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Composing and Improvising 1

http://www.rhoadley.net/courses/cimp - VLE - facebook

AF115003S

Music Pathway
Semester 2 2011-12
Structure and Notes

VLE
http://rhoadley.net/courses/laperf/examples
Assessment Submission Details
MPA Writing Guide

Description
All music students, whether or not they consider themselves to be potential 
composers, can deepen their understanding of music by experiencing the processes 
of composition. Furthermore, the notion of improvisation - 'real-time' 
composition - is a vital complementary area to foster and, in this respect, a 
direct route to tap musical intuition is explored. During the course of the 
module, composition and improvisation cross-fertilise each other, and 
understanding and development is gained through the examination and exploration 
of a range of different techniques and compositional styles. The progress of 
each student in improvisation is monitored and assessment culminates in 
end-of-module prepared improvisations (group free improvisation, and solo 
stylistically-informed improvisations), along with a portfolio of submitted 
compositions.




tasks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12



Week 1
Lecture: Introduction to the course

- Who has which instruments?
- Instrumentation
- Roles and functions

Workshop: Intro to Improvisation
- Divide into groups
- Group improvisations;


Exercise for Workshop session:
- Each person to plan some rules for a short (ten minute max) group improvisation
- The suggested plan is for three sections, ABA', where A has a certain 
character, and B has a contrasting character and A' is similar to, but distinct 
from A
- You may use any and all resources of your assigned group
- You may not change groups

Algorithms and Rules
Go to "Wikipedia." 
Hit "random" and the first article you get is the name of your band. 
Then go to "Wikiquote" and choose "Random Page" and the last four or five words of the 
very last quote of the page is the title of your first album. 
Then, go to Flickr and click on "Explore the Last Seven Days" and the third picture, 
no matter what it is, will be your album cover.



Week 2
Lecture: Pitched sounds: scales and modes; 

- Introduce composition tasks
- Revision of the diatonic scales and modes and the pentatonic scale: as interval patterns and as a consequence of the circle-of-fifths. 
- Simple algorithmic patterning ideas in SC patches to distribute and experiment with?
- Octotonic (see Messiaen)
- Wholetone

Examples:
- Messiaen Quatour - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeSVu1zbF94
- Gamelan - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRS13e5R8GI
Cage prepared piano - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUTXNxFvjDw&feature=related
John Cage - Sonata V, Michele Zappaterra - 2002
Aphex Twin - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQE36wRM7HY
'real version'
Minimalism (Reich, Piano Phase etc.) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW4_8KjmzZk
Glassworks - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imbwn6iVryQ

Exercises for workshop session:
- Bring along outlines for pieces that emphasise the use of scales and patterns of pulses
- The outlines should be for the performance of all or most of your current group
- The outline or sketch should use at least one scale
- Ensure that you can demonstrate it individually as well as practice it 
with your group
- Ensure that you have sufficient information included so that others 
understand what they should do

Workshop: group improvisations based on pitched sounds, scales and/or modes




Week 3
Lecture: Metre and pulse

- What is pulse?  What is tempo?  Contradictions between the two and subjectivity
- Revision of the concept of metre, and the notion of strong and weak beats
- Revision of the use of time signatures to denote a particular metre
- Accelerando and rallentando

Examples
- Bartok String Quartet 4, Movement 5
- Folk Music: Crni Voz
- Boban Markovic Orkestar - Ederlezi (Djurdjevdan) video
- http://www.nme.com/nme-video/youtube/id/l268Uhf3GpE/search/boban-markovic-orkestar
- Stravinksy, Rite of Spring
- Stravinksy, Symphonies of Wind Instruments
- Steve Reich Drumming
- How Music Works: Rhythm - Accent & Syncopation

Exercises for workshop session:
- Bring along outlines for pieces that emphasise the use of metre and pulse
- You may wish to include scalic elements you used last time
- The outlines should be for the performance of all or most of your current group
- The outline or sketch should use at least one change of metre and one change of pulse
- Ensure that you can demonstrate it individually as well as practice it 
with your group
- Ensure that you have sufficient information included so that others 
understand what they should do quickly and without too much conversation

Workshop: group improvisations based on metre and pulse




tasks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12


	
Week 4
Timbre, stasis and ostinato

We investigate music in which timbre and/or stasis is important and discuss the concept of Klangfarbenmelodie (sound-colour-melody).

Resources
	-	John Cage Sonatas and Interludes for prepared piano - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fPSz-o4zzY
	-	Karlheinz Stockhausen 'Michael's Reise' from Donnerstag aus Licht - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG-Rq-zgwnE
	-	Giacinto Scelsi Quattro Pezzi (su una nota sola) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xIRbD8mtmo
	- Velvet Underground, Venus in Furs, Heroine, Black Angel's Death Song.
	- Ligeti: Continuum; String Quartet 2, movement 2; Etude for Organ, 1; Lux Aeterna;
	- Berio O King
	- Berio O King Cycles
	- Eno: Thursday Afternoon, 1985
	- Eno: Music for Airports
	- Ravel, Bolero
	- Orff, Carmina Burana
	- Tavener, The Last Sleep of the Virgin
	
Exercises for workshop session:
- Bring along outlines for pieces that emphasise the use of stasis and ostinato
- The outlines should be for the performance of all or most of your current group
- Ensure that you can demonstrate it individually as well as practice it 
with your group
- Ensure that you have sufficient information included so that others 
understand what they should do quickly and without too much conversation
- Bring in some sketches for the first composition task (scales and patterns) 
for me to check during the tutorial section of the workshop.

