"Semio": A Reappropriation of Mathias Spahlinger's "128 Erfüllte Augenblicke" for Voice, Clarinet and Cello. Bil Smith Composer.

"Semio"  Bil Smith Composer

"Semio": A Reappropriation of Mathias Spahlinger's "128 Erfüllte Augenblicke" for Voice, Clarinet and Cello. Bil Smith Composer. Various pages of the score.

Mathias Spahlinger

"Sensual Perspectivisation... "Laboratorie New Music: Compositeur Abstraite"

Score "Explorer, Producer, Stoic, After Your Fashion".  Pages 38-39.
Pages are sliced in four equal parts representing each of the quartet members.

Laboratorie New Music.

http://www.laboratorienewmusic.com

Listen to the Music Here:

https://soundcloud.com/bil-smith

Score Page from "Thick Channel Black Bourbon" for Solo Voice

New Laboratorie New Music Article on "Medium"

https://medium.com/p/74b32f2dbce3

"Identical Intended Comments" for Contrabassoon and Soprano Saxophone

Explorer, Producer, Stoic, After Your Fashion for String Quartet.
Bil Smith Composer.
Invited Nomination Candidate for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Music

Colophon (Performance Notes for "Explorer, Producer, Stoic, After Your Fashion"

Score "Explorer, Producer, Stoic, After Your Fashion".  Pages 38-39.
Pages are sliced in four equal parts representing each of the quartet members.

Matrix Plan for Publication.  "Explorer, Producer, Stoic, After Your Fashion"
Acetate Portable Overlay Tablature, 16 Ribbons (15 white, 1 pink)

Circular die cut into score with dice to determine sequence and
timing for each of the 16 sections.  The 16 sections are defined  by the white ribbons.

Score Pages: Explorer, Producer, Stoic, After Your Fashion

Explorer, Producer, Stoic, After Your Fashion

Explorer, Producer, Stoic, After Your Fashion.  Score pages 178-179

Explorer, Producer, Stoic, After Your Fashion.
 Page One of Colophon (Performance Notes)
with inference to Piero Manzoni to the right
(to be interpreted by the quartet with codicological structure

"Apparent Inscience of One Another's Project"
A cartographic circumfluent tablature constructed for two
instruments of converse provenance.

"Mysterious Eroticism of the Multi-Storied Car Park"
A Fanfare for Piccolo Trumpet in 'A'
Bil Smith Composer

"Delista" (Code Name) A new text score under construction
with the assistance of Siyang Lu

"Altoo" for Alto Flute and open for reinterpretation with different titles.  Whitespace.

Score Page (Loose Pages) from "Thick Channel Black Bourbon" for solo soprano

Undone
Scored for Six Isolated Instruments.
"Unlike the geometric eye of rationalized sight, which one can direct and focus at will, the physical eye, as we have seen,  (visual models are far too frequent and integral to permit so easy a dismissal) is one member of the body which does not always obey the will as it continually generates images and opacities on its own."

"Minatory Spectre for Alto Clarinet,  Alto Saxophone and Trombone

"Come Live With Me and Be My Love" 

a Circos Simulacrum of Censorship Project

"Semio": A Reappropriation of Mathias Spahlinger's "128 Erfüllte Augenblicke"  for Voice, Clarinet and Cello. Bil Smith Composer. (Page 99)

"A Pierre. Dell’azzurro silenzio, inquietum" Luigi Nono. The Score.

PDF Score

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByXT8veODB_TRGh4RzdSRnAweGc/view?usp=sharing

Dedicated to Pierre Boulez on the occasion of his 60th anniversary (on 26th March 1985), the composition A Pierre. Dell’azzurro silenzio, inquietum received its first performance on 31st March 1985 in Baden-Baden by Roberto Fabbriciani and Ciro Scarponi; the live electronics part was prepared by the Experimental Studio in Freiburg in Breisgau. 

The score was finished on 20th February 1985. The cooperation of Luigi Nono with flutists Roberto Fabbriciani and clarinettist Ciro Scarponi and their consulting in the field of instrumentation played a major role in Nono’s late output. 

