Electronic music evokes new sensations; feelings; and thoughts in both composers and listeners. Opening the door to an unlimited universe of sound; it engages spatialization as an integral aspect of composition and focuses on sound transformation as a core structural strategy. In this new domain; pitch occurs as a flowing and ephemeral substance that can be bent; modulated; or dissolved into noise. Similarly; time occurs not merely as a fixed duration subdivided by ratios; but as a plastic medium that can be generated; modulated; reversed; warped; scrambled; and granulated. Envelope and waveform undulations on all time scales interweave to generate form. The power of algorithmic methods amplify the capabilities of music technology. Taken together; these constitute game-changing possibilities.This convergence of technical and aesthetic trends prompts the need for a new text focused on the opportunities of a sound oriented; multiscale approach to composition of electronic music. Sound oriented means a practice that takes place in the presence of sound. Multiscale means an approach that takes into account the perceptual and physical reality of multiple; interacting time scales-each of which can be composed. After more than a century of research and development; now is an appropriate moment to step back and reevaluate all that has changed under the ground of artistic practice.Composing Electronic Music outlines a new theory of composition based on the toolkit of electronic music techniques. The theory consists of a framework of concepts and a vocabulary of terms describing musical materials; their transformation; and their organization. Central to this discourse is the notion of narrative structure in composition-how sounds are born; interact; transform; and die. It presents a guidebook: a tour of facts; history; commentary; opinions; and pointers to interesting ideas and new possibilities to consider and explore.
2015-06-30 2015-06-30File Name: B010PC9B2U
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