EXPERIMENTAL IMPROVISATION PRACTISE AND NOTATION

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EXPERIMENTAL IMPROVISATION PRACTISE AND NOTATION. AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY. ADDENDA 2000-

by Carl Bergstrøm-Nielsen

Last revised:

This is a continuation of the previous large bibliography with its more than 650 entries which ended with the publishing year of 1999 (apart from some very few exceptions, please see note 1) in that text). This one solely lists works and literature published from 2000 and on, while newly discovered addenda to the other one are included there.

If you are here for the first time or if you are doing a general literature search, be sure to see the really large one here.

See some imagined FAQs here!

In the event that an URL is no longer active, you may try www.gigablast.com with its "wayback machine" which can in some cases find old material, even after many years.

I've taken a more relaxed approach to this addenda list than to the other bibliography. It aims less towards being exhaustive, in the relative meaning of making sure I get all I think may be important to some degree, not that exhaustiveness really could exist in an absolute sense. There is much less systematic search of databases etc.(see the remarks before each category in the "Appendix" section in the large bibliography). Therefore, those who search should even more here not refrain from making their own investigations! It must also be noted that not only are databases better updated now than at the time of completion of the big bibliography, but they might have grown both more, bigger and more comprehensive. This could be an open field for further research, certainly also into materials dating before 2000.

Readers are welcome to suggest new material (here), but I reserve the right to decide about possible inclusion, with views to both quality and the limitations of the scope of this list (for instance, it deals exclusively with music).

Items here appear with their category codes between (parenthesis), distinguishing the new list from the old.

Don't forget to look up the "see also" references at the beginning of thematic sections - one writing may have several virtues ;-)

CLASSIFICATION SURVEY

This system has been employed for classifying the subjects (taken over from the 1945-1999 bibliography):

VARIABLE WORKS AND AURAL SCORES

WRITINGS

OTHER

A. EDITIONS OF WORKS AND AURAL SCORES

A1. 13 representative examples (annotated)

A2.1. Some relevant independently published composers (Danish and foreign). A checklist.

A2.2. Some Danish and foreign anthologies/series/collections.

A2.2.1 SELECTED PUBLISHED WORKS (new category)

A3. Danish works.

A4. Aural scores (both foreign and Danish)

B WORKS AND AURAL SCORES HAVING BEEN PUBLISHED IN EXTENSO, BUT NOT AS INDEPENDENT EDITIONS

B1. Improvisation recipes by students of Aalborg University

B2. Various works published in Denmark

B3. Various foreign works

B4. Aural scores (both danish and foreign; annotated)

C: WORKS AND AURAL SCORES, PARTS OF WHICH HAVE BEEN QUOTED IN PUBLICATIONS

C1. Danish / publ. in Denmark

C2. Foreign

D. UNPUBLISHED WORKS AND AURAL SCORES

D1. Various works - Danish and foreign

D2. An annotated selection of compositions by Niels Viggo Bentzon available at Edition Wilhelm Hansen

E. WRITINGS ON NOTATION

E1. General and large writings

E2. Specific themes

E3. The "Bent Lorentzen - debate" 1987-88

F. COLLECTIONS OF EXERCISES, WRITINGS AND MUSIC WORKS FOR EDUCATIONAL USE

F1.1 Collections of exercises and related writings

F1.2 Lilli Friedemann

F1.3 Gertrud Meyer-Denkmann

F2 Miscellaneous writings

F3 Music works for educational use, collections of such works and series

G. WRITINGS ON IMPROVISED MUSIC

G1.1 General surveys and general history

G1.2 Periodicals, specialised

G1.3 Periodicals, general

G2.1 Documentation, reports and discussion concerning specific improvisors, groups, works, events, tendencies

G2.2 Stockhausen

G2.3 Zorn

G2.4 Earle Brown's December 52

G2.5 Wolff

G3 General philosopy, aesthetics, music theory and music analysis

G4 Psychology

G5 Miscellaneous writings

H. OTHER WRITINGS.

H1 General accounts of music history, dealing thoroghly with themes concerning new notation forms and/or improvisation

