"Attache" for Harp Bil Smith Composer. Liberating the Human Agency in Musical Expression

"Attache" for Harp

Bil Smith Composer

Liberating the Human Agency in Musical Expression

The Coercion of Traditional Notation

In this work, my philosophy delves into the nature of time, duration, and the vital impulse of life. Similarly, traditional musical notation conveys a sense of coercive temporal rigidity. Each note, each rest, adheres to a predetermined temporal grid, stifling the very essence of human expression and spontaneity. The traditional score becomes a coercive force, attempting to confine the boundless flow of musical duration into rigid patterns.

Liberating the Human Agency

"Attache," is a call to liberate human experience from the constraints of matter; aims to liberate music from the constraints of strict conventional notation. The work recognizes that the harpist's agency, their unique touch, and their interpretive essence, are integral to the musical narrative. By intertwining with the harpist's creative instincts, "Attache" endeavors to restore the human agency back to the center of musical activity.

Duration and Expressive Flow

My concept of duration elucidates the dynamic, continuous flow of time. The harpist is invited to weave through the work's expressive tapestry, embracing the nuances of contextual duration. As each note resonates, it becomes a fragment of this temporal flow, a moment of dynamic expression.

Intuition and Creative Instincts

Intution becomes a profound means of grasping reality beyond the confines of discursive thought. "Attache" encourages harpists to rely on their intuitive grasp of the music. The work beckons them to engage with the composition on a level that transcends mere notation. Each note becomes an intuitive outpouring, an extension of the harpist's creative instincts.

Elan Vital: Enlivening Music

Bergson's concept of elan vital, the vital impulse that animates life, finds its echo in the vivacity of "Attache." The work seeks to infuse music with a renewed sense of vitality, of spirited animation. It beckons the harpist to infuse their performance with the elan vital, infusing each note with life, transcending the mechanical nature of traditional notation.

"Attache" is a call to restore the primacy of human agency, to liberate human creative instincts from the clutches of coercion. The work reinstates music as an ecological space where human expression thrives, where duration and expression intertwine in harmonious unison.