Notation

So let's discuss notation some.

I think that the exactness of notation depends on how much freedom you want to give your interpreters. Since there aren't many assumed norms anymore, you sometimes NEED to write every single detail otherwise people will not be able to understand what you're trying to say. Other times you want to be vague on purpose to leave room for the interpreter to do things.

Literature examples: Grisey's Partials, Penderecki's Threnody.

How do you treat complexity/accuracy in notation? And how much information may be too much information?

I think a lot depends on what style you're writing in. Obviously, having exact notation in the more experimental stuff like the Penderecki would be torture for the performer... the notation is as exact as it has to be to produce the wanted effect, nothing more.

In a more "standard" repertoire, though, I think articulations, dynamics and accents should all be indicated to the extent that the performer gets the basic idea of the music before playing it, while still allowing for some liberties in tempo, crescendo, diminuendo, etc.

Though notation is a pretty complex affair... Could one argue that the notation for In C is too vague? Would the same amount of notation be appropriate in, say, a Chopin etude? The context has to be taken into account as well.

I approach notation in a "more than they need, but less than they want" sort of way.

That is, I give enough information to allow for successful navigation and execution, but not enough to dictate how they will play it...

It takes a lot of trust in your musicians to allow them the freedom to interpret; and also to know that they know how to do it right.

In my dealings with notation, I usually find that no performer is ever going to be satisfied with the amount of notation that you put into your score. And since performers like to complain, this is something that you will be encountered with for the rest of your compositional life.

As for notation in compositions, there are lots of different examples that you can analyze. A good place to start would be with the music of Gyorgy Ligeti, such as in his lux aeterna. That piece sounds like he could write it using graphic notation, however, he writes the music out traditionally using very very precise notation that is down to the sixteenth note.

Going further, you could look at the music of composers such as George Crumb or, as was already mentioned, Penderecki's Therenody. That shows some good examples of abstract notation.

And then the music of R. Murray Schafer is a good example of artistic notation, where you might accidentaly think that what you're looking at is a piece of art, but as you look closer, you realize that it is meant to be played.

These are various influences that I have worked with in my own music in terms of different notational styles. I'll also post two links to two pieces that I have written that use different forms of notation.

This piece uses what I call proportional notation. This means that the distance separating the notes on the page is to be used as a cue for how long the note is to be held for.

Invisible for Solo Piano - sheet music

Invisible for Solo Piano - mp3

This piece uses experimental notation (again, my term, may not be what others call it) this piece has lots of lines in it that represent the music.

Intersections for 16-part mixed choir

I don't have a recording of this because the choir's I have approached say it's too difficult to perform. There is a lesson there, write with weird notation, but make it playable.

So, these are my thoughts on notation.

Er, even if Ligeti wrote something like atmospheres in 4/4 in traditional notation, it's still meant to be inexact and, quite honestly, it often is just by the nature of what he's asking in the score. It's a different way to write the same that Penderecki did, but less graphical and sort of counter-intuitive.

Better example between the two is Berio with scores that within the same score there are different types of staffs and so on with different levels of detail and accuracy for the performer (Sequenzas III for female voice.)

I usually find that no performer is ever going to be satisfied with the amount of notation that you put into your score. And since performers like to complain, this is something that you will be encountered with for the rest of your compositional life.

:huh:

Are you sure they're complaining...or just asking questions?

If the former, fire them and stop hiring petty amateurs ;)

...seriously. I'm not sure what experiences you've had with your musicians, but honestly - I've not run into instances of excessive performer complaining. I certainly would never presume to complain about anything unless it was absolutely horrendous and illegible.

I notate my pieces as necessary to convey my intentions to the performers. That's all. If that requires very, very specific or very, very bare and vague notation, so be it.

it's always a question, how to notate the piece. Should we write a score which is easily readable or should we write a more difficult score, but show the player what kind of logic is in the piece? Great and unanswerable question.

I think my first goal is to make the score as clear as possible. It doesn't matter if YOU understand that you want this to be a certain way, if it is in any way confusing or unclear then that will ultimately slow down the process a bit.

For orchestral readings at OCU, I try to over-notate things, so it's easier on the first read. That's usually Dr. Knight's advice, and it's very useful when you only have a limited amount of time to try to procure a decent performance the first time the group reads through something.

I used to notate less, and not care so much, and say "I'll let the performer do what he or she thinks" but I've gradually been more precise, as performers were going all over the map with stuff. As I get more performances, I will be more than happy for people to play my pieces in ways I never intended, but for premier performances, I would like for it to be as close as possible to how I want it.

I will say this - I try to explain as much as possible in the performance notes, especially if there are general rules throughout the piece. If I can take something out of the actual score and put it into text before the piece even starts, I try to do that.

Well sometimes "how you want it" is really for the performer to do stuff, and there's no better way to notate that really since it's out of your hands if the performer is scraggy. That's the big danger of having improv/inexact/etc elements since you rely on your performers way more and you could also get terrible results, it's an accepted risk.