Workshop:
first hour: group improvisations based on stasis and ostinato
second hour: tutorials for written compositions.

	


Week 5
Lecture and Workshop Stylistic Improvisation (JW)




tasks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12



Week 6

Lecture: Heterogeneous materials: combining sound types, contrasting textures, filmic notions, spatialisation

 - fast-slow
 - high-low
 - lyric-rhythmic
 - static!
 - quiet-loud
 - solo-tutti
 - etc

- Ligeti: String Quartet 2, 1;
- Stravinsky: Rite of Spring
- Bach: Brandenburg Concerti
etc...

Week 6 exercises for workshop

- Bring along plans to lead a group improvisation using some of the techniques and ideas learned during the course so far.  Investigate particularly methods of communication and leadership.  
- You may use other technologies should you wish
- Ensure that you can demonstrate it individually as well as practice it 
with your group.
- Ensure that you have sufficient information included so that others 
understand what they should do.


Workshop
Group Improvisation Rehearsal and Composition Tutorials



Week 7

Lecture: Graphic scores and structured improvisation
We examine the possible systems of communication for performance afforded by 
graphic scores.

http://notations21.net/
Cage Notations (in library)
Notation as Art
The Book
http://rhoadley.net/courses/seminars/sem/sem_notations.php




Workshop: Group Improvisation Performance 'Rehearsal'
There will be an eight-minute group performance collectively composed, rehearsed 
and performed by a group that has been working together over the semester...
...and composition Tutorials




tasks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12



Week 8
Lecture and Workshop: workshops for composition tasks 1 (scales and patterns) and/or 2 (metre and pulse)


Monday:
12:00 stephen.achilleos@student.anglia.ac.uk
12:10 jess.bland@student.anglia.ac.uk
12:20 freya.brunton@student.anglia.ac.uk
12:30 madalina.catalinoiu@student.anglia.ac.uk
12:40 alexandra.herring@student.anglia.ac.uk

Wednesday:
9:00 jessica.hibbert@student.anglia.ac.uk
9:10 harry.howarth@student.anglia.ac.uk
9:20 rosemarie.huckle@student.anglia.ac.uk
9:30 pik.li@student.anglia.ac.uk (Sanly)
9:40 tony.looby@student.anglia.ac.uk
9:50 stephen.moore3@student.anglia.ac.uk
10:00 helen.musto@student.anglia.ac.uk
10:10 domniki.napoli@student.anglia.ac.uk
10:20 jess.thomas@student.anglia.ac.uk
10:30 nick.white3@student.anglia.ac.uk




Week 9
Lecture: Composition Tutorials (RH)

Workshop: Improvisation Workshops for Stylistic Improvisation (JW)












Easter












Week 10
Lecture: Feedback and Documentation

Workshop: 9-10: Composition Tutorials, 10-11: Group Improvisation Assessments
Group Improvisation Assessment (with JW):
- Create a piece of music using some of the following distinct material: 
- pitched sounds modelled on modes or scales
- contrasting approaches to metre (e.g. different time signatures) 
- different metres and pulse groups and consider the schemes used in various folk musics (e.g. 9 = 2+2+2+3).
- unmetred music and unpitched sounds.
- The use of timbre of individual sounds and the way that the timbre of one sound relates to another.
- awareness of tessitura
- awareness of contrast

Consider using a ternary (ABA') structure.  Consider contrasting different ideas 
and approaches to create a rich and diverse performance. You may use computers 
or other electronic devices if you wish. Think carefully about your choice of 
scales and the way that they are deployed throughout the piece. Explore the 
relationship between pitch and pulse.
It is expected that you will rehearse with your group outside of class.



Week 11

Lecture: Composition Tutorials


Workshop: Improvisation Workshops for Stylistic Improvisation Assessment (JW)



tasks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12



Week 12

Lecture and Workshop: Composition Workshops for Compositions 3 (stasis and ostinato) and/or 4 (unpitched sounds, graphic scores, or free!)

Monday:
12:00 stephen.achilleos@student.anglia.ac.uk
12:10 jess.bland@student.anglia.ac.uk
12:20 freya.brunton@student.anglia.ac.uk
12:30 madalina.catalinoiu@student.anglia.ac.uk
12:40 alexandra.herring@student.anglia.ac.uk

Wednesday:
9:00 jessica.hibbert@student.anglia.ac.uk
9:10 harry.howarth@student.anglia.ac.uk
9:20 rosemarie.huckle@student.anglia.ac.uk
9:30 pik.li@student.anglia.ac.uk (Sanly)
9:40 tony.looby@student.anglia.ac.uk
9:50 stephen.moore3@student.anglia.ac.uk
10:00 helen.musto@student.anglia.ac.uk
10:10 domniki.napoli@student.anglia.ac.uk
10:20 jess.thomas@student.anglia.ac.uk
10:30 nick.white3@student.anglia.ac.uk


Resources
MPA writing guide

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