Magnusson_Tempo_v3.pdf (196.55 kB)
Ergodynamics and a semiotics of instrumental composition
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.
Funding
Sonic Writing: Technologies of Musical Expression, Notation and Encoding; G1769; AHRC-ARTS & HUMANITIES RESEARCH COUNCIL; AH/N00194X/1
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
TempoISSN
0040-2982Publisher
Cambridge University PressExternal DOI
Issue
287Volume
73Page range
41-51Department affiliated with
- Music Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2018-09-17First Open Access (FOA) Date
2018-09-17First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2018-09-16Usage metrics
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