The Jubal Project and Metabolist Composition

First Installment of "The Jubal Project" can be found here:

http://soundmorphology.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-jubal-project.html

Metabolism is a term used in music to describe a philosophy and approach to composition that emphasizes the idea that music is a living, dynamic entity that is constantly evolving and changing over time. Metabolism is often associated with a group of Japanese composers who were active in the 1960s and 1970s, known as the "Metabolists" or the "Group of Four". 

According to this philosophy, the music score is not a fixed, static entity, but rather a starting point for a musical work that is continually evolving and changing through the performance and interpretation of the musicians. In other words, the score is seen as a kind of "blueprint" for the music, rather than a finished product. 

Metabolist composers often employ techniques such as indeterminacy, improvisation, and aleatory (chance) elements in their music, in order to create a sense of spontaneity and unpredictability. They also emphasize the use of technology and electronic instruments, such as synthesizers and computers, to create new sounds and textures. 

Overall, the philosophy of metabolism is a rejection of the idea of music as a fixed, unchanging object, and an embrace of music as a dynamic and ever-evolving art form. 

In this compositional notation system (archetype), the performer is charged with adapting patterns to fluctuating desires and contingencies which can be an ongoing process with the performance becoming a method of directing change in the musical interpretation; a way of guiding them through different configurations. This relies on making and using patterns found within the notation that are more responsive than their modernist predecessors.

Visual Coherence  

 

The patterns found within this new notational system are first and foremost visual ones.  They are intended to provide the performer’s interpretation with aesthetic clarity despite differences in individual components.  Visual attributes are always present and recognizable, so a base pattern’s identity remains separate yet linked to the sonic forces that shape it.

Because of its internal consistency, a pattern produces gestalts that allow the performer to recognize and understand otherwise overwhelmingly complex visualizations. 

Three pages from a Viola composition 2+ years in the making. (Created with Renee Baker in mind)

Three pages from a Viola composition 2+ years in the making.

Created with Renee Baker in mind.

Anticipated completion this month

 

"Stand Corrected". Une nouvelle praxis de Laboratorie New Music.

"Stand Corrected". Une nouvelle praxis de Laboratorie New Music.

First Up... "Enter the Viola. Alone."  ...  later this evening

String theory is an area of research in theoretical physics (SonicPhysics) that seeks to unite quantum mechanics - our current theory of very small objects - with general relativity - our current theory of very large objects.

"Stand Corrected" A 'continuism'...the notion of virtuality permits us to reverse the signs. 

Apply liberally to composition

"It's a typical , everyday one night thing"

-Ja Rule

"Exeo" for Alto Flute

"Galador" for Piano. 3'16". Bil Smith Composer

"Galador" for Piano.  

3'16" 

Bil Smith Composer

The score for "Galador" presents a fusion of conceptual schemata, evoking geometrical figures, numbers, and cryptic notations reminiscent of an artist's notebook. This collage of symbols, akin to Boldano's fragmented narratives, invites the viewer—or in this case, the pianist—to navigate a complex web of meanings and associations.

The paradox within "Galador" lies in its simultaneous embrace of contemporary epistemology and the retention of the values of pictorial sensibility. It pushes the boundaries of artistic expression, embracing both the intellectual and the sensual aspects of compositional interpretation. The score employs diagrams, modular structures, and serial arrangements, alluding to the universals of mathematics and linguistics. These elements serve as a testament to the ever-evolving nature of composition's ability to adapt to new forms of expression.

The use of graphic elements mirrors the calligraphic tradition of Twombly's painting, imbuing the composition with an expressive, gestural quality. It is as if the score becomes a canvas upon which the composer's emotions and interpretations are painted.

The exploration of graffiti-like symbols and abstract forms within "Galador" harks back to a fascination with the mundane and the everyday. Like graffiti scrawled in unexpected places, these symbols in the score provide sociological referents, inviting the pianist to contemplate their meaning and significance within the context of the composition.

The rejection of Surrealist automatism in the later stages of "Galador" parallels the shift from superimposed layers of graffiti to recognizable clues and regressive imagery reflects a desire to engage with the performer on a more visceral level.

 

Page from "Fountainhead"

New Work...Experimental Ensemble. Sponsored by Alitalia.

"Everyday Player" for Marimba

"Yerth". For Vascular Trombone

"Yerth"

New Composition in Progress. Excerpt

 

Sound Storms: The 3D Sculptural Scores of Nathalie Miebach

Nathalie Miebach's work focuses on the intersection of art and science and the visual articulation of scientific observations. Her woven sculptures interpret scientific data related to astronomy, ecology and meteorology in three-dimensional space. Her pieces simultaneously function as works of art, aural embodiments of data (musical compositions) and instruments that illustrate environmental change.

By utilizing artistic processes and everyday materials, Miebach questions and expands the boundaries of traditional science data visualization -- and provokes expectations of what visual vocabulary is considered to be in the domain of science and art

Nathalie's Statement:

My work focuses on the intersection of art and science and the visual articulation of scientific observations. Using the methodologies and processes of both disciplines, I translate scientific data related to astronomy, ecology and meteorology woven sculptures. My method of translation is principally that of weaving – in particular basket weaving – as it provides me with a simple yet highly effective grid through which to interpret data in three-dimensional space. By staying true to the numbers, these woven pieces tread an uneasy divide between functioning both as sculptures in space as well as instruments that could be used in the actual environment from which the data originates.

Central to this work is my desire to explore the role visual aesthetics play in the translation and understanding of science information. By utilizing artistic processes and everyday materials, I am questioning and expanding boundaries through which science data has been traditionally visually translated (ex: graphs, diagrams), while at the same time provoking expectations of what kind of visual vocabulary is considered to be in the domain of ‘science’ or ‘art’.

