Spectromorphology Flashcards
1
Q
Spectro-morphology
A
Concentrates on the spectrum and its shaping over time
2
Q
Electroacoustic arts
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Musical exploration and extensions of sounding models through signal processing and synthesis
3
Q
Perceptual affinity
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Partnership between composer and listener in aural perception
4
Q
Mimesis
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Involvement in music, representation of imitation of the real world in art/literature
5
Q
Reduced Listening
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- Charting spectromorphological process, ignoring how sound was made or caused
- Analytical and aesthetic attitude as investigative strategy
6
Q
Abstract/Concrete
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Both elements present in all sounds
7
Q
1.Spectral Typology
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Note-Node-Noise
Note to noise continuum
8
Q
1a. Note
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- Note proper: traditional pitch perceptional, fundamental is more important than spectrum
- Harmonic Spectrum: Harmonic relationships of the spectrum, less fundamental pitch, when spectral fusion is reduced I.e. overtone singing
- Inharmonic Spectrum: Internal behaviours of components in inharmonic spectra, resisting spectral fusion (i.e. metallic sounds)
9
Q
1aa. Note proper
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Traditional pitch perceptional, fundamental is more important than spectrum
10
Q
1ab. Harmonic spectrum
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Harmonic relationships of the spectrum, less fundamental pitch, when spectral fusion is reduced (i.e. overtone singing)
11
Q
1ac. Inharmonic spectrum
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Internal behaviours of components in inharmonic spectra, resisting spectral fusion (i.e. metallic sounds)
12
Q
1b. Node
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- Nodal spectrum: band or knot of sound resisting pitch identification. (eg. sound densities whose compactness makes pitch structure unclear)
- Lies toward noise boundary of note-noise continuum
- Examples are cymbal heard at a distance, note cluster
13
Q
1c. Noise
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- Noise spectrum: Impossible to hear any internal pitch structure
- Partials are dense and compressed (I.e. wind, sea)
14
Q
Pitch-effluvium continuum
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- Effluvium: Ear can no longer resolve spectra into component pitches
- Follows momentum of external shaping, increased spectral density and compression
15
Q
Morphology
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- Temporal shaping
- Instrumental notes, sounds in natural world
- Aural experience monitored by spectral and dynamic profiles in relations to energy
16
Q
- Morphological Archetypes
A
- Attack-impulse
- Attack-decay (Closed or open)
- Graduated continuant
17
Q
2a. Attack-impulse
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- Single detached note, produced by sudden onset and sudden termination
18
Q
2b. Attack-decay
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- Attack onset extended by resonance (eg. bell or plucked string)
- Closed attack decay: Quick decay, strong attack
- Open attack decay: More gradual decay, drawn to continuing behaviour of sound on way to termination, phases: attack, decay, termination
19
Q
2c. Graduated continuant
A
- Sustained instrumental sounds,
- graduated onset/continuant phase/graduated termination
20
Q
- Morphological Models
A
- Attack-impulse archetype
- Closed attack-decay archetype (reversed form)
- Open attack-decay archetype (reversed form)
- Linear attack-decay (reversed form)
- Linear graduated continuant
- Swelled graduated continuant
- Graduated continuant archetype
21
Q
Correspondence
A
- Point where a morphological shift takes place: a morphological modulation
- Idea or expectations can be changed in music to frustrate
22
Q
Morphological Strings
A
- Linking or merging of morphologies to create hybrids
- Types: Open continuant phases, merged correspondences through cross fading, reversed onset-terminations leading to new onsets
23
Q
Attack-effluvium continuum
A
- Temporal counterpart of pitch-effluvium continuum, ear does not resolve the separate components, turns to morphologies of the larger structural motion
- Four principal points:
1. Separated attack-impulses
2. Iteration
3. Grain
4. Effluvial state
24
Q
- Motion/Motion Typology
A
- Music is motion in time
- Applies to different structural levels/time scales (gesture external contouring vs. texture internal behaviour
- Motion types always imply a direction/orientation
25
4a. Linear
- Unidirectional: ascent-descent-plane
- bi-directional: divergence/convergence, dilation/contraction
- Refraction: linear motion deflected off course, changes of angle in direction that can become curvilinear
26
4b. Curvilinear
1. Three phases: ascent-peak-descent OR descent-trough-ascent
2. Reciprocal
3. centric/cyclic
4. eccentric/multidirectional
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4bb. Reciprocal
- Motion in one direction balances by reciprocation in opposite direction
- Types:
1. parabola/inverted parabola (eg. thrown or bounced motion)
2. oscillation: curvilinear oscillation between two points
3. undulation: shapes of varied dimensions tracing motions (eg. surface of ocean as waves pass)
4. convolution: complex interweaving of motion shapes (eg. surface of lake as waves from boats intersect)
28
4bc. Centric/cyclic
- Radiating from centre or converging on it
- Doesn't have to be exact repetitions
- Types:
1. centrifugence/centripetence: sounds flying off from centre or towards centre
2. pericentricity: motion around a centre
3. vortex: movement of particles around axis
4. helix: spiral shape, implies acceleration or deceleration
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4bd. Eccentric/Multi-directional
- Lack of central focus
- Multi-direction: expansion of linear divergence/convergence developed toward eccentricity
- Growth processes: transformations where morphological outcome is radically different from initial state
- Types:
1. accumulation: exogeny (additions to exterior of sound) vs. endogeny (growth from within)
2. dissipation
3. confraction: breaking up into smaller fragments
4. conglomeration: forming of compact mass or object from fragments
