Magnusson, Thor (2018) Ergodynamics and a semiotics of instrumental composition. Tempo, 73 (287). pp. 41-51. ISSN 0040-2982
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Abstract
This article examines the techno-philosophical aspects of how we create and understand musical systems in twenty-first century computational media. Arguing that processor-based media have exploded the compositional language of new music, the article proposes a set of concepts that might help us navigating this new space of musical possibilities. The term ‘ergodynamics’ – with related concepts – is presented as a helpful notion when describing the phenomenological, historical, and aesthetic aspects of musical instruments, as well as a lens for looking at new compositional practices that can be defined as being either ‘idiomatic’ or ‘supra-instrumental.’ The article explores the difference in composing for acoustic, electronic, and digital instruments, and suggests that new musical practice can be characterised by a move from composing work to inventing systems.
Item Type: | Article |
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Keywords: | ergodynamics, ergomimesis, instruments, composition, music, performance, innovation |
Schools and Departments: | School of Media, Film and Music > Music |
Subjects: | M Music. Literature on music. Musical instruction and study > M Music |
Depositing User: | Thor Magnusson |
Date Deposited: | 17 Sep 2018 09:50 |
Last Modified: | 02 Jul 2019 13:31 |
URI: | http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/78811 |
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📧 Request an updateProject Name | Sussex Project Number | Funder | Funder Ref |
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Sonic Writing: Technologies of Musical Expression, Notation and Encoding | G1769 | AHRC-ARTS & HUMANITIES RESEARCH COUNCIL | AH/N00194X/1 |