Words and Music: defining the compositional and performance practice of text scores

在过去的60年里，音乐作品的非传统记谱方法激增，创造了一种环境，在这种环境中，往往很难确定作曲家的确切目标。记号的意义充其量是可变的，表演实践和作曲策略习惯性地被无文件记录的惯例所改变，使得在不理解本地化的实践准则的情况下，几乎不可能在不确定的情况下在片段之间传递原则。该项目将侧重于文本记法的使用，即只使用文字而不是图形或常规音乐符号来标记作曲，目的是提供一种工具来解码这些惯例，适合任何对这项工作感兴趣的人使用。该项目将对广泛的文本乐谱进行分析和分类(从历史和美学角度)，目的是确定作曲家所采取的共同方法。它还将审查与这些作品相关的表演实践，以便提出实现它们的方法。将使用从作曲家、表演者、其他解说员和档案馆收集的具有重要历史意义的信息，详细讨论一系列范例，为发展对媒介的理解提供案例研究。这将在一本著作选集中呈现，其中包括关于作曲策略和演奏实践的章节，以及50首这类作品的注释范例。研究结果将使作曲家对文本乐谱的组成原理有一个清晰的了解，并使表演者培养对实现这些原则的知情态度。它将为这一被忽视的流派提供一个亟需的调查，这对音乐学家和普通读者都是有价值的。在教育背景下，越来越多提供相关领域课程(如实验音乐)的机构和在工作中使用文字符号的社区音乐家将能够受益于该资源。

Unconventional notation methods for musical compositions have proliferated over the past sixty years, creating an environment in which it is often difficult to determine the precise aims of composers. Notational meaning is at best variable, with performance practice and compositional strategies being habitually transformed by undocumented conventions, rendering it almost impossible to transfer principles between pieces with assurance without an understanding of localised codes of practice. The project will focus on the use of text notation, whereby the composition is notated solely using words and no graphic or conventional musical symbols, with the aim of providing a tool for the decoding of these conventions suitable for use by anyone with an interest in this work.The project will analyse and classify a wide range of text scores (historically and aesthetically) with the aim of determining common approaches taken by composers. It will also examine the performance practice associated with these pieces in order to present a methodology for their realisation. A series of exemplars will be discussed in detail, using historically significant information gathered from composers, performers, other commentators and archives, providing case studies for developing an understanding of the medium. This will be presented in an authored book anthology including chapters on compositional strategy and performance practice and annotated examples of fifty such pieces.The findings of the research will enable composers to develop a clear understanding of the principles of text score composition, and performers to foster an informed attitude to their realisation. It will provide a much needed survey of this neglected genre which will be of value to musicologists and general readers alike. In an educational context, the increasing number of institutions who offer courses in related areas (such as experimental music) and community musicians using text notation in their work will be able to benefit from the resource.