Page from "Engineering Secrets Whose Blessings We Enjoy"

For Solo Flute.

Bil Smith Composer

Page inspired by Enrico Castellani

New composition for solo Flute inspired by Piero Manzoni, Fortunato Depero, Aldo Tambellini, Mimmo Rotella and the Arte Povera movement. This tablature was born from a need for separation from the traditional. This notation in no way relates to aesthetic fantasies or a quest for fashionable effects, but concern compositional facts that imply an entirely new kind of musical interpretation.

"Defender Sect" for Marimba

 

"Defender Sect" for Marimba

Bil Smith Composer

Published by LNM Editions

"Defender Sect" eschews the conventional musical notation system and instead embraces a divergent set of combinatorial tablatures. This departure from the norm is akin to a magical realism, where the everyday world is infused with elements of the fantastical. Combinations of symbols and patterns on the tablature become the keys to unlocking the secrets of this enchanting composition. The performer like a character in a Marquez novel, must navigate this new reality, deciphering the intricate code to reveal the hidden narrative of the music.

In Marquez's literary world, characters often grapple with the mystical and the inexplicable. Similarly, "Defender Sect" underscores the need for a wholly lucid and impelling vision. Within the intricate web of combinatorial tablatures lies the challenge of control amidst chaos. The Marimbist is called upon not merely to play the notes but to become custodians of an enigmatic realm. He/She must possess a vision that allows one to remain aloof from potentially enthralling novelties within the composition, to control and not simply be controlled by its mesmerizing intricacies.

This composition takes the performer on a journey that traverses profound continuities and significant ruptures. The oscillating tablatures create an ever-shifting landscape, where musical themes evolve and intertwine, only to be suddenly disrupted by unexpected twists. The composition challenges our perception of time and continuity, akin to a portrayal of the past, present, and future coexisting in a magical realist tale.

Within the realm of the score, visual metaphors abound resembling ancient glyphs or cryptic manuscripts which serve as a visual representation of my capacity for detachment and projection. The Marimbist is tasked not only with playing the notes but with interpreting these visual symbols, weaving them into the sonic tapestry.

Fanfare "Xenium" for Trombone

What sets "Fanfare Xenium" apart is its profound engagement with the concept of alienation—not in the sense of estrangement or loneliness, but as an artistic strategy. The piece deliberately alienates aspects of conventional musical traditions, extracting them from their familiar contexts and recontextualizing them within a new, metaphorical space. This space, pressured by the introduction of disparate objects and ideas, becomes a canvas upon which meaning is both constructed and deconstructed.

Contrary to the practices of composers who work within metaphorical spaces or who seek to depict space in their compositions, "Fanfare Xenium" eschews these approaches in favor of something more radical. The piece does not endeavor to represent space; instead, it challenges the very notion of what space can signify in music. Through its notational innovation and conceptual depth, "Fanfare Xenium" invites the performer to navigate this uncharted territory, relying on their interpretive skills to bridge the gap between the isolated elements presented in the score.

"Turing". The Score. For Baritone Voice. Text by Keith Barnard. Music by Bil Smith.

"Turing"

The Score

For Baritone Voice

Text by Keith Barnard

Music by Bil Smith

This score is structured around a series of logical propositions and mathematical sequences, which are transformed into musical notation. This transmutation of abstract, conceptual thought into the realm of sound invites a reevaluation of the very essence of communication and understanding, echoing Quine's contention that the meaning of any utterance or symbol is inherently tied to its empirical and contextual usage.

The baritone voice, in this context, serves as both the medium and the message—a vehicle for conveying Turing's groundbreaking ideas and a symbolic representation of Turing himself. Through this vocal embodiment, "Turing" engages with Quine's thesis on the indeterminacy of translation, illustrating the challenges inherent in translating complex ideas from one domain (mathematics and logic) into another (musical notation and performance). This process is fraught with ambiguities and interpretative freedoms, yet it is precisely in these spaces of uncertainty that the score for "Turing" finds its expressive power.

The score delves into the recursive nature of logic and mathematical sequences, employing these as motifs that recur and evolve throughout the composition. This recursive structure mirrors the logical systems that Turing himself developed, serving as a musical analogue to Turing's computational theories. The score, therefore, can be seen as a kind of ontological inquiry, probing the relationships between symbols, their referents, and the systems of thought that underpin them.

In translating Turing's abstract concepts into the concrete form of a musical score, I confront the Quinean dilemma of ontological relativity—the idea that our understanding of the world, and the language we use to describe it, is always mediated by our conceptual framework. "Turing" thus becomes a reflection on the limits of representation and the perpetual quest for understanding that drives both scientific inquiry and artistic expression.

"Tastes of Silt and Sulphur" for Alto Clarinet, Flugelhorn and Euphonium

"Tastes of Silt and Sulphur" 

for Alto Clarinet, Flugelhorn and Euphonium

Bil Smith Composer

Published by LNM Editions

Link To Full Score PDF

https://drive.google.com/file/d/129LKj3a8Oi7MMbBnST8i39VDXN-gzcbC/view?usp=sharing

Central of "Tastes of Silt and Sulphur" is a notational system dubbed a "framework shifting structural notation system." It was developed specifically for this score to afford performers a granular level of investigation into the music. This system is infinitely propositional, providing an architectural frame within which interpretation remains intriguingly unhoused.

Frame Shifting is not merely a theoretical concept but a call to action for musicians, composers, scholars, and educators to re-examine and expand the boundaries of how music is documented and notated. By embracing a wider array of artistic discourses and mediums, we can capture the richness and diversity of musical expression in ways that are both innovative and inclusive. In doing so, we pave the way for a more comprehensive and cross-cultural understanding of music that honors its multifaceted nature.

This approach to notation forms an elemental stratum in the accreted layers of what can only be described as hyper-tonal notational symbology. Through this method, the composition transcends traditional musical boundaries, offering a spectrum of tonal possibilities that challenge both the performers' technical abilities and interpretative prowess. The score becomes a living document, endlessly adaptable and open to the personal insights and creativity of those who engage with it.

In "Tastes of Silt and Sulphur," the use of such a complex and flexible notational system mirrors the thematic essence of the piece—the elemental, almost primordial, sensations evoked by its title. Just as silt and sulphur suggest layers of geological and chemical transformation, so too does the score invite performers and listeners to experience layers of musical transformation.

LNM Editions. The Published Scores of Laboratorie New Music.