Improvisation-Generated Composition

Abstract

It is a common practice in the realm of free-improvised music to create large-scale and highly structured performances while maintaining the complete spontaneity and freedom of improvisation. It is also common practice in the realm of contemporary composition to have free-improvisation elements within the confines of a through-composed piece of music. With this project, I explored the usage of free-improvisation as both a generative tool with which to create compositional material, and a constant element through the duration of the piece. The result is a piece that has a very specific, and defined formal construction, while remaining gestural. However, it utilizes free-improvisation, and the long term development of ensemble cohesion to execute all elements of the form without the use of fully specified music notation. The result was a complex piece of music containing many levels of construction and control, while remaining open enough for the musicians to vary many aspect of their playing based on moment to moment decision-making skills honed by free improvisation.