"Primary Cardinal" for Piano, G Trumpet and Clarinet in A

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

"Temperation". For Piano.

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.

New Composition for Oboe Utilizing a Brutalist Tablature (Excerpt)

 

"Puddleprance" for Tuba. Bil Smith Composer

"Puddleprance" 

for Tuba

Bil Smith Composer

Link to PDF

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1reJ8E0Fa3Yj1XmltqBDaWNaw_MoVhh9e/view?usp=sharing

 

New Website is Live

 

New Website:

https://www.bilsmith.com/

"Locked Transit" for Flute and Bassoon.

"Locked Transit" for Flute and Bassoon.  

Published by LNM Editions

(Laboratorie New Music)

"Barb's Invisible Chimera" For Solo Flute

 

"Barb's Invisible Chimera" For Solo Flute

Bil Smith Composer

2024-2025

10 Images. 32” X 28”; 81.28 X 71.12 cm

Ink, Graphite, Acrylic, Metallic Powder, Gunpowder on Ilford Galerie Prestige Gold Fibre Silk

Edition of 5 with 2 APs

My new work for solo flute, "Barb's Invisible Chimera"  is a boundary-pushing musical composition that defies conventional expectations of both notation and performance, blending elements of visual art and sound in a way that challenges the performer’s interpretative instincts.

Conceptual Framework

The title Barb’s Invisible Chimera hints at a dialogue with the work of conceptual artist Barbara Kruger. Kruger’s signature style—bold textual interventions that critique consumerism and societal power structures—finds an echo in this work, which manipulates musical notation, imagery, and textual constructs to convey a layered critique of perception and interpretation in contemporary music.

My engagement with semiotic structures extends beyond music into branding and pharmaceuticals, drawing inspiration from the language of medical and commercial industries. My lexicon mirrors the syntacticons found in pharmaceutical branding, where invented words, color associations, and typography contribute to an overarching psychological effect. This aesthetic is reminiscent of Damien Hirst’s fascination with the pharmaceutical industry, aligning the notation of Barb’s Invisible Chimera with the conceptual weight of contemporary visual art.

Notational Structure and The Jubal Project

A central feature of Barb's Invisible Chimera is its incorporation of my Jubal Project notation archetype. The Jubal Project is an experimental notation system that departs from traditional staff-based representation, instead using striking circular color combinations, gestural mark-making, and unconventional symbols to communicate sonic intent. This system redefines the relationship between performer and score, transforming interpretation into an active, almost improvisational process.

This composition is a realization of an "idea of a moment in time for the flutist," placing emphasis on the ephemeral nature of sound and performance. By integrating Jubal Project notation, the score becomes an interactive, kinetic object—one that demands engagement beyond mere visual deciphering.

Materiality and Medium

The choice of materials in Barb’s Invisible Chimera contributes significantly to its impact. Ilford Galerie Prestige Gold Fibre Silk paper, known for its rich, tactile surface, serves as a base for the intricate layering of ink, graphite, acrylic, and metallic powder. The addition of gunpowder—a volatile, elemental material—imbues the score with a sense of transience and combustibility, reinforcing the idea of performance as an act of momentary existence. The materiality of the score is thus inseparable from its musical realization, making the process of interpreting and performing the piece inherently linked to its physical presence.

Performance Considerations

Performing Barb’s Invisible Chimera requires the flutist to engage with the score in a non-traditional manner. The absence of standard musical notation means that the performer must develop a unique interpretative strategy based on:

1. Color and Shape Recognition – The Jubal Project notation system employs color coding and geometric forms to suggest specific timbres, dynamics, and articulation techniques.
2. Gestural Reading – The physical markings on the score often imply movement and energy rather than discrete pitches, necessitating a gestural approach to sound production.
3. Temporal Fluidity – The composition resists strict metric structuring, favoring an organic, free-flowing temporality that adapts to the performer’s intuition and physical response to the score.
4. Multisensory Engagement – The interplay between visual art and sound demands an expanded sensory approach, where the flutist’s interpretation is influenced by visual stimuli as much as by traditional musical thought.

