STRUCTURE AND INTERPRETATION OF MUSIC CONCEPTS ============================================== Final Project ============= Due: Feb 13, 03 The final project for this course is based on the music concepts formulateed in class, and music schemata presented along the course. The concepts and schemata should be used for performing a music activity. Following are 2 project proposals. You are also free to suggest a topic of your own (but it should be approved). 1. ALGORITHMIC COMPOSITION WITH SERIAL OPERATIONS, CONSTRAINED BY NATURAL SCHEMATA. ========================================================================= A. Preparatory operations -- sequence operations in different dimensions and contexts: SHIFT OPERATIONS: ----------------- a. Write ADDITION for pitch-classes and for tonal-pitch-classes. For tonal-pitch-classes write also scale-dependent shift (defined in tonal-music-base.scm -- to be provided). b. Write TRANSPOSE for a sequence of pitch-classes, tonal-pitch-classes, pitches and tonal-pitches. c. Write a scale-dependent shift for sequences of tonal-pitch-classes and tonal-pitches (defined in tonal-music-base.scm -- to be provided). d. Write an EXPAND/REDUCE operation for temporal-patterns and metered-rhythms. There is an alternative, harder shift operation for the time dimension: Shifting the rhythm-tree along the temporal pattern. Use it if you wish. RETROGRADE and INVERSION: ------------------------- e. Write the RETROGRADE (reverse) operation on the pitch and time dimensions. Use scale-dependent shift for tonal-pitch-classes and tonal-pitches. f. Write the INVERSION (mirror) operation on the pitch dimension. Can you think of a time analogue for this operation? COMBINATION: ------------ g. Write combination operations for sequences of (tonal)-pitch-classes and for metered-rhythms. B. Temporal structures constructors from a pitch-sequence and a metered-rhythm: Provide an appropriate constructor. You can use the one you constructed in Assignment 3. You just need to handle the case of different length sequence and rhythm. Use duplication or time-interval division for that purpose. C. Natural schemata directed composition: -------------------------------------- a. Decide on mood characterizations such as: Calm, tense, excited, predictive, stationary. Put your characterization on a mood scale. Allow for secondary moods by introducing grades for each mood label. b. Consider the curve schemata described in Dalia's writings. Attach a mood characterization(s) to each curve. Consider also the concurrence/nonconcurrence schema, and how it strengthens/weakens the mood characterizations. Determine mood characterization for sequences of (tonal)-pitch-classes and metered-rhythms, based on their curves. Note that secondary mood characterizations are mainly relative. That is, if an X-typed curve has mood M, then given 2 X-typed curves you can relate them by observing one as beeing relatively higher M than the other. c. Write mood-decision procedures for sequences of (tonal)-pitch-classes and (tonal)-pitches, and metered-rhythms. Note that the serial operations might also change the mood characterization of an input sequence. Further note that combination of pitch-sequences or rhythms might yield a sequence/rhythm with a new mood. Actually -- we might have a mood-combinator. d. Write mood-parameterized (tonal)-pitch-class-sequence and metered-rhythm constructors. SUGGESTED COMPOSITION METHOD (not mandatory): --------------------------------------------- 1. Decide on a high level structure, following the 2^n schema. Note that you can allow some deviation from the schema, but it contributes to the overall excitement. 2. Decide on a desired mood for the whole piece, and associate it with an appropriate mood curve -- following entry C.b above. 3. Now you are in a position to "orchestrate" your piece according to the specified mood. You can populate the piece components with temporal structures obtained from a pool of pitch-class sequences and rhythms, using the serial operations, and following the specified moods. 4. Use special cases of temporal structures (sub-classes) to enforce repetition, if desired -- can be used as a mood preserving operation. METHOD APPLICATION: ------------------- 5. Apply your composition technique in the following cases: a. Pure Dodecaphony: A single 12 length pitch-class sequence that is obtained randomly. Serial operations are not aloud to break the pitch-class sequence. b. Non orthodox dodecaphony: A single pitch-class sequence of any length, introduced manually. Furthermore, the serial operations can be twisted to allow imprecise transfposition, retrograde or inversion. c. Apply your composition technique in the tonal domain, using tonal arithmetics based serial operations, i.e., scale-dependent shift instead of transpose. The pool of pitch-class-sequences and metered-rhythms can be introduced manually. Serial operations can be applied to combined components. d. Change the diatonic selection to the 2 other possibilities (not selected in the western Music), and apply your composition technique. 2. Generation of Palestrina's music following style rules formulated by Dalia Cohen ============================================================================= Dalia Cohen has formulated a set of rules intended to characterize Palestrina's style. It is now desirable to study the completeness property of the set. That is, does the set provide a complete characterization of Palestrina's style. In order to undertake this project, we need to formulate the rules suggested by Dalia using the concepts introduced in class and try to compose Palestrina's music with them. For the purpose of the project, only a sample of the rules can be tested.