"Gaming the Chronotope"
for Trombone
Bil Smith Composer
PDF Link
Saturday, September 30, 2023
"Rhetorical Reverie" for Vibraphone. Bil Smith Composer
"Rhetorical Reverie"
for Vibraphone.
Bil Smith Composer
PDF Link
Friday, September 29, 2023
The Power of Visual Representation: An Investigation into Non-Traditional Music Scores
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| Piece for Tuba |
As the sphere of music composition continues to evolve, we find ourselves at a crossroads of sorts, with emerging technologies and approaches vying for our attention and allegiance. One such approach that has recently captured the imagination of composers and theorists alike is that of hyper-complex visualized scores. These scores, which combine intricate musical notation with highly abstract visual elements, offer a new way of understanding and engaging with musical composition, one that draws heavily on the work of thinkers such as Wilhelm Reich and Roland Barthes.
At its core, these radical scores represent a departure from traditional methods of musical notation. Rather than relying solely on written symbols and conventions, these scores incorporate a wide range of graphic elements, from abstract shapes and patterns to representational imagery and text. The result is a kind of synesthetic experience, where the visual and auditory elements of the music are intertwined in a complex and dynamic relationship.
But what are the implications of this new approach to music composition? For one thing, it raises questions about the role of notation in the creative process. Traditionally, musical notation has been seen as a kind of neutral medium, a way of encoding musical ideas in a way that can be easily shared and communicated. But with hyper-complex visualized scores, the notation becomes an integral part of the creative act, shaping the music itself in profound ways.
This shift in emphasis also has implications for the way we think about musical interpretation. In a traditional score, the written notation provides a kind of roadmap for performers, guiding them through the various elements of the music and helping them to bring it to life. But with hyper-complex visualized scores, the relationship between notation and performance becomes much more complex. Rather than simply following the written instructions, performers must engage with the visual elements of the score, interpreting them in a way that is both creative and responsive to the musical ideas being presented.
This brings us to the work of Wilhelm Reich, who saw the human body as a kind of musical instrument, capable of expressing and responding to the subtle nuances of sound and vibration. For Reich, music was a way of accessing the deep emotional and psychological energies that underlie our experience of the world. In a sense, hyper-complex visualized scores represent an extension of Reich's vision, offering a new way of accessing and expressing these energies through the medium of musical notation.
At the same time, hyper-complex visualized scores also draw heavily on the work of Roland Barthes, who famously wrote about the "death of the author" and the ways in which the meaning of a text is constructed by the reader, rather than by the author. This idea of the text as a kind of open, generative space is key to understanding the possibilities of hyper-complex visualized scoring. By creating scores that are at once highly structured and highly abstract, composers are opening up a space for interpretation and engagement that is far more expansive than traditional methods of notation.
But what are the challenges of working with hyper-complex visualized scores? For one thing, they require a high degree of technical skill and visual literacy on the part of both composer and performer. Unlike traditional scores, which can be read and understood by musicians with a relatively limited set of skills, hyper-complex visualized scores require a deep engagement with the visual elements of the music, as well as a willingness to experiment and take risks in the performance of the music.
At its core, hyper-complex visualized scoring can be understood as a fundamentally liberatory practice, one that seeks to subvert the hierarchical power structures that have long governed the creation and reception of musical works. In Reich's theory of orgonomy, for example, the human body is understood to be the primary locus of creative energy, with the production of musical works seen as a manifestation of this innate biological process. By extension, the role of the composer is not to impose their will upon the material, but rather to act as a facilitator, channeling the energy of the body into a coherent sonic form.
Similarly, Barthes' semiotic theory posits that meaning is not fixed or stable, but rather arises out of the complex interplay between signifiers and signifieds. In this sense, musical scores can be seen as a kind of language, with each note or symbol carrying its own unique set of associations and connotations. By embracing the inherent ambiguity and multiplicity of the musical language, hyper-complex visualized scores have the potential to create new forms of meaning that challenge conventional modes of interpretation and understanding.
Of course, the use of hyper-complex visualized scores also raises a number of significant challenges and questions. One of the primary concerns is the potential for these scores to become overly insular and elitist, catering only to a select group of highly trained musicians and scholars. This danger is particularly acute given the highly specialized vocabulary and notation systems that often accompany hyper-complex scoring, which can make it difficult for newcomers to access and engage with the works.
Another potential issue is the risk of over-reliance on technology, with composers and performers becoming too reliant on digital tools and software to generate and interpret the scores. This not only raises questions about the authenticity and originality of the works themselves, but also runs the risk of further entrenching existing power structures within the music industry, particularly with regard to the distribution and consumption of musical works.
Ultimately, however, the potential benefits of these scores far outweigh these challenges, particularly in terms of the ways in which it can disrupt traditional notions of musical authorship and interpretation. By foregrounding the role of the body, and by embracing the inherent ambiguity and multiplicity of the musical language, hyper-complex visualized scores offer a radical alternative to the hierarchical power structures that have long dominated the music industry. In so doing, they provide a powerful tool for artists and audiences alike to explore the myriad possibilities of musical creation, and to imagine new futures for the art form as a whole.
