Page 134 - Composing Processes and Artistic Agency

Musicological perspectives on composing 123

5) supplying the model with the “right parameters”– trying out many
different variants within a formal part;
6) transposing for the respective instrument (which can be electronic).
7) Diastematic settings always emerge during the composing process and are
usually derived from sound ideas.
8) A final work is created in an “asymptotic process of convergence”
between the computer-calculated structural variants and the composer’s
proper experience and power of imagination as well as the interleaving of
local and global processes.

Obviously, the similarity of the two models cannot hide the fact that sig-
nificant differences may yet appear on the convoluted paths of the composing
process. Moreover, Essl has an incomparably greater repertoire of electronic
resources at his disposal, whose relevance for the way the work’s genesis
unfolds must also be taken into consideration (see below).
Some contemporary composers also appear to be inspired by the idea of
artistic research, which has been much discussed recently. To name just one
example, the composer Marco Stroppa (2012) grapples not only with his
artistic activity in the strict sense, but also with cognitive psychology, IT and
artificial intelligence to enable himself to delve into the practice of composing as
comprehensively as possible.

4.1.4 Recent scholarly observations on the process of composing as a whole
Since the millennium, an increasing number of studies on the entire composing
process have been published that are not – or not exclusively – interested in
interpreting the final product. In the Anglo-American world, there are several
earlier analyses as well. Many of these, however, had a paedagogical motive
and aimed to create “measurable” prerequisites for specific tasks (e.g. inventing
a melody), which puts them in the category of laboratory studies (Collins
2005: 196–199; Collins & Dunn 2011: 47–76).
The more extensive studies focusing on artworks (e.g. Collins 2005; Donin
2009; Donin & Féron 2012) tackle their task energetically. They employ not
only all available written documents (notes, sketches, drafts and the score) but
also sound files, the composers’ work protocols, interviews and, in some cases,
video recordings as well. By integrating theories of creativity and different
approaches to psychological research, they mainly develop a comprehensive
theoretical framework that is intended to serve as the basis for interpreting
the often substantial wealth of material. Analyses of this kind have been
favoured recently, not least because a growing number of composers have
themselves been interested in this research, as previously mentioned. For
instance, when Stephen McAdams (2004) explored the genesis of the piece
“The Angel of Death” by the American composer Roger Reynolds, his work
was not only supported by the artist’s very methodical and easy-to-document
way of working. Right from the start, Reynolds had also kept all documents