Negotiating the Musical Work. An empirical study on the inter-relation between composition, interpretation and performance (210L)
Henrik Frisk Malmö Academy of Music - Lund University (211G)
henrik DOT frisk AT mhm DOT lu DOT se (211H)
Stefan Ostersjo Malmö Academy of Music - Lund University (211I)
stefan_ostersjo AT hotmail DOT com (2119)
Abstract (210K)
In this paper we discuss the implications of the results of an empirical study performed by the authors. The material for that study consists of video documentation of a collaboration between Stefan Östersjö and composer Love Mangs, as well as versions of notation of a certain passage in a piece for harp and computer by Henrik Frisk. The theoretical framework for these empirical studies is presented in detail and the reasons for choosing - and the experiences of using - a semiological terminology based on the work of Jean-Jacues Nattiez and Jean Molino is discussed. Following these studies we find reason to suggest that composition as well as performance interpretation oscillate between constructive and interpretative activities. Further we find that the ontology of the 'mixed' work is closely related to the general discussion of score-based works, but it is important to bear in mind that the programming of the electronics should also be regarded as notation in this discussion and the electronic part is itself another object of interpretation for the performer. One reason for performing the study was to lay the ground for a new work for guitar and computer by Henrik Frisk for Stefan Östersjö and the way the results have been mapped onto the work in progress is presented. In particular how a deeper understanding for a special case of composer-performer interaction can be used to influence not only the conceptualization of performer-computer interaction but also the actual implementation of such a system. The core of this research project as a whole is evaluating the limits of the roles of 'composer' and 'performer' and the boundaries of the activities assigned to these roles in the context of contemporary interactive electro-acoustic music. Finally the article discusses the limitations of the theory proposed and the possible paths to follow in future work. (211U)
From a hermeneutic point of view, performance interpretation of music is a special case: (210O)
"If performances and critical interpretations are both representations of works, they are so in quite different senses. If we ignore these differences, we can easily be misled to make invalid inferences. Performances are nec- essarily constructive; that is, they necessarily add features that the work leaves vague or undetermined." [Stecker, 2003] (210P)
But not only in cases in which the notation is in some respect unclear or vague is there a call for constructive elements in interpretation. Construction is really at the heart of the matter in performance interpretation. When elements of electronic real-time processing, sound synthesis, sound file playback or be it any other means of producing electronic sounds, are part of the work, yet another level of complexity is added to the issue of interpretation. This is closely related to the notion of authenticity, which is already a powerful factor in the performance of score-based works. How is this issue to be aproached in mixed media works? If the programming of the electronic part is to be regarded as a special case of notation, how is this notation ’transcribed’ and communicated to the performer? It has been suggested by several writers that performances should be regarded as works in their own right. From this point of departure, Peter Kivy [Kivy, 1995] distinguishes between four kinds of authenticity in performance, most importantly; ’Authenticity as Intention’ (that is, authenticity as faithfulness to the composer’s performance intentions) and a fundamentally opposed notion of authenticity, which he simply names ’The Other Authenticity’. Kivy’s intention is to bring out an opposition between these two authenticities: On the one hand, the obligation to conform with the composer’s intention and, on the other hand, the creative originality that should result in a work in its own right. But, unlike Kivy, we suggest that the opposite may also be claimed: The tension between the two imperatives on the performer makes up a creative field in which truly original instances of works come out. The different forms of authenticity turns out to be the definition of a creative field of tension in which the composer and the performer negotiate and interact towards a version of a work. (210Q)
A close collaboration between a living composer and a performer, allows for discussions on the rendering of a mixed media work. We find that this process could be described as a negotiation towards a version of the work and that this can serve as a model for understanding similar processes even prior to the existence of any notated material. This article aims at a closer understanding of the significance of these negotiations, specifically their meaning in relation to the two modes of musical representation; the notation and the sonic trace left by the computer part. Further, we aim at creating a broader platform for reflection on and analysis of our respective artistic practices. By using Molino’s and Nattiez’ terminology for a semiological analysis of music we attempt at describing the interplay in terms of poietic and esthesic processes and with a semiotic terminology in general. (210S)