The two musicians’ congenial concert performances, with the richness of harmonics of the contrabass flute and contrabass clarinet, determined the specific timbral aura of the work: it is difficult to distinguish which sounds are played by acoustic instruments and which are generated live in the electronics part. 

The composer was seeking precisely that perfect union between two types of sonority, because only then could he create that uninterrupted tissue, continuously fluctuating, characterized by an extremely subtle but insistent inner mobility. It is a sonority deployed in space and written for space, that actualizes on the threshold between sound and the “blue silence”. 

Mobility and spatiality are the two principal characteristics of the work. 

Luigi Nono did use the indication “a piú cori” on purpose in this work written for just two instruments, adopting the nomenclature of Venetian polychoral music of the Gabrielis – an indication that he used often, by the way: e.g. he called his seven instrumental groups “choirs” in 2° No hay caminos, hay que caminar… … Andrej Tarkowskij. Nono thus wrote in the short liner note to that composition:  

A few choirs ever changing  Formants of the voice – timbres –  interdynamised spaces  and some possibilities  of transformation through live electronics.  

It is the formula “a few choirs ever changing” that draws our attention. In both solo parts, whose dynamics oscillate between p and ppppp with rare incursions of mezzo forte, a continuous variability of sound emission is required, from the standard technique up to a hiss, with different participation (or lack thereof) of determined pitches, sharp “Aeolian“ tones, whistles, clusters, harmonics, occasionally with the presence of an interrupted basic “shadow tone“. 

(liner notes by Paolo Petazzi, Luigi Nono e il suono  

elettronico. 10° Festival di Milano Musica,  

Teatro Studio, 9 October 2000) 

The electronic part, determining the spatial effect of the work, helps to perceive the at times incorporeally light timbre of the instruments, transforms it and reclaims it through the use of delay, making the taped sound become an element of the natural sound. 

The delay, in fact, makes the instrumental sound perceivable even after the soloist has become silent. The fusion between acoustic instruments and electronics that is the hallmark of this work is expressed in this continuity, too.  

"Outfuse" for String Quartet

"Outfuse"

For String Quartet

Bil Smith Composer

Published by LNM Editions

Link to Full Score (PDF)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/123Mpb40ti8aZ84kaybBIzVoMb0NFTgEv/view?usp=sharing

"Dying Lords" for Alto Flute and Flugelhorn. The Complete Score

"Dying Lords" 

For Alto Flute and Flugelhorn.  

The Complete Score

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5lqYq0XwE76Zy02UFFZdFFpbDA/view?usp=sharinghttps://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5lqYq0XwE76Zy02UFFZdFFpbDA/view?usp=sharing

Commissioned by Alitalia

Premiere: Modena, Italy, September

"Dying Lords" Cover on Magnetic Silver Translucent Photofilm.  

Analysis by David Batstone.

In approaching the score for "Dying Lords"—a composition for alto flute and flugelhorn—the Impedium notational system invites us into a world of compounded presumption and bold experimentation. This score does not simply lay down a roadmap for sound; it engages in a philosophical dialogue with tradition and innovation in musical notation, pushing boundaries in ways that challenge our understanding of structure, interpretation, and agency within music.

The Impedium system is described as containing a “compounded tacrographic system,” and indeed, one feels the palpable tension between order and freedom in the notation. Tacrography, here, suggests a kind of disciplined notational shorthand, but with compounded layers, each element resists simplification. This is a notation system that reflects an institutional jurisdiction—a framework that both delineates authority over the musical material and subtly rebels against it.

Reckless Presumption and the Notation of Variability

The score’s notation exercises a reckless presumption that is almost defiant. What does it mean for a composer to presume recklessly? In the case of “Dying Lords,” it reflects a bold confidence in the capacity of variability itself. The notation suggests that the performers are not mere interpreters of static symbols, but rather co-creators whose interpretative instincts are brought to the forefront. The compounded layers of tacrographic notation do not prescribe a single, definitive path; rather, they offer a matrix of choices, a lattice through which the performer’s agency is invited to interact with the composer’s framework.

This notion of variability is not about randomness but about contingency. Each notational layer introduces potential shifts and alterations in rhythm, pitch, or timbre, acknowledging the fluid nature of sound and interpretation. Here, variability becomes a central element—not an accessory or afterthought, but a core principle embedded within the score’s very structure. In doing so, "Dying Lords" rejects the notion of a fixed musical truth in favor of a truth that is continually reinvented.