H2.1 Bibliographic and discographic literature

H2.1.1 Publisher's catalogues

H2.2 Biographcal literature

H3.1 Literature on music therapy

H3.2 Writings related to the teaching of Intuitive Music and Graphic Notation at Aalborg University and other places

H4 Miscellaneous other writings

I. RECORDINGS (only a restricted category here)

I1. Variable works and music played from recipes

I2. Free improvisations

J. ELECTRONIC ADDRESSES AND RELATED

J1.1. Selected internet addresses

J1.2: On Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies on the internet

J2. CD-ROM

K.EXHIBITIONS OF NEW NOTATIONS AND THEIR CATALOGUES

a) Copied from Davies (1986B;E1)

b) Some further exhibitions and catalogues

L. EDDIE PREVOST ON ASSOCIATION OF IMPROVISING MUSICIANS

M. A SHORTLIST OF RECOMMENDED WRITINGS

VARIABLE WORKS AND AURAL SCORES

A. EDITIONS OF WORKS AND AURAL SCORES

(a2.2.1) SELECTED PUBLISHED WORKS (new category)

(a2.2.1)/ Ames, Anke: Bast Siegel, Dortmund (Musikverlag Manfred Weiss) 2005.

For music and dance. 40 sheets, some of them in colours. Texts in English and German.

(a2.2)/ Ames, Anke: Gaia. Kompositionen für improvisors, Dortmund (Musikverlag Manfred Weiss) 2003.

Collection of open compositions. Graphics and German texts.

(a2.2.1)/ Broetzmann, Peter: Signs. A card game, 2002.

A collection of cards in a box with various fantasy-stimulating suggestions. Made for an exhibition at Ystad Art Museum, Sweden in a number of 120 copies. Contact email: broetz@wtal.de

A2.2. SOME DANISH AND FOREIGN ANTHOLOGIES/SERIES/COLLECTIONS.

(a2.2)/ See also: Bergstroem-Nielsen (g3;2007)

(a2.2)/ Stockhausen, Karlheinz; von Hintzenstern, Michael: Booklet for Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 17.1, 2005.

This booklet contains reprints of 6 out of the 17 pieces notated with texts contained in the collection For Times to Come (1970, publ. 1976): Shortening - Awake - Halt - Presentiment - Inside - Wawes. Also a short article by Michael von Hintzenstern on the history of this ensemble, the collaboration with Stockhausen over the years and a report of the work preceding these recordings.

A4. Aural scores (both foreign and Danish)

(a4)/ Damgaard, Lisbeth: Aural score for Pade, Else Marie: Symphonie Magnetophonique (1958), in: Bruland, Inge: Else Marie Pade og Symphonie Magnetophonique. biografi, interviews, lyttepartitur, partitur, cd, Museum Tusculanum Press (University of Copenhagen) 2006.

The aural score is also available (with sound) at http://open- space.dacapo-records.dk/music/play/symphonie_magnetophonique/" (www.open space.dk)

B WORKS AND AURAL SCORES HAVING BEEN PUBLISHED IN EXTENSO, BUT NOT AS INDEPENDENT EDITIONS

B3. VARIOUS FOREIGN WORKS

(b3)/See also ringgespräch (2004; G2.1).

C: WORKS AND AURAL SCORES, PARTS OF WHICH HAVE BEEN QUOTED IN PUBLICATIONS

(c2)/See also ringgespräch (2004; G2.1).

D. UNPUBLISHED WORKS AND AURAL SCORES

(d1)/ Wilson, Peter Niklas: "Ohne Titel" [posthumous - für Kontrabasquartett und Ensemble (2001)], MusikTexte 99, Dezember, 2003.

A plan to play from. Wilson was both musician and writer about improvised music.

WRITINGS

E. WRITINGS ON NOTATION

(e2)/ Jahn, Hans-Peter: "Zur Qualität des Gedächtnisverlusts. Fesseln der Notation", MusikTexte 109, Mai, 2006.