For my most recent project called “Recording and Translating Climate Change”, I gather weather observations from specific ecosystems using very simple data-collecting devices. The numbers are then compared to historical / global meteorological trends, before being translated into sculpture. By examining the complex behavioral interactions of living/non-living systems between weather and an environment, I hope to gain a better understanding of complexity of systems and behaviors that make up weather and climate change. Lately, I have also started to translate the data into musical scores, which are then interpreted through sculptures as well as through collaborations with musicians. My aim is twofold: to convey a nuance or level of emotionality surrounding my research that thus far has been absent from my visual work and to reveal patterns in the data musicians might identify which I have failed to see. 

‘When a musician writes a score that must be mechanically carried through, compelling the interpreter to follow it as if he was a machine… what is the sense to make it for a human being if it can be made for a machine? A music score that imposes such a severity has no sense. Ideas must be free and the musicians who will play must be creative.’ Self-invented notation gives musical scores the possibility of an open-ended future – a future with its roots in history, but one that also invites the entire world to join in an artistic conversation about our shared humanity."

- John Cage

"Proproxasant; Indicated for Brugada Syndrome" for Piano

"Proproxasant; Indicated for Brugada Syndrome" 

for Piano

Bil Smith Composer

2024

Link to Hi-Res PDF

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1phTZRKqIQRZXZIBSEUwiITrPZkpYzJAl/view?usp=sharing

 

Page Four from a new score for Solo Cello (With a subtle inspiration from Ed Ruscha)

 

"Engineering Secrets Whose Blessings We Enjoy" For Solo Flute. Bil Smith Composer (Complete Score)

"Engineering Secrets Whose Blessings We Enjoy"  

For Solo Flute.  

Bil Smith Composer

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.

 

Thoughts on "Dynamic Perspectivisation" as a New Compositional Ontology.

"Gaming the Chronotope" 

for Trombone

Bil Smith Composer

PDF Link

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eALc6CrX4KLrbWjUG2m4mDatyphT-aCM/view?usp=sharing

My compositional archetype, coined with the term "Dynamic Perspectivisation," provides a salient and provocative concept, denoting a paradigmatic shift in the very ontology of musical notation.

Drawing upon a diverse array of interdisciplinary methodologies, including symbology, iconography, elements of photography and photo-realism, typography, and found and unfound imagery, this dynamic approach fundamentally alters our understanding of the compositional process and the reception of musical works.

At its core, Dynamic Perspectivisation challenges the hegemony of traditional notation systems by foregrounding the dynamic interplay between visual and auditory elements. Rather than conceiving of music as a purely sonic phenomenon, composers and performers now recognize the intrinsic relationship between musical structures and visual signifiers. By integrating symbology and iconography into the notational framework, composers imbue their works with layers of meaning and interpretation, inviting listeners to engage with the music on a multisensory level.

Moreover, the incorporation of elements of photography and photo-realism expands the boundaries of musical representation, allowing composers to capture the ephemeral qualities of sound and texture in visual form. Through the use of intricate imagery and meticulous detail, as a composer, I can evoke a sense of immediacy and presence, heightening the listener's experience of the music.

Central to the ethos of Dynamic Perspectivisation is the concept of found and unfound imagery, which encourages composers to draw inspiration from a diverse array of sources, ranging from historical artifacts to everyday objects. By incorporating these disparate elements into the compositional process, composers enrich their works with layers of cultural and historical resonance, transforming the act of musical creation into a dynamic dialogue with the world around them.

By embracing the visual dimension of music, composers can reshape our understanding of the art form, forging new connections between sound, image, and meaning in the process.

 

"Nodal Fantasy" For B Flat Tuba

"Nodal Fantasies"

For Tuba

Bil Smith Composer

PDF Link to Score

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1083J6cXTx9eMkbFiVqIL04_5FxErWLbE/view?usp=sharing

"Triumphant Fantasy". The Score For Echo Cornet

Bil Smith's "Triumphant Fantasy": A Disruptive New Score for the Echo Cornet

Bil Smith is a  composer and musician who has been pushing the boundaries of brass music for years. His latest work, "Triumphant Fantasy," is a disruptive new musical score that showcases the unique capabilities of the Echo Cornet.

The Echo Cornet is a duplex instrument that embodies the characteristics of two different instruments, allowing the player to choose between an open or muted tone almost instantaneously. This feature is central to Smith's composition, as he explores the instrument's versatility and unique sound.

"Triumphant Fantasy" is part of Smith's single-page "Fantasy" series of compositions for the trumpet family, and it's one of his most innovative works to date. The composition features a mix of open and muted tones, showcasing the instrument's ability to produce different textures and sounds.

Smith's score is also notable for its use of the Echo Cornet's additional rotary valve, which allows the player to change the total length of tubing used and, therefore, the pitch of the instrument. This feature adds a new dimension to the piece, as the player can explore different keys and tonalities.

The Echo Cornet used in Smith's composition is made entirely of silver-plated brass and features three top-sprung piston valves, with coiled springs, brass disc pin guides, and cork bumpers. The shorter fourth piston valve activates the muted bell, and it is bottom-sprung with a metal guide pin on the bottom of the piston. The second bell attachment can be disassembled through a ligature screw ferrule joint, adding to the instrument's versatility.

Smith's "Triumphant Fantasy" is a groundbreaking composition that highlights the Echo Cornet's unique capabilities. The piece is a testament to Smith's innovative approach to music composition and his commitment to pushing the boundaries of brass music.

-Al Poe, Music Critic for The Wire

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