Graphic/Non-Traditional Notation

Unlike non-traditional or graphic notation, traditional notation functions like an alphabet - it has been atomized into a system of standard replaceable parts that have a musical meaning only when grouped together in some pattern (Smith and Smith 1981)

- For example: a single solitary crotchet beat has no real significance. Yet when joined by a 5 line staff and treble clef it becomes a musical note.

Non-Traditional/Graphic Notation can be symbols, pictures or text which convey information about the performance of the piece of music.

3 Major Types

● Graphic Scores

- music represented through symbols or illustrations.

- can find influence of conventional notation

- shapes associated with articulation and dynamics

- score represents a graph: pitch range veritcal axis and time-scale as horizontal axis (Grove Music)

- can be combined with conventional notation within a score (see STOCKHAUSEN Nr. 12 Kontakte

• BROWN,E - December 1952
• CARDEW, C - from Treatise
• STOCKHAUSEN, K - Nr. 12 Kontakte

● Prose Scores

- music and directions written as text, interpretation up to performer

● Line Staves

- shows relative pitch, the actual pitch decided upon performance

• BROWN, E - Nine Rarebits
• CAGE, J - Solo For Sliding Trombone

Why Non-Traditional/Graphic Notation?

 Aleatory or Indeterminate Music

- music whose composition and/or performance is undetermined by the composer

 A belief that traditional notation can not express or describe the complexity and subtlety of the desired sound

 To find ‘process’ mobility in the work – the work as an endlessly transforming and generating ‘organism’ (BROWN p199)

 To evoke a musical response from the performer by non-specific analogy rather than direct instruction

Representative composers:

EARLE BROWN

• created the first pictorial music notation (Folio 1950/51)
• influenced by visual artist Jackson Pollock "it looked like what I wanted to hear" (pg 196, 1986)

[http://www.earle-brown.org/archive.focus.php?id=8]

JOHN CAGE

• experimental composer, musical philosopher
• introduced aleatory (chance) techniques into his music
• "it is better to make a piece of music than to perform one" (Cage, Silence, 1961)

KARLHEINZ STOCKHAUSEN

• studied with Messiaen, influenced by Webern
• specialist genre: serial and electronic music
• created the ideal of 'moment time'

More Representative Composers

• Cornelius Cardew
• George Crumb
• Morton Feldman
• György Ligeti
• Krzysztof Penderecki
• Christian Wolff

SOURCES

• Smith, S. and Smith S. (1981). Visual Music. Perspectives of New Music 20:1/2, 75-93.
• Brown, E. (1986). The Notation and Performance of New Music. Musical Quarterly 72:2, 180-201.
• Dempster, S. (1994) The Modern Trombone: A definition if Its Idioms, Athens, Ohio, Accura Music, Inc.
• Pope, S. (1986). Music Notations and the Representation of Musical Structure and Knowledge. Perspectives of New Music 24:2, 156-89.
• Wade-Matthews, M. and Thompson, W. (2003) The Encyclopedia of Music, Instruments of the orchestra and great composers, London, Anness Publishing Ltd.
• Grove article section - from entry on aleatory
• Grove entry on notation - section on graphic notation
• Wikipedia entry on graphic notation
• Cage, J. and Knowles, A. (1969) Notations. New York : Something Else Press Available in UQ music library.