One of the papers from the Notation Congress Berlin December 2005. The author makes the statement that playing from traditional notation presupposes loss of memory. This action sets the musician free to give shape to the music. Also many small free spaces appear, from one note to the next, creating "paradises of freedom". This is contrasted with the situation of improvising and its "sloppy regulations" (p.21). That which is notated is compared to a crash barrier on a motorway, whereas the music consists of all that which is not notated. This is contrasted to the situation of improvisation: "In improvisation there are no such crash barriers. There are only agreements and random happy moments of a musical logic, as well as the randomness of collectively composed cogency", p.21.

This is an interesting contribution to comparatively discussing characteristics of improvisation and composition, because the author sets forth a coherent view of what is the interpreter's co-creating role when playing from traditional notation. At the same time, there is analysis enough of elements of improvisation to yield substance to his discussion. An additional delight is the extraordinarily brilliant rhetorics.

One possible critical question to this article could be concerned with how small the free spaces have to be according to the author in order to be interesting? When do they cease to be "paradises" and instead become "sloppy"? This question seems important because so many experimental notations devise free spaces of many sizes, often bigger than traditional note-to-note ones while still maintaning something seemingly comparable to the "crash barrier" mentioned in the article - you may for instance think of Earle Brown, as well as of many others.

(e2)/ Lukoszevieze, Anton: "Die Welt als Musik durchwandern. Der US-amerikanische Komponist Philip Corner", MusikTexte 99, Dezember, 2003.

Comments on graphic and verbal music works with several examples. P.C. got additional inspiration for his work with graphic notations during a stay in Korea.

(e2)/ Möller, Torsten: "Im Zeichen der Konsolidierung. Der Berliner Notationskongress 2005 - Notation zwischen Norm und Excess", MusikTExte 108, p.80,, 2006.

The author reports from a notation congress having a narrow focus centered on traditional notation and analyzes how this perspective might be widened out.

(e2)/ Möller, Torsten - Shim, Kunsu - Stäbler, Gerhard: SoundVisions, Saarbrücken (Pfau) 2005.

An inspiration for this book was the very classic book Notations, compiled by John Cage (a2.2 1969). And in one of several introductory articles preceding this collection of notation samples, Paul Attivello deplores that new notations of the Darmstadt generations were put aside by more conservative notation trends. Composers like Sylvano Bussotti, Aldo Clementi, Franco Evangelisti, Roman Haubenstock-Ramati, Mauricio Kagel, Anestis Logothetis and Dieter Schnebel deserved more attention according to this author. But despite these statements, this book contains mostly music notated in the standard way, sometimes with sketches being more interesting than final results when seen from a visual aesthetic point of view. Some exceptions, besides realisation scores from electronic music, are instances of innovative notations by Anton Lukoszevieze born 1956 (free graphic notation), Alwynne Pritchard born 1968 (mobile), Yuji Takahashi born 1938 (free graphic notation), as well as use of optical notation by Vykintas Baltakas born 1972, Aldo Clementi and a complete sound poem by Josef Anton Riedl born 1927. There is no accounting for the criteria of selection of composers. As a catalogue of contemporary music quite generally this book could serve as a reference work or as a work for browsing through, with its inclusion of 153 living composers and biographical notes of each one. All editorial texts are in both English and German, and texts accompanying the composition samples are in English. But the reader seeking information about innovative notations is likely to be disappointed. There must be much more around - at least in the corners....

e2/ Trescher, Margret: "Cornelius Cardews "Treatise" und die Gruppe AMM", MusikTexte 86/87, November, 2000. Please see the 1945-1999 bibliography in which this item has been listed as a special exception.

(e2)/ Wilson, Peter Niklas: "Die weisse Leinwand. Notitzen zum Verhältnis von Bildender Kunst und improvisierte Musik" in: MusikTexte 100, Februar, 2004.

Deals among other things with action painting, giving ´inspiration to improvisors Phil Minton and Keith Rowe and with graphc scores, dealing with Cardew: Treatise as a prime example

(e2)/ Woolman, Mat: Sonic Graphics. Seeing sound, London (Thames and Hudson) 2000.

