Abstract:
Embodied Music Composition: Uncovering Layers of Meaning Through a Collaborative Process By Matthew Steckler, Ph.D. (Lead Investigator) Co-Investigators: Eric Platz, M.Mus.; Leanne Zacharias, DMA; Jeff Presslaff, M.A.;Keith Price, M.Mus.; Matt Kozicki, B.Mus. (pending) This research examines the lived experience of improvisers working within various social play spaces in a process of embodied composition. Co-Investigators (C.I.s) were part of the process of creating the Lead Investigator’s (L.I.) new work and, in so doing, were exposed to new approaches in music making. The new work, Long Time Ago Rumble, retained the identity of the composer, but incorporated real embodied sound and gesture early in the process, asked more of the performers in terms of interpreting a given conceptual framework, and allowed the subsequent editing stages of the piece to draw upon qualitative data that C.I.s helped produce. This data, the play spaces, included: field recordings, journals, ‘pre-scores’ for guided improvisation, studio recording & mixing, post-production audio processing & bricolage, and a post-process interview. The resultant work – which combined musique concrète pieces from the study with other traditionally through-composed pieces - was coherent yet flexible with regard to formal design, and open to expanded possibilities for improvisation and variety with each performance. Moreover, the study uncovered new meanings in an emergent work through the lens of multiple participant perspectives on a process, by way of a phenomenological methodology that combined both transcendental and hermeneutic approaches. All these testimonies brought to bear a rich plurality of insight on the essence of collaborative music creation, from the vantage of professionals working in an industry shaped by late capitalism.