Stormy Weather

QUOTE:

"Recently, I have begun translating weather data collected in cities into musical scores, which are then translated into sculptures as well as being a source for collaboration with musicians. These pieces are not only devices that map meteorological conditions of a specific time and place, but are also functional musical scores to be played by musicians. While musicians have freedom to interpret, they are asked not to change the essential relationship of the notes to ensure that what is still heard is indeed the meteorological relationship of weather data."

UNQUOTE

Nathalie Miebach works across disciplines like it's her job. You can see more scores, sculptures, and hear the music realized on her website.

Collect Call

Collecting musical autographs and manuscripts. That sounds like a nice (/expensive) hobby.
Stefan Zweig owned a collection of almost 4,000 - most of which are now held by and displayed at the British Library. Read all about it. And he wasn't even a musician.

(via AMS in the news)

Time Has Told Me

University of Cincinnati Library, you are my favorite. Thank you for digitizing all two hundred and forty-two intact pages of the Spanish Antiphoner, a 16th-century book of Gregorian chants for choir. How beautiful!

(via bibliodyssey)

We'll Play It Again

Have I mentioned once or twice or seventeen times that I get to take an ENTIRE COURSE on notation next fall? Madison, Madison, be still my heart.

For your daily dose of minimalism, check out the original scores for Steve Reich's "Pendulum Music," Philip Glass' "1 + 1 for One Player & Amplified Table-Top," and LaMonte Young's "Notes on Continuous Periodic Composite Sound Waveform Environment Realizations."

(courtesy of ubuweb)

Let's Have Some Fun / This Beat Is Sick

Fluxus scores are endlessly amusing! Let me show you:

Choice 9
Robert Bozzi
1966
Two performers fight between themselves using two violins as if the violins were swords, axes, or clubs.

Shower II
Ben Vautier
1962
A performer sits on a chair in the center of the stage holding a fire hose and does nothing. On hearing the audience begin to complain, he shouts "Go!" The water is turned on. The performer soaks the audience.

Concerto for Solo Piano and Performer
Albert M. Fine
Date Unknown
Performer removes a different item from himself for each of the 88 notes: top hat, tie, shoe laces, pen, handkerchief, etc.

For La Monte Young
Emmett Williams
1962
Performer asks if La Monte Young is in the audience.

Playmate
Larry Miller
1969(89)
Teeter-totter with your own weight in carrots.


You can get your own copy of the Fluxus Performance Workbook (online, for free).

Parallel Lines / Move So Fast

These are really gorgeous: Marco Fusinato's visual take on scores by contemporary composers. You should check out the whole series. (Really you should.)





(via swissmiss)

If We're Keeping Score / We're All Choir Boys At Best

It's worth a closer look: here.

And...there's a performance of this piece on youtube! It begins with a (mostly, sometimes) humorous introduction - the actual music starts at 4:14.

Paint It Black

Notations 21 is an anthology of graphic scores. It's beautiful! Now if only I was gainfully employed...

Examples:

(Steve Roden)


(Makoto Nomura)

You can see more of the scores (and read about the inspiration behind them) here.