Aesthetic and Philosophical Implications

This work is intended to raise critical questions about the nature of composition, authorship, and the role of the performer. By relinquishing rigid control over musical outcomes, Barb’s Invisible Chimera situates the performer as a co-creator, blurring the line between composer and interpreter. This aligns with postmodern artistic discourses that challenge hierarchical structures in artistic production.

Furthermore, the pharmaceutical branding aesthetic embedded in the notation hints at deeper cultural commentaries—specifically, the ways in which language, imagery, and commodification shape human cognition and behavior. My approach suggests a parallel between the performative aspects of pharmaceutical branding and the performative nature of musical interpretation, highlighting the constructed realities inherent in both domains.

Conclusion

Barb’s Invisible Chimera for solo flute stands at the intersection of music, visual art, and conceptual philosophy. My integration of the Jubal Project notation archetype, combined with his unique material choices and cultural references, results in a work that is both provocative and enigmatic. For the flutist, the piece is less about executing predefined notes and more about inhabiting a shifting, momentary space of sonic and visual engagement.

By challenging traditional notions of notation, performance, and musical meaning, Barb’s Invisible Chimera continues my intent of pushing the boundaries of contemporary composition. It is a work that demands deep interpretative commitment, offering an ever-evolving experience that transcends conventional musical paradigms.

"Triumphant Adoration". A Fanfare for Zirnbauer Piccolo Trumpet. Link To PDF.

Zirnbauer Piccolo Trumpet

PDF Link to Score

In "Triumphant Adoration" you will note that the notational patterns appear with some uniformity, however each should be treated by the performer as a module capable of containing a variety of material sound possibilities.  The symbology serves numerous functional demands with a visually consistent solution.  

This notational system concurrently serves as a delivery device for informational, climactic, structural and aural interpretation.  The performer finds that unconventional categories and methods emerge; new hierarchies established and traditional trumpet performance boundaries are perforated.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cpBygsLqHjPpE6tC1Nvt7WoMJWuVQ0LC/view?usp=sharing

"Triumphant Adoration".

The Power of Visual Representation: An Investigation into Non-Traditional Music Scores

 

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.

Perisetta, Barefoot and Dusted with Refinery Ash for String Quartet

 "Perisetta, Barefoot and Dusted with Refinery Ash"

Notational Topographies and the Transfigured Spatialization of Time

A Critical Examination of a Tablature-Driven Archetype for String Quartet

I. Preliminary Considerations: Refractive Notational Systems and the Encrypted Temporality of the Score

The score, in its most rudimentary conceptualization, exists as an interlocutionary medium between composerly intent and performative instantiation. Yet, far from serving as a mere cartographic delineation of musical events within a preordained chronology, the score operates as an autonomous aesthetic entity—a topology of gestures, inscriptions, and semiotic resonances that both encode and resist interpretation.

In Perisetta, Barefoot and Dusted with Refinery Ash, Bil Smith advances a radical recalibration of the notational archetype by invoking a dual-modal system wherein quantitative serialism and photographic indexicality coalesce into a stratified matrix of performative potentialities. This work, composed for string quartet, not only problematizes traditional taxonomies of rhythm, articulation, and gestural transmission but also articulates a methodology wherein the visual domain—predicated upon the works of Hanne Darboven and Thomas Ruff—becomes inseparable from the aural resultant.

The tabular inscription in Perisetta manifests as an interstitial form between Darboven’s numerological topographies and Ruff’s quasi-clinical representations of physiognomy. This aesthetic lineage gestures toward an intricate systematization of time, wherein numerical constructs dictate musical morphology in a manner that eschews linearity in favor of multi-directional simultaneities. Through this prism, the act of reading—a function historically tethered to conventional notational epistemologies—is reconceived as a kinetic engagement with a notation that is at once spatialized, deconstructed, and architectonic.

II. Temporality and Numerological Encoding: Toward an Anti-Linear Chronology

Temporal configurations within Perisetta resist metered regularity, instead favoring a synthetic elasticity of durational proportioning that derives from Darboven’s engagement with cross-sum calculations, recursive date formations, and vectorized numerical configurations. Where Darboven’s oeuvre posits an algebraic concretization of temporal succession, Smith’s score appropriates and mutates this approach by deploying a modular numerical syntax wherein additive and subtractive procedures dictate the relational properties of pitch, contour, and bowing pressure.

