Page 52 - Composing Processes and Artistic Agency

The topography of composing work 41

composition. Through their action-structuring effect, these objects create an
objectivised counterpart, almost a partner in an interaction, which makes the
composers’ composing visible, audible and tangible for them – in short: dis-
coverable to the senses. Alongside their useful function as tools, musical
instruments, computers and writing materials also develop a creative-epis-
temic function in the context of certain actions – for example, the sensory and
experimental handling of instruments or different kinds of paper.

1.4 Immaterial objects: discourses, notation systems, algorithms
and software
We use the expression “immaterial objects” to refer to music-aesthetics dis-
courses, notation systems, algorithms and software. They are immaterial because
their existence cannot be reduced to physical characteristics. At the same time, in
practice they are always realised as signs, for instances as texts, sketches (Notate),
scores and programming, fixed on material supports such as paper, hard drives
or USB sticks. Clearly, an algorithm does not exist only through its representa-
tion on a computer screen, any more than a notation system is represented by
ink molecules on paper (see Faulkner & Runde 2010; Lando et al. 2008). Texts,
music notations and algorithms also need to be considered as symbols: as a
verbal language, notation system or programming language, whose respective
effectiveness is anchored in the relevant practices – reading, writing and inter-
preting. Algorithms, scores and texts are designed to fulfilcertain defined tasks
(e.g. calculating, representing, fixing, ordering, developing or portraying some-
thing, instructing people, coordinating orchestra members). They are thus a
kind of purposive tool. However, unlike material objects, they are not imme-
diately to hand. It is for this reason that we also designate immaterial objects as
cognitive tools (see Windsor & de Bézenac 2012).
Our concept of cognitive tools follows the theory of Lev Vygotzky. James
Wertsch (2007: 178) wrote of Vygotzky:

In his view, a hallmark of human consciousness is that it is associated with
the use of tools, especially “psychological tools” or “signs”. Instead of acting
in a direct, unmediated way in the social and physical world, our contact with
the world is indirect or mediated by signs […]. It is because humans inter-
nalise forms of mediation provided by particular cultural, historical, and
institutional forces that their mental functioning is sociohistorically situated.

Vygotzky primarily focuses on verbal language. But many people also learn
other kinds of languages during their lifetimes, for example mathematical,
musical sign or programming languages. Vera John-Steiner (1995) developed
the concept of “cognitive pluralism” to describe this phenomenon, a concept
which can be applied to composers as well. Katharina Klement often works
with graphic representations of sounds. For one composition, she drew
coloured geometrical shapes on several transparencies (see Figure 1.3). She