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PAPERS |
-Conference Programme now available-
Aims and Objectives of the Conference
This conference aims to provide a better understanding
and conceptualisation of music notation before and after the period of Common Practice.
It is obvious even to the casual observer that there are striking similarities
in the visual appearance between the earliest forms of Western chant notation
(starting in the 9th century) and some forms of experimental graphic notation of
the 20th century. Whilst this is generally acknowledged by scholars and
composers, it remains to be explored whether the phenomenological analogies go
beyond superficial resemblance. A thorough comparison has been hindered by the
specialisation of musicologists (who tend to be experts on either medieval or
20th-century music), resulting in a pronounced lack of dialogue both amongst
each other and with composers and performers (both of medieval and of
contemporary music) – the practitioners of such musical notation.
The conference breaks new ground not only in
investigating a widely significant, yet little understood topic, but also in
bringing together for the first time experts who are often separated within
their respective fields of knowledge (historical musicologists, contemporary
musicologists, composers, and performers). The objective is to provide a forum for discussion among
these various groups, to exchange research and ideas, and to foster a better understanding
of the underlying principles and practical ramifications of non-conventional
music notation.
Exploration and scrutiny of the topic will
take form on various levels during the conference: The connection between
visual art and music, the methodology and performance of non-conventional
notations, and comparisons between approaches in individual musical works.
This will be achieved through 30 papers
given by postgraduate students and experts and 2 workshops representing
specialized groups in early and new music. The conference will be held in
conjunction with the Bangor New Music Festival which will feature new
compositions by composers performed by the BBC NOW to provide an empirical
testing ground for the hypotheses and discussions held at the conference.
Although directed primarily at postgraduate
students, the conference will encourage other pupils interested in
non-conventional music notation to attend workshops. The workshops will include
exploration of works both in performance practice and methodologies applied in
both eras, exposing students to concepts otherwise not introduced in their
respective programs, enhancing their understanding and appreciation of music.
Contacts between postgraduate students and recognized
scholars will help to establish an informed academic discourse regarding this
new approach. The conference will thus
provide a vital impetus for a dialogue between music of our own generation and
that of many centuries past.