' 6ith e<amples o# =achenmann and m,sel#.
;ppendi< **& =ist o# 6or%ed-out pieces( 6ith a le/el indicator o# calli'raphic in#luences
;pendi< *& *ma'es o# spectro'rams #or all the 3asic stro%es o# t6o or three concrete
calli'raphic st,les Frelated to chapter 5G
Writing sample:
Introduction
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Manuel J. Snchez Garca 2013-2015 Master student - Composition
Why calligraphy?
Hsuall, 6e ha/e those side acti/itiesI those interests( someho6 more than simple
ho33ies( that dri/e an important part o# our li/es and 'i/e us the pleasure o# dedicatin'
our time to somethin' as important as our main /ocation( 3ut 6a, less mandator,
F6hich ma%es it e/en more en>o,a3leG.
*n m, case( a#ter * too% music as a most pro3a3le li#e-dri/in' pro#ession( 'uided 3, m,
lo/e #or histor, and material-oriented acti/ities and 3, the serendipit, that continuousl,
surrounds us( * 3ecame interested in calli'raph,.
+hat started as a mere imitation o# those ancient alpha3ets 6hich * 3elie/ed 6ere no
lon'er possi3le to emulate F3esides printin' or literall, $dra6in') contours o# letters as i#
the, 6ere picturesG ended up 3ein' a de/oted passion& the historical( material and
practical reasons 3ehind each o# those alpha3ets( as 6ell as the more aesthetical side
o# an acti/it, 3et6een the art and the cra#t6or% deli'hted me almost o3sessi/el, #or a
6hile. *t 6as as i# a lost-thou'ht paradise 6ere suddenl, #ound.
Eurin' ,ears * too% 3oth m, passions Fmusic and calli'raph,G side 3, side( totall,
separated #rom one another. ;t some point the idea o# tr,in' an uncertain marria'e
started to stri%e into m, mind. 5hat ended up in the de/elopment o# m, cham3er piece
Ductus F2013G #or onsta'e calli'rapher( ensem3le( li/e /ideo and li/e electronics. *# *
thou'ht that period o# in/esti'ation 6ould ha/e a 3e'innin' and an end( it turned out it
didn8t stop 6ith that piece. C/en i# at times * thin% the connection is someho6 a 3it
sterile( somethin' inside still pushes me to retr, once an once a'ain e<plorin' the
dialectics amon' those acti/ities in successi/e pieces that could( at some point(
con#orm a consistent c,cle in m, catalo'ue.
Why noise?
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Manuel J. Snchez Garca 2013-2015 Master student - Composition
"or me it 6as a chan'in' e<perience not onl, readin' a3out( practicin' or 6atchin'
calli'raph,( 3ut actuall, also $listenin') calli'raph,. Cach 3asic stro%e has a particular
sound that contains( #or the e<pert listener( in#ormation a3out the st,le( the hand( the
@ualit, o# the paper( the tool used and the pressure and speed emplo,ed. 5his sound(
@uite rh,thmical and almost touchin' silence 3ecame a /er, pleasant companion
durin' m, ni'hts in #ront o# the des%. *t 6as onl, a matter o# time that * used it to
contri3ute to m, music.
5he noise has 3ecome( since the 3e'innin' o# the JJth centur,( a po6er#ul resource
#or composers and musicians o# 3oth cult and popular st,les. "rom the Manifeste du
futurisme released in 1:0:( throu'h the static noise o# the radios o# John Ca'e to the
distortion o# the electric 'uitar in some st,les o# roc%( the 6or% o# reno6ned composers
such as =achenmann or Sciarrino or the e<treme use o# noise Fnot noisesG made 3,
.eter ;3lin'er. =atel,( the term Noise has come to desi'nate a sort o# musical st,le 3,
itsel#.
+hen #acin' this research * realized that the #ield o# $Music and calli'raph,) that * 6as
tempted to assume 6as 'ro6in' too /ast and 'i/in' place to so man, su3ordinate
#ields o# in/esti'ation. Certainl,( there 6as a need #or some sort o# concretion in order
to ma%e the 6or%load #it 6ith the #easi3ilit, and the 'oals o# the research. 5he premise
o# tr,in' to ma%e the research use#ul #or #uture possi3le readers 3rou'ht me to the
decision o# #ocusin' on the a3ilit, and potential o# calli'raph, to ele/ate noise to a
hi'hl, poetic and #le<i3le status.
+hile man, composers and theoreticians ha/e alread, dealt in man, 6a,s 6ith the
role( meanin' and aesthetics o# noise in music( none o# them( as #ar as * %no6( has
adopted this perspecti/e. ;s 6e 6ill ela3orate on in su3se@uent chapters( calli'raph,
pro/ides a trusta3le 6a, o# ensure that the desired noise is produced in the 6a, that it
has to 3e produced( %eepin' the unpredicta3le de/iations to a lesser le/el than man,
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Manuel J. Snchez Garca 2013-2015 Master student - Composition
other 6a,s o# as%in' #or noise production. *t can also con#er that noise 6ith certain
@ualities o# mallea3ilit,( #le<i3ilit, and sophistication that are( other6ise( /er, restricted.
.lus( it pro/ides the music 6ith an e<tra la,er o# poetr, and meanin'( especiall, in case
o# usin' a te<t.
Kope#ull, this 6or% 6ill o##er ne6 ideas and ne6 tools to man, composers(
calli'raphers and per#ormers interested in the #ield o# e<perimentation( noise( ph,sical
per#ormance or interdisciplinar, studies( as 6ell as man, other artists and( o# course(
an, interested reader.
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