Follicle Design Explained" for B Flat Trumpet
"Follicle Design Explained"
For B Flat Trumpet
Bil Smith Composer
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
"The Soft Bulk Of The Yellow Pages Padded Sylvano Bussotti's Thighs" For Violin
"The Soft Bulk Of The Yellow Pages Padded Sylvano Bussotti's Thighs"
For Violin
Bil Smith Composer
Published by LNM Editions
Link to Full Hi-Res PDF Score
Sunday, September 24, 2023
"Warp+Weft" For Piano
"Warp + Weft" For Piano
Bil Smith Composer
Link to PDF
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| (Vertical) |
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| The Complete Score: One Page 34" X 16" |
Saturday, September 23, 2023
"Semio": A Reappropriation of Mathias Spahlinger's "128 Erfüllte Augenblicke" for Voice, Clarinet and Cello. Bil Smith Composer.
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| "Semio" Bil Smith Composer |
To reappropriate a musical composition, a deliberate intervention is made into its common or hegemonic (for the cultural studies majors amongst us) usage. This common usage as a music of oppression, hurt or victimization is challenged and reevaluated.
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.
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.
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| Mathias Spahlinger |
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| "Semio" Bil Smith Composer |
Music and language (text) reappropriation usually takes place within the oppressed community affected by the music's original meaning. Often, performance of the composition outside that community retains its derogatory meaning.
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.
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.
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"Something About His Salted Face Or His Strangely Menacing Mildness" For Solo Voice
"Something About His Salted Face Or His Strangely Menacing Mildness"
For Solo Voice
Bil Smith Composer
Published by LNM Editions
Link to Hi-Res PDF Score
Commentary and Analysis Written by Cormac McCarthy
Within the sphere of contemporary vocal music, "Something About His Salted Face Or His Strangely Menacing Mildness" stands as an epitome of the limitless potential of the human voice as an instrument of artistic articulation. It pushes the boundaries of auditory perception, inciting intellectual contemplation and emotional immersion in equal measure.
Smith's fascination with gutturalisms lies in their primal, visceral quality. They embody the most elemental aspects of human vocalization, reaching deep into the corporeal substratum of sound production. Guttural utterances, produced from the throat and lower vocal tracts, transcend the constraints of conventional phonetics. They are raw, unmediated expressions of the human voice's inherent potential for sheer emotional intensity.
In the vocal interpretation of this score, gutturalisms serve as a portal to the performer's primordial self. They challenge the vocalist to discard linguistic norms and delve into the reservoirs of the subconscious. Through growls, grunts, and primal vocalizations, the vocalist'spure emotional resonance reigns supreme.
Hyper-Neologisms: The Fracturing of Linguistic Constructs
Smith's penchant for hyper-neologisms transgresses linguistic conventions, giving birth to a lexicon that exists solely within the confines of this composition. These linguistic novelties are not meant to convey conventional meaning; instead, they serve as potent vehicles for the embodiment of abstract emotions and conceptual abstractions.
In the vocal interpretation of this score, hyper-neologisms become vessels for the dissolution of linguistic boundaries. Performers grapple with phonemic sequences that defy traditional syntax and structure. They navigate a terrain where words themselves become malleable, and language is stripped to its phonetic essence.
The vocal performer, burdened by the onus of interpretation, navigates this aural labyrinth with a courage and dexterity akin to an acrobat on a precipice. Whispers oscillate to primal screams, traversing the precipitous chasm between vulnerability and unbridled intensity.
This journey is one of transcendence. The performer becomes an alchemist, transmuting sound into emotion, abstraction into embodiment. The vocal cords, palate, and resonating cavities become tools for the creation of sonic tapestries that defy linguistic categorization.
"Something About His Salted Face Or His Strangely Menacing Mildness" stands as an epitome of the limitless potential of the human voice as an instrument of artistic articulation. It pushes the boundaries of auditory perception, inciting intellectual contemplation and emotional immersion in equal measure.
Sunday, September 17, 2023
"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.
NEW PAGES TO SCORE: "The Magnesium Device Whose Undulations Lulled Me Into the Illusion" for 'Maroon' (A Newly Designed Brass Instrument from Thomas Inderbinen)
for 'Maroon' (A Newly Designed Brass/Trumpet Variation from Thomas Inderbinen)
Bil Smith Composer
Published by LNM Editions
About 'Maroon':
"Maroon" is a newly developed instrument from Thomas Inderbinen. It is played with a trumpet mouthpiece but the construction is more like a flugelhorn. The Maroon is characterized by a very big, warm sound which can nevertheless be centered in the direction of a trumpet. It has an unbelievably easy response in the low as well as in the high register. In the words of Inderbinen "The barriers between trumpet and flugelhorn have fallen, and a new dimension in the sound of wind instruments has been created."
The first three pages of the score with inspiration from Lucio Fontana, Mimmo Totaro, Cage's Fontana Mix and Neville Brody.
Published by LNM Editions
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