30
Motion Style
- Delineates boundaries affecting internal motion
- Types:
1. synchrony/asynchrony: whether components act together or individually
2. Continuity/discontinuity: continuous or non-continuous flow of music
3. conjunction/disjunction: contouring is evenly or unevenly graduated
4. periodicity/aperiodicity: Regular or not motion change
31
Categories of internal motion design (Motion Style)
1. Flocked motion: individual components behave in coherent groups, is monomorphological, ear follows entire flock
2. Streamed motion: concurrent flow of motion that maintain their separate identity
3. Contorted motion: components entangled and considered whole, is polymorphological
32
Ways of Motion Styles
1. Monomorphological: made up of a single morphological type
| 2. Polymorphological: made of a mixture of morphologies
33
Stable pitch-space settings
- Linear and consistent tessitura, doesn't have to have internal consistent motion
- Other events may occur within space
- Canopied: activity beneath high pitched area
- Rooted: activity above low pitch (eg. drones, pedal points)
- Framed: Combination of canopied and rooted
- Centred-pivoted: Central reference or pivot of musical activity
34
Canopied (Pitch-Space)
Activity beneath high pitched area
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Rooted (Pitch-Space)
Activity above low pitch (eg. drones, pedal points)
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Framed (Pitch-Space)
Combination of canopied and rooted
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Centred-pivoted (Pitch-Space)
Central reference or pivot of musical activity
38
Spectral Texture (Pitch-Space)
- Vertical distribution of constituent parts or components in pitch-space
- Fusion and diffusion/dispersal
- Opacity and Transparency
- Occupying sites within boundaries of pitch-space
- Spectral weighting
39
Opacity (Pitch-Space)
state where effluvial criteria block out detail
40
Transparency (Pitch-Space)
Opens up textural spaces to create spatial clarity
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Sites (Pitch-Space)
Place within the pitch-space boundary that has a dimension (eg. pitch, localization)
42
Spectral Weighting (Pitch-Space)
- Textures may be weighted in favour of another site
| - Factors: spectral type, morphology, dynamic prominence, component between textural gaps, dimensions of spaces
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Structuring Processes
1. Level and focus, structures should be multi-levelled
2. Switch perception through range of levels
3. Fractured hierarchies of various temporal dimensions
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Gesture and texture (Structuring)
- structuring strategies that work in consort (collaborative)
- share structural workload
- structures can be gesture-carried or texture-carried
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Gesture
- Intangible link with human activity
- Action directed away from previous goal
- Application of energy and its consequences
- Intervention, growth, progress; Causality
46
Texture
- Internal behaviour patterns, energy directed inwards
| - Self-propogating, continues behaving
47
Surrogacy
- Mechanisms where musical texture and gesture are linked to their sources
- First Order Surrogacy
- Second Order Surrogacy
- Remote Surrogacy
- Dislocated surrogacy
48
First Order Surrogacy
Human link by use of instrument, associated with exertion or physical energy
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Second Order Surrogacy
Instrumental cause cannot exist, energetic, maintains human link by sound alone
50
Remote Surrogacy
Physical cause cannot be deduced, only a psychological interpretation
51
Dislocated surrogacy
No direct gestural ties, challenge for listener as in the remoteness of sound and human link
52
Structural Functions
- Three linked temporal phases, morphological design (onset, continuant, termination)
as models of time passing
53
Termination (Structural Function)
- Plane: Ambiguous, stable as goal
- Immersion
- Release
- Resolution
- Closure
54
Continuant (Structural Function)
- Maintenance: what has been set in course continues
- Statement
- Prolongation: Stretching as continuity
- Transition: Intermediate stage between functions
55
Termination (Structural Function)
- Plane: Ambiguous, stable as goal
- Immersion
- Release
- Resolution
- Closure
56
Structural Levels (Structural Function)
Dependent on aural focus and structural unveiling
Order:
- Local Scale
- Regional Functions
- Global functions: reassessment of structure in light of whole experience
57
Function Chains (Structural Function)
- Linking of material with different structural functions
| - Attribution may change from start to end depending on evolution
58
Function Weighting (Structural Function)
- is varied to create balance of temporal stress
59
Structural Relationships
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- relationship of structural components, how independent components interact
Types:
- Interaction/Equality
- Reaction/Inequality
- Interpolation
```
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Interaction/Equality (Structural Relationships)
- Means cooperation
| - confluence and reciprocity
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Reaction/Inequality (Structural Relationships)
- Degree of active-passive role playing
| - Competition and causality
62
Interpolation (Structural Relationships)
- Interruption or change at a stroke
- Vicissitude: Progression, one element willingly gives place to the next
- Displacement: Progression by displacement, one event resists batwing replaced
63
Spectral space
- texture suggest spatial analogies
| - equilibrium of spatial spread
64
Time as space
- Spectral motion is perceived in time
65
Resonance
- Inner space
| - Resonance structures: stretch out new imagined resonances that can stretch into fantasy
66
Spatial articulation
- outer/realistic/fictitious space where sound structure interacts and inhabits
- Spatial trajectories: reflect gestures
- Spatial distribution: reflects textures
67
Spatial articulation aspects
- setting: real/fictitious, dimensions (open/confined)
- behaviour: stationary/moving (distribution/trajectory)
- Spatio-morphology: morphology set in a sequence of spaces, no change in shape,, change may occur in space
68
Transference
- listening environment
- music transferred by loudspeakers to new acoustic space
- sound diffusion
- reinterpretation of musical structure within performance space