Deals with several kinds of visual design related to sound, among others CD covers. Music notation is touched upon in one chapter, quoting Paolo Motta and text compositions (with layout) by Stephen Montague (probably previously unpublished pieces in both cases).

F. COLLECTIONS OF EXERCISES, WRITINGS AND MUSIC WORKS FOR EDUCATIONAL USE

F1.1 COLLECTIONS OF EXERCISES AND RELATED WRITINGS

(f1.1)/ See also: Bergstroem-Nielsen (2007;G3)

(f1.1)/ See also: Rüdiger et al (2004;F2)

(f1.1)/ Agrell, Jeffrey: Improvisation Games for Classical Musicians. 500+ non jazz games for performers, educators and everyone else, Chicago (GIA Publications) 2008.

The notion of game within improvised music has established itself during recent decades. Also often called "exercises" or maybe "pieces", the genre in question here concerns propositions of ideas/guidelines/rules for getting started, or for advanced explorations of possibilities. This collection was explicitly made for classical musicians, and tempo, meter, scales, motivic development and ABA as well as other classic form schemes are frequently referred to, however along with other dimensions of timbre, dynamics and polyphonic texture, for instance. Improvisation being perhaps more common in experimental than in classical music (except with organists), this book seems to fill a large gap. And if "classical" musicians became more interested in improvisation, perhaps the gap between "classical" and "experimental" would shrink or become more bridged.

The book is a creative explosion coming from an author who played the French Horn in a symphony orchestra for a quarter century without ever improvising on it. But in his second career as a horn professor at the University of Iowa, he turned to exploring how to use the instrument in improvisation.

The collection is very extensive as the number of games, 500+, mentioned in the subtitle already suggests. And so is the build up of different chapters and sections.

Even the introduction is multi layered. After the starting section, "why improvise", a number of sections follow with advice to specified target groups. Then come ideas on principles and elements of training.

The main part of the book starts out with general reflections and advice relating to the games. Then comes chapters with "Quick start improvisation game favourites" with sections devoted to solo or different numbers of players. Next two hundred pages describe twenty four additional categories of games. Each category comes with a small informative introduction, and they are in total: warm up games, rhythm games, accent games, dynamics games, melody games, form games, harmony games, bass line games, aural games, nontraditional score games, conducting games, energy/mood games, texture games, timbre games, composition games, depiction games, technique games, accompaniment games, style games, text games, storytelling games, miscellaneous games, improv set ups and extended combination games.

To round up, there is a third part with "Ressources", providing various lists of musical materials and dimensions, a section on composition for improvisors, and more. And yes, the games are then indexed, not just in one list in alphabetical order, but in various ways by chapter and number of players four indices in all.

As mentioned, the main focus of this collection is "classical", but experimentally oriented improvisors and composers may pick up a lot of good ideas too. The same goes for jazz players who will have less immediate reservation to block forms etc. Whether classical or nor, music has many dimensions, and such things as nontraditional scores, texture, timbre and more is also dealt with here. In this context could also be mentioned a category like "depiction games" which does not designate directly which musical elements to use.

In my own experimental improvisation context, traditionally sounding material may also occur, be it in an encounter with different musicians or resulting from collective invention. Agrell's suggestions could inspire me to reach beyond stereotypes here. For instance, he mentions several times the "Oom Pah" march character which so often will turn up working with beginners and occasionally also later on and gives ideas how to sophisticate it and go beyond this cliché.

"Conducting games" encourages people's own creative use of conducted improvisation which looks like a healthy thing. This phenomenon became known from the pioneers Butch Morris and Walter Thompson (reference is made to the latter in this book), and use of their specific systems is not the only possible way to practise conduction.

Here are some samples:

OOM PAH MARCH

Two players. One player plays an oom pah rhythm on steps one and five on beats one and three of a measure in cut time. Player Two improvises a march over this accompaniment. Try different kinds of marches: slow, fast, quirky, and/or minor.

