"Sound Morphology" (Bil Smith Composer)
The next word on new music.
Monday, September 16, 2024
"Xontic Arroyo (Absentia Portrait)" for Trombone, Cello and Piano. Bil Smith Composer
In contemplating the notational lexicon found within the score of "Xontic Arroyo (Absentia Portrait)" for Trombone, Cello, and Piano, I introduce a certain defiance of traditional figuration, offering a case study in the ethical and philosophical dimensions of musical notation
The decision to eschew immediately legible figuration in favor of a more complex, compound notational lexicon is not merely an aesthetic choice but a principled stance against what I deem to be an inherently regressive adherence to traditional notation systems. Such systems carry a reactionary gravity from which no subject—no matter how ostensibly critical or subversive—can truly escape.
"Xontic Arroyo" thus serves as both a record and a provocateur, engaging in an emerging discourse that seeks to illuminate and challenge the contextual changes, challenges, and possibilities that the discipline of music, and perhaps society more broadly, has thus far preferred to ignore.
The composition invites the performers to consider the notational system not as a neutral tool but as a locus of power, one that shapes the creation, interpretation, and experience of the work.
The composition's challenge to the performers underscores the importance of disciplinary awareness and reflexivity.
Sunday, September 15, 2024
"Semio": A Reappropriation of Mathias Spahlinger's "128 Erfüllte Augenblicke" for Voice, Clarinet and Cello. Bil Smith Composer.
"Semio" Bil Smith Composer |
The composition may attain a neutral or acceptable connotation and become absorbed into broader cultural use. It may even attain a positive connotation within informed and aware groups.
Mathias Spahlinger |
"Semio" Bil Smith Composer |
Musical meaning is decoded within a context – how it’s conveyed, by whom, when, where and why all have effects on the intent and receipt of a composition.
Saturday, September 14, 2024
"Triumphant Incantation". The Score for Tenor Flugelhorn (A Fanfare)
Thursday, September 12, 2024
New Composition Tablatures With Circos
"Some Nebulous Northern Realm" For Cadential Trombone, Alto Flute and Timpani |
"The Cyclone Fence Enclosing Us" For Piano, Celeste, Spring Drum and Quito (Conga) |
"Farthest From Hideous Old" For Tuba, Spinet Piano and Harp |
"Safe Negatives" For English Horn and Flugelhorn |
"They Passed A Clean White Truck Which Was A Wall of Perfect Cream" For String Trio |
"Repulse Bay" For Oboe
"Listening To Truck Thuds On The Concrete Over My Head"
For Trombone Trio
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