The score itself is structured around a matrix of algorithmically derived temporal units, each functioning as an independent isochronous cell, which may expand or contract according to a secondary, non-fixed durational logic. This results in a phenomenon wherein the act of execution becomes a form of chronological negotiation rather than a realization of pre-determined rhythmic stratification.

Smith’s recursive encoding mechanisms are an explicit reference to Darboven’s calendar systems, wherein the artist developed a distinctive conversion methodology that transformed numerical configurations into graphical transcriptions. In Perisetta, this logic is repurposed such that each performance instance is inextricably bound to a localized, yet infinitely permutable, durational syntax.

IIa. Computational Indexing and Serialist Layering

The parametric layering within the score derives not from a conventional serialist approach but from an interlocking permutation of vectors that dictate the density and gradation of sonic material. These strata are defined through:

A numerically inscribed tablature system, which situates pitch, articulation, and dynamics within a set of spatial coordinates.

A performative indexing matrix, wherein each quadrant of the page is assigned a gestural function, corresponding to a discrete set of bowing techniques and contact points.

An integrated phonographic notation, in which pre-composed photographic portraits of performers dictate gesture, posture, and tension thresholds.

This three-tiered structuration operates as a non-hierarchical field of encoded parameters, necessitating a form of interpretation that is both visual and kinetic, yet simultaneously resistant to traditional modes of reading.

III. Photographic Realism as Notational Inscription: The Thomas Ruff Parallax

A defining element of Perisetta is its engagement with photographic realism as a notational extension. By integrating high-resolution portraiture inspired by Thomas Ruff’s aesthetic objectivism, Smith introduces a physiognomic coding system that directly influences performative decision-making.

Where Ruff’s portraiture achieves an apparent neutrality through the suppression of emotive signifiers, Smith utilizes this aesthetic mechanism as a precondition for gestural determination. The extraction of temporal specificity from the physiognomic field creates an image-based notation wherein performer identity is implicated within the structural mechanics of execution.

By employing photographic indexicality, Smith establishes a threefold dialectic between:

The encoded visual gesture, wherein the formal properties of the performer’s portrait inform the mechanics of bow pressure, vibrato articulation, and attack envelope.

The aleatoric stratification of visual sequences, leading to a form of notation that resists singular interpretation, instead favoring contingent realizations based on individual performer morphology.

The residual trace of photographic memory, transforming the execution of the score into an iterative process of re-inscription, wherein the visual referent lingers as a mnemonic structure.

Thus, Perisetta becomes a palimpsest of interstitial codes, wherein notation, performance, and photographic inscription merge into a single, mutable entity.

IV. Aesthetic Idealism and the Chronotopic Collapse of Musical Time

The culmination of these methodologies—Darboven’s temporal inscription, Ruff’s documentary realism, and Smith’s notational expansionism—results in a radical reconceptualization of musical temporality. In Perisetta, the chronotopic parameters of the score do not function as a singular linear sequence but rather as a multi-axial structure of durational interpenetration.

This approach aligns with Darboven’s assertion that time cannot be objectified outside of human perception, and that its representation is inherently synthetic. Consequently, Perisetta engages with:

The dissolution of fixed temporality, where performative events exist within a spectrum of probabilistic occurrences.

A recursive re-framing of notation, wherein symbols operate not as direct imperatives but as relational possibilities.

A visual-auditory dualism, collapsing the distinction between performative gesture and encoded structure.

V. Conclusion: Notation as Temporality, Notation as Image

Perisetta, Barefoot and Dusted with Refinery Ash exemplifies a radical departure from traditional string quartet idioms, engaging with notation as a performative cartography wherein inscription, duration, and embodiment are inextricably linked. By synthesizing Darboven’s numerological inscriptions, Ruff’s photographic realism, and an experimental tablature system, Smith presents a work wherein notation itself becomes a performative entity—a site of multiplicity, subjectivity, and transformation.

Rather than merely codifying sound, the score reconfigures our fundamental assumptions about temporality, notation, and musical semiotics, positioning itself not as a static document, but as an evolving palimpsest of aesthetic potentialities.