Give the oom pah more interesting rhythms, such as the 3 + 3 + 2 clave or other Latin rhythms.

Have the bass descend on scale steps 1 7 6 5 (in C: C B A G).

DOODLE MUSIC

Two to four players. Player One makes flamboyant doodles on a piece of paper, then Player Two adds to the drawing. Take one minute or less in total. Next both play the piece, giving it an evocative title such as "The Mysterious Life of a Humpback Whale" or "My New Shoes Are Too Small."

Repeat with three players, using "Revenge of the Bacteria" as the title.

Repeat with four players, using "Cobras, Pythons, and Me" as the title.

Repeat all with new titles.

This is hardly a book one can "read through", rather a pool of ideas to return to for inspiration again and again. A weighty contribution to the field of "improvisation exercise collections" (category F1.1 in this bibliographic system), a tour de force as to systematic mapping of a universe of games, and a must-have for so many libraries at music departments at colleges, universitites etc.

(f1.1)/ Ausländer, Peter: Experimentelles Musik- und Tanztheater in der schulmusikalischen Praxis und in der kulturellen Jugendarbeit, Landesarbeitsgemeinschaft Spiel und Theater NRW e.V, Vlotho 1997.

Includes a printing of the open composition PLAY III by Johannes Fritsch.

(f1.1)/ Stenger-Stein, Gabriele: "Spontaneität und Wachsamkeit. Improvisation - als Weg und als Ziel? Improvisation im Instrumentalunterricht, i Ringgespräch über Gruppenimprovisation, März, 2000.

A large collection of exercises included.

F2 MISCELLANEOUS WRITINGS

(f2)/See also: Borgo (2005;G1.1)

(f2)/ See also Funk-Aydemir (g3;2006)

(f2)/ Rüdiger, Wolfgang; Gagel, Reinhard (ed.): Ensembleleitung neue Kammermusik. Dokumentation und Arbeitshilfe des Modellprojekts, Bonn (VdM Verlag - www.musikschulen.de) 2004.

This book accounts for a "model project" undertaken by VdM - Association of German Music Schools - having the aim to set up a new in-service training programme. The course took place during 4 short periods during the span of one and a half year and ended with an examination featuring several kinds of presentations.

During the first period, open works which were graphically and verbally notated and written for variable instrumentation were presented to participants and worked with in practise. At the second, a multitude of projects which participants had carried through at their own schools were presented, taking inspiration from the open works presented, but working out further their own ideas. Then, at the third period, activity turned to a practical study of concert works by new music composers, so as to take inspiration from the variety within experimental music in general.

An important section of the book features presentations by 13 participants - written versions of those given at the course, many of them with excellent ideas and detailed accounts of methodical work.

In addition, the book contains lists of relevant open works for educational use - recent ones, composed after 1990 - both for specific instruments and for open ensemble. They come with annotations making it possible to judge whether they might fit into specific needs and with contact information about composers and publishers. Various documenation of information material, press articles and short biographies and contact information of contributors make up the last part of the book.

This is an inspiring account of what can be done through training of dedicated professionals, along with being a useful book for practioners by virtue of the good ideas and proposals as well as the bibliographical lists of playing material. For those engaged in improvisation and creative cooperation in performance of music in general, it can be especially delightful to experience a new music context taking this dimension as the real basis and working on it in depth while at the same time also taking inspiration from detailed studies of the important cultural context of new music. It avoids the pitfalls of accepting the dogmas of metric note-writing as the only notation and of the isolated composer - which might entail a bias towards a passive listeners' role since this could limit practical playing a lot.

An interesting detail to mention could be the long list of characteristics of "New music in its improvised and compositional variety" that came out of common discussions during the second period (p.13). It could be a possible source of inspiration for cultural and educational strategies. The beginning reads:

"- associates to basic human experience and makes people sensitive for them. It makes them conscious and structures them into an artistic form; because of this, it can also be perceived as fascinating within everyday life.

- takes up basic body expression with which every human comminicates since being born: breathing, voice, gesture, body movement etc..." (...)"

