Saturday, March 15, 2025
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Can An Asemic Notational Aesthetic Create A Valid Compositional Lexicon?
Bil Smith's "Delinquent Spirits..."
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| Ariel González Losada |
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| Gustavo Chab |
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| Anat Pick |
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| Ariel González Losada |
My idea is to create a new system of notation embedded with apparent contradictions, but is itself based on the recognition that contradiction is the fundamental starting point of all musical departure, indeed all thought.
The real kernel of ideation in this abstruse speculation is about the process involved in getting from nowhere to nothing.
From the brilliant mind of Gustavo Chab...
Gustavo Chab "Asemic writing is a wordless open semantic form of writing. The word asemic means "having no specific semantic content". With the non-specificity of asemic writing there comes a vacuum of meaning which is left for the reader to fill in and interpret. All of this is similar to the way one would deduce meaning from an abstract work of art. The open nature of asemic works allows for meaning to occur trans-linguistically; an asemic text may be "read" in a similar fashion regardless of the reader's natural language. Multiple meanings for the same symbolism are another possibility for an asemic work.
Some asemic writing includes pictograms or ideograms, the meanings of which are sometimes, but not always, suggested by their shapes. Asemic writing, at times, exists as a conception or shadow of conventional writing practices. Reflecting writing, but not completely existing as a traditional writing system, asemic writing seeks to make the reader hover in a state between reading and looking.
Asemic writing has no verbal sense, though it may have clear textual sense. Through its formatting and structure, asemic writing may suggest a type of document and, thereby, suggest a meaning. The form of art is still writing, often calligraphic in form, and either depends on a reader's sense and knowledge of writing systems for it to make sense, or can be understood through aesthetic intuition.
Asemic writing can also be seen as a relative perception, whereby unknown languages and forgotten scripts provide templates and platforms for new modes of expression. It has been suggested that asemic writing exists in two ways: "true" asemic writing and "relative" asemic writing.
True asemic writing occurs when the creator of the asemic piece cannot read their own asemic writing. Relative asemic writing is a natural writing system that can be read by some people but not by everyone (e.g. ciphers). Between these two axioms is where asemic writing exists and plays
The Asemic Continuum
Influences on asemic writing are illegible, invented, or primal scripts (cave paintings, doodles, children's drawings, etc.). But instead of being thought of as mimicry of preliterate expression, asemic writing may be considered to be a post-literate style of writing that uses all forms of creativity for inspiration. Other influences on asemic writing are xeno-linguistics, artistic languages, sigils (magic), undeciphered scripts, and graffiti.
Asemic writing occurs in avant-garde literature and art with strong roots in the earliest forms of writing. A modern example of asemic writing is Luigi Serafini's Codex Seraphinianus. Serafini described the script of the Codex as asemic in a talk at the Oxford University Society of Bibliophiles held on May 8, 2009."
"Turn In The Labyrinth of Time” For Trumpet. Bil Smith
"Turn In The Labyrinth of Time”
For Trumpet
Bil Smith
2022
Published by LNM Editions
Sunday, March 9, 2025
"Primary Cardinal" for Piano, G Trumpet and Clarinet in A
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| The Complete Score |
"Primary Cardinal"
for Piano, G Trumpet and Clarinet in A
Bil Smith Composer
Commissioned by Rosneft Oil Co OJSC, Moscow
World Premiere Moscow, February 2016
Friday, March 7, 2025
Radical New Compositional Practice: The Emergence of Photo-Realism, Tilt-Shift Photography, and 'Brutalist Tablatures' as Hyper-Notational Tools
Contemporary composition is undergoing a radical transformation, one in which notation is no longer a passive conduit for sonic realization but an active, multi-sensory interface. Within the multiplicative strata of contemporary notational thought, one finds an increasingly urgent need to recalibrate the mechanisms through which microtemporalities, gestural polysemy, and spatialized inference can be inscribed into the fabric of the score itself.
In my latest score, I address the emergence of photo-realism and tilt-shift photography as hyper-notational tools, alongside the integration of 'Brutalist Tablatures,' a system that imposes rigid yet interpretable constraints on performance. These methods are uniquely applied within the context of photographing models specifically chosen for their integral role in the interpretive and performative elements of the score.
The Role of Photo-Realism in Notation
Photo-realism in notation challenges conventional symbolic reduction by embracing hyper-detail as an expressive and structural necessity. Traditional notation seeks to streamline communication, prioritizing clarity and functional legibility. However, my approach aims to capture the nuances of musical expression with the same precision and textural depth as a hyper-detailed visual representation. This results in a score that does not simply direct performance but acts as a landscape of sonic potential, where every detail carries performative weight.
Tilt-Shift Photography as a Notational Strategy
Tilt-shift photography extends this vision by incorporating selective focus and depth of field as integral aspects of the score’s structure. By intentionally blurring certain regions while sharpening others, tilt-shift introduces a perceptual hierarchy within the notation. This technique compels the performer to navigate a shifting field of clarity and ambiguity, where focused elements demand explicit articulation while blurred elements encourage interpretive fluidity. As a result, notation becomes a layered topography of emphasis, wherein perception itself dictates the unfolding of musical events.
'Brutalist Tablatures': Structuring Sonic Brutality
My integration of 'Brutalist Tablatures' adds another dimension to this hyper-notational approach. Inspired by the austere, monolithic forms of Brutalist architecture, these tablatures impose structural rigor onto the performance environment. Unlike conventional tablature systems, which provide a direct mapping of finger positions or actions, 'Brutalist Tablatures' function as architectural impositions—non-negotiable constraints that the performer must either adhere to or resist. These blocks of instruction do not merely dictate pitch and rhythm but structure the very materiality of instrumental engagement, reinforcing a dialectic between determinacy and performative agency.
Photographing Models: The Embodied Identity of the Score
Central to this methodology is the process of photographing models, whose identities become paramount to the interpretive performative dimension of the score. Each model is exhaustively screened and selected, not as passive figures but as living embodiments of the score’s gestural and psychological dimensions. The photographed figures become notational subjects, their presence informing the score’s spatial, textural, and conceptual underpinnings. This practice transforms the act of notation into a form of portraiture, where each model’s identity, posture, and expression contribute to the sonic realization of the piece.
The Score as a Living Entity
Through the synthesis of photo-realism, tilt-shift photography, and 'Brutalist Tablatures,' my scores exist as dynamic, multi-layered objects that resist static interpretation. Performers engage with them not as conventional instructional texts but as perceptual environments that demand real-time negotiation and discovery. The interplay of hyper-detail, selective focus, and architectural constraint reshapes the relationship between composer, score, and performer, ultimately redefining the act of musical interpretation itself.
As these techniques continue to evolve, they point toward a new paradigm in music notation—one where visual, architectural, and performative elements converge to create an immersive, embodied musical experience. By pushing the boundaries of what a score can be, this radical compositional practice challenges the very foundations of contemporary performance, offering a new way forward for experimental music notation.
Saturday, March 1, 2025
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