Exegesis (BA--Art and Design) -- AUT University, 2005. / Print copy accompanied by CD. Includes bibliographical references. Also held in print ( [36] leaves. : col. ill. ; 16 x 30 cm. + CD) in City Campus Collection ( T 780.148 SHA )

A portfolio of electronic music compositions employing adaptable controllers, graphic notation, and custom software performance environments. The portfolio is comprised of scores, recordings, and supporting software and audio files for the following: Short Circuit; Sample & Hold; Mute | Solo; NCTRN; Radio | Silence; and Please use the tramps provided. Supplementary files include alternative audio and video recordings of some of the works listed above, additional software documentation, and a video recording of a structured improvisation featuring the controllers and software used in this portfolio.

This thesis discusses my new sound drawing practice and its development throughout the course of my practice-based PhD research at Brunel School of Arts. “Sound drawing” is a general term that I have chosen to use to describe a body of visual artworks that instigated the composition of soundscapes as well as the design of an audiovisual performance instrument. I will start by giving a clear picture of the musical and visual arts background that led up to my current sound drawing practice. Then I will go through the individual works created between 2008 and 2012 that have contributed the most to the development of sound drawing. I will discuss how performance sketches ... (2009) instigated the shift from composing graphic scores to sound drawing when I was confronted with drawing my graphic scores in real time. In 31 (sound) studies on paper (2010-2011), the sound drawing process began to mature through a closer examination of the visual imagery, drawing materials, physical gestures and the overall sound production. As I started to develop solo performance projects based on my sound drawing practice, I looked back to the compositions projection-reaction (2008-2009) and de (re)construction (2009) which suggested how I might return to using the medium of video. My most recent work, drawalineandlistentoit and R=15 (2012), seems to constitute a point where all the different strands in my works of the preceding four years come together to produce an intricate collaboration between sound, image and performer. Working with the sound drawings within a performance context, a registration of the sonic event occurs, a form of score is created – and at the same time sound is mixing and moving into the space through the audio software Plogue Bidule, while a visual projection is constructed in realtimev through the VPT software.

This thesis is comprised of a portfolio of musical compositions with accompanying media and a written commentary. In each of the seven compositions, the timbral palettes of musical instruments have been expanded through unconventional physical manipulation. The written commentary presents, in detail, specific examples of how this has been achieved. Alongside descriptions of the work in question, select aspects of other composers' music that approach a similar aesthetic are also referred to. In addition, the fundamental role technology has played in the creation or realisation of certain pieces is addressed. Also included are descriptions of the various customised notational systems used throughout the portfolio. It is outlined how each of these systems has been constructed in a clear and practical manner and, where possible, has incorporated elements derived from the lingua franca in order to communicate the required information as efficiently as possible to the performers.

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The Darmstadt Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik (IFNM) contributed to the rise of solo multiple percussion music and compositional techniques found in early repertoire, including graphic notation and indeterminacy. John Cage wrote the first solo multiple percussion work (27' 10.554" for a Percussionist) in 1956, two years before he became involved at the Darmstadt IFNM. Cage then delivered a lecture at the courses in 1958 about indeterminacy, and the next year (1959) Stockhausen composed the second work for solo multiple percussion—Nr. 9 Zyklus—for the IFNM. In the same year, Stockhausen also delivered a lecture about graphic notation. Seven years later in 1966, Helmut Lachenmann—who was active at the IFNM since 1957—composed Intérieur I für einen Schlagzeugsolisten which utilizes graphic notation and indeterminacy. The three pieces by Cage, Stockhausen and Lachenmann will be examined in regards to how they employ graphic notation and indeterminacy and similarities and differences in how these techniques are used will be cited.

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This document contains a synopsis of Toshi Ichiyanagi’s compositional style, a discussion of his musical philosophy, and an analysis of Trio Webster. Ichiyanagi is a renowned Japanese composer who studied in New York under John Cage’s mentorship. He is also the first composer to introduce Cage’s concept of chance operation to Japanese society. Trio Webster realizes the true exchange of Western and Eastern cultures, and it is accomplished because of Ichiyanagi’s unique experience and philosophy as an international composer. The concept of Japanese classical music and Japanese aesthetics are observed in Trio Webster which is the basis for the depth of the work. Eastern concepts, especially Japanese, can be ambiguous and may be difficult for Westerners to fully appreciate. This study shows the cosmos beyond the practical analysis of Trio Webster and is meant to serve as a guide for those who will perform the works of Ichiyanagi, especially Trio Webster, in the future. This study was facilitated through research and interviews with Ichiyanagi and members of the Webster Trio. Ichiyanagi’s interview is included as an appendix to this document.