Contributors other than the editors were: Geisenberger, Beate; Guntermann, Fred; Grümmer, Ulla; Hinz, Sylvia; Krauss, Hans; Jones, Ivan; Laubenberger, Jutta; Loof, Birgit; Nessling, Lisa; Karstens, Thomas; Schmoeckel, Stefanie; Schreiber, Gudula; Schelski; Uhl, Stephan.

G. WRITINGS ON IMPROVISED MUSIC

G1.1 GENERAL SURVEYS AND
GENERAL HISTORY

(g1.1)/ Borgo, David: Sync or Swarm. NY/London (Continuum), 2005. May be purchased with or without a CD.

This book sets out to explore the area within contemporary sciences dealing with ”chaos” phenomena, focusing on their possible usefulness for describing improvised music in its complexity.

It also makes a most useful music history summary related to improvised music and, in addition, features various documentation related to Evan Parker.

Written in what seems to be an informal style of popular science writing, one has to probe a little into the chapters to find out what they are all about, even if the author is indeed an assistant professor working at the “Critical Studies and Experimental Practises” program at University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and the discussions in the book also take place in close interaction with literature which is documented carefully in the notes and in the large bibliography.

Thus, after initial introductions, we find that the second chapter titled with the poetic circumscription “Reverence for Uncertainty” deals with the history of improvised music and discusses some issues of essential interest: the views of performers, of listeners, and issues related to recording and to criticism.

These 22 pages seem to be one of the best introductions written so far to this field of music for students and other interested readers. Starting-point is jazz and how its improvisation aspect has been both restricted and re-activated during history. The author moves on to mentioning developments of composed music since Schoenberg, extending into Cage’s ‘indeterminacy’ and Stockhausen’s ‘intuitive music’. Summarizing this, the author states this information-packed sentence: “These and other modern compositional approaches do vary considerably in their details and individual composers often express extremely different views on the importance and validity of improvisation, but these new approaches did significantly expand the scope and definition of “compositon” as a practise”.

The author next plunges into an extensive discussion of the diverse existing views of improvised music and its culture. One of the many comparisons made is between Evan Parker and Derek Bailey, bringing up issues which concern how much the music should assert an individual style and the cultural context with which the improviser identifies himself – and how much an aesthetic exploration in its own terms. Just one reason why I find this discussion illuminating is because the challenge posed by “afrologists” like George Lewis (please see Lewis (1996; G3) in the 1945-1999 bibliography.) is taken a step further for general considerations – not just for or against Lewis’ views but in the direction of possible re-thinking of cultural identities generally.

The subsection “Experiencing Uncertainty” deals with listening to improvised music. Reference is made to several views stressing the importance of shared knowledge between performers and audience that the music is created here and now. Other views concern the absence of form references and the creative role of the listener following from that, the description of different basic kinds of listening, the importance of listening with a non-traditional focus (which could be textures or the changing appearances of figure/ground/field), and discussions around the terminology with which to describe the multi-cultural, pluralist interaction aspect. This last topic is an important one but might perhaps better have appeared under general attitudes to improvised music, not being specific to listening.

Next subsection “Documenting Uncertainty” deals with recording practise. The reservations made by many improvisers are mentioned, and contrasted to Martin Davidson’s view (director of English Emanem Records) that improvisation (probably because not being repeatable) deserves and needs it more than composed music. Mention is further made on different attitudes among improvisers on editing and adding recorded material. And of the practical advantages of recording – keeping up a tradition, getting to know each other and making understanding easier because it allows for repeated listening. Improvised music may be seen as a “post-literate”, oral tradition. Missing copyright and royalties recognition is mentioned here as an example of how improvised music is still not recognized by the common cultural norms.

At the end of these 22 pages on improvised music (“Reverence for Uncertainty” with subsections), its general development and some main areas of discussion specific to it, we find a final subsection on written improvised music criticism, “Evaluating Uncertainty”. Ensemble rapport and general formal properties of the music may appear as criteria employed. Mention is also made of Couldry’s concepts of virtuosity specific to improvised music (please see Couldry (1995; G1.1) in the 1945-1999 bibliography) and of extended techniques as something that can commented by critics.

