[Seven by Nine Squares home page
] [tENTATIVELY]
[Neoist Path]
Melody (temporarily defined as a sequence of distinguishable pitches) is often
emphasized as "essential" for the making of "Music" (temporarily defined as an
organization of sound for, at least partially, "esthetic" purposes). To
paraphrase composer Christian Wolff, melody may even be largely "inescapable"
as long as it exists conceptually because most, if not all, sequences can be
imagined within its context. For Example: starting with the premise that
what's perceived as a distinguishable pitch varies with the perceiver's ability
to distinguish, a hypothetical listener might hear a "texturally dense" sound
in which the "main" change that establishes a "sequence" may be something as
subtle as the changing of 1 harmonic (only) as a "melody" (what's
defined as "1 harmonic" being too much to go into for these purposes) while
another listener might just conceive of the same sound as undifferentiated
"noise". Therefore, if 1 accepts that a "distinguishable pitch" can be any
sound (or, ultimately, anything), any sequence can be
accepted (or heard, felt, whatever, etc..) as a Melody. Of course, some people
will, "understandably" be opposed to this reduction (or expansion) of "melody"
to a synonymn of "sequence" - maintaining that the word must be more specific
in order to retain any value.
ANYWAY, I'm more interested in organizing sound for non-"esthetic"
purposes - hence I use the term "Usic" (or "Usi(") to describe most of my
constructions with sound. As such, I'm more interested in getting away from
musical concepts as much as possible in order to encourage the listener to
re-think the structures that they impose on their hearings (for example:
calling something a "melody" as only 1 of an infinite amount of potential
"callings"). However, taking into consideration the idea expressed in my loose
paraphrase of Christian Wolff, I've become somewhat fascinated with exploiting
the "sophisticated"/"imaginative" musician's ability to perceive sequences
within the cohering context of "melody". It's as a challenge to this ability
that the following melod(y/ies) as been d composed.
Introduce this Melody with the above preface. Play 1 distinguishable &
constant unit of sound in which no pitch or tone change can be heard (ideally).
This sound can be "short" or "long" (etc..). Explain that the next part of the
melody will be played 10 years later. Create a mailing list of all the
(willing to be included) audience members present at the playing of the 1st
"note" of the melody. Try to stay in contact with these entities. Notify them
of the date/time/place of the playing of the 2nd "note" of this Melody - enough
in advance to give them all sufficient chance to attend the playing of this
"note" but not so far in advance that they will've forgotten about it by the
time the playing occurs. Try to play the 2nd "note" fairly exactly 10 years
after the playing of the 1st "note". Introduce the playing of the 2nd "note"
in much the same way as the introducing of the 1st "note" - with further
mention of the "history" of this Melody - perhaps elaborating (or even
drastically varying, etc..) on the original preface. Don't restrict the
audience to the original audience. Repeat the same procedure for the 3rd &
4th "notes" (etc..). If you desire to have this Melody "outlive" you, make
provisions to have the presentation of the Melody occur in spite of your
"death". Record the Melody. Recording can be accomplished in various ways
including only recording the "notes" "back-to-back", recording the "notes"
& "everything" in between them, only recording the "notes" - but not
"back-to-back" - that is: having "blank" recordings separating the "notes"..
Etc..
Same as Melody #1 with the interval between "notes" being 1 month.
Same as Melody #1 with the interval between "notes" being 1 week.
Same as Melody #1 with the interval between t `notes" being any interval that
seems to serve the purpose of encouraging the perceiver to cohere together
units that they might not mentally join together otherwise because of their
difficulty with "grasping" the interval.
Same as Melody #1 with the interval between the "notes" being whatever interval
separates issues of the magazine. Encourage speculation about what future
notes of the Melody will be. Publish as many of the speculations as you think
the project merits or as interest you. Call the 1st "note": "MELODY #5 (for
MUSICWORKS) - Note #1", the 2nd: "MELODY #5 (for MUSICWORKS) - Note #2", etc..
- tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - february,
1991(ev)..
(updated for MUSICWORKS - february, 1995(ev)..)