Institutional Jurisdiction and Stewardship Protocols

The term “institutional jurisdiction” applied to a musical score may seem paradoxical. What institution is being referenced here? In this context, it seems to point towards the jurisdiction of tradition and form in musical composition—a framework that gives structure but also places constraints on creation. The “stewardship protocols” embedded in the score imply a kind of guardianship over these notational elements, suggesting that certain boundaries are in place to maintain coherence. Yet, these boundaries do not exist to limit creativity but to preserve the integrity of the composition as an evolving entity.

The notion of stewardship also hints at a responsibility given to the performer. By engaging with the Impedium system, the performer is entrusted with maintaining a balance between the intended form and the inherent variability of the score. It is a responsibility that does not bind but liberates, allowing the performer to act as both custodian and innovator.

Preventing the Notation from Being Fabricated Anew

An intriguing aspect of the Impedium system is its refusal to allow the notation to be “fabricated anew.” In essence, the score resists complete reinvention. There is an underlying respect for continuity and stability within the work; each performance may differ, but it must remain within certain notational parameters that protect the identity of the piece. The notation is thus a living document, dynamic in its interpretive potential yet anchored in its fidelity to the composer’s vision.

In philosophical terms, this resistance to fabrication anew might be seen as an insistence on authenticity and integrity. The composer has not only left room for variability but has done so within a system that upholds the piece’s core identity. The composition does not permit a free-for-all re-imagining; rather, it allows for an interpretative flexibility that stays true to the foundational spirit of the work.

Eclecticism as a Method and a Philosophy

The eclectic nature of the score for “Dying Lords” is not a mere stylistic choice but a philosophical stance. By combining elements of various notational traditions within the Impedium system, the composer acknowledges the complexity of human experience and the multifaceted nature of expression. This eclectic approach challenges the performer to move between different modes of understanding, requiring them to engage with the score in an intellectually and emotionally dynamic way.

The compounded layers of tacrographic notation reflect a willingness to embrace complexity, even when it borders on the chaotic. It is as though the score is saying, “Life is not neat, so why should music be?” There is a resilience in this approach, a faith that beauty and coherence can emerge from disorder, that meaning can be forged through the process of interpretation.

In “Dying Lords,” we find a score that is at once institutional and subversive, structured and free, disciplined and wild. The Impedium system’s compounded tacrography is an invitation to reimagine the relationship between composer and performer, between notation and sound, between order and chaos. It is a work that asks us to confront our assumptions about musical authority and to embrace a more participatory, communal vision of music-making.

The notational eclecticism of “Dying Lords” ultimately invites performers into a dialogue with the unknown, challenging them to engage with contingency, to find coherence in multiplicity, and to honor a form that respects both tradition and transformation. In this way, “Dying Lords” stands as a testament to the power of music to be both grounded and transcendent, rooted in the present yet reaching toward possibilities that are continually unfolding.

"Mimetized Disasters, Dan Quayle And His Evangelist Wife In A Hotel Room". The Score and Transparencies

"Mimetized Disasters, Dan Quayle And His Evangelist Wife In A Hotel Room". Page One

"Mimetized Disasters, Dan Quayle And His Evangelist Wife In A Hotel Room". 

Instrumentation:

Euphonium

Piccolo Saxophone

(Eppelsheim - Soprillo)

Contraforte

(Eppelsheim-Wolf)

Dynoresonant 

B Flat Trumpet

The Score and Transparencies

Bil Smith Composer

A Commission from Time Warner

"Mimetized Disasters..." explores a rhythm that abandons counting, that engages with speed and duration as primary rather than secondary occurrences, and that emerges through the interface between movement and resistance and from models of force, viscosity, and friction. 

In this work, I examine some of the limitations of existing rhythmic notation and, using examples from non-geometrical’ notational approaches. I had been struggling for some time with concerns about an increasing prevalence of notational grids, and

in particular the overwhelming dominance of the horizontal and the vertical in the notation of rhythm

Hyper- Appropriation:

The (The) inevitable violation.  A perfect conversion of the objective sum and a precise allusion.

Transparency One

Transparency