The chapter “The embodied mind” deals with notions of mind and body as an interrelated entity rather than a “cognitivistic” view of the mind being in charge and commanding the body to act. Quotations about Evan Parkers’ solo playing by Parker himself and others are taken in to extensively illustrate this point (and there is a short bio of Parker as well).

Chapter “Rivers of consciousness” presents the thesis that improvised music has till now failed to arise academic attention comparable to that of composed music partly because of lack of technological tools, but more importantly, because of its non-linear character. The field of “dynamic systems theory” in mathematics is mentioned and a trio with Sam Rivers is analyzed. In a conclusion, the role of “momentum” (staying where you are) and “inertia” (letting yourself be moved) in playing and their balance is discussed.

Rolf Bader is a German specialist in computer analysis of music. He is not named a co-author of the book, but his contributions form the main basis of chapter 5, “On the Edge of Chaos”. It presents his analysis of improvised performances by Parker, Sam Rivers Trio, Peter Brötzman, and Art Ensemble of Chicago. Measurements took place with intervals of 50 milliseconds, and harmonic overtone components, inharmonic frequencies being part of the sound, along with “any large amplitude modulations” (including those caused by pause occurrences, at end of phrases and elsewhere). The resulting graphic diagrams depict variations in complexity as defined beforehand. This is what the authors label “fractal correlation” although the “fractal” dimension of this is perhaps more to be found in some metaphorical layer than in the actual analysis.

This chapter also has an illuminating quote from an unpublished lecture by George Lewis from 2003, about the underlying sociological and historical reasons for jazz being more centred around individual expression than the European avant-garde and Cage, which might well have been placed in the music history chapter instead. It seems to explain the background of Lewis’ manifesto-like critic (please see reference above) and it goes like this: “After three hundred years of the very real silence of violence and terror, rather than a freely chosen conceptual silence of four minutes or so, one can well imagine the newly freed African-American slaves developing a music in which each person is encouraged to speak, without conflict between individual expression and collective consciousness. In contrast to this notion of improvisation as a human birthright, a simple response to conditions, an embodied practice central to existence and being in the world, Cage's Puritanical description of improvisation contrasted the image of a heroic, mystically ego-driven Romantic improvisor, imprisoned by his own will, with the detached, disengaged, purely ego-transcending artist who simply lets sounds be themselves.” (p.88).

The same chapter also relates an example of chaotic dynamics presenting a challenge even to those accustomed to free improvisation a performance in which singer Sainko Namchylak demonstrated against allegedly not being treated professionally by the organizers of the Guelph Jazz Festival 2003. She expressed that verbally and was then singing with arms folded acress her chest, looking from time to time at her watch, and repeating the same melody for half an hour, while the two other musicians developed a duo in the more "normal" way. The organizers interrupted the concert but after a "collective uproar" from the audience, the music was later resumed. An interesting internet discussion afterwards revealed a true multitude of views on this, some of which saw it as musically captivating.

The sixth chapter, "Sync and Swarm", tells of a "new science of sync" (=synchronization) studied by "biologists, physicists, mathematicians, astronomers, engineers, sociologists and artists". Swarm behaviour by fireflies, ants and bees reveal differentiated forms of swarm behaviour without a leader. Improvised music follows similar patterns. Sync occurs here at start and ending, as "transient sync" when coming together in conspicuous ways and as persistent sync. Studies of "swarm intelligence" in ants have lead to improving telecommunications traffic routing. One list of characteristics of swarm self organization cited (by Bonabeau, Théraulaz and Dorigoo at a Santa Fe institute a physicist, a biologist and an engineer) reads as follows: "1) forms of positive feedback, 2) forms of negative feedback, 3) a degree of randomness or error, and finally 4) multiple interactions of multiple entities" (p.143). Computer simulation has been employed as a research method. Statistics and analysis of the World Wide Web also reveal structures of interrelations between its enormous numbers of pages.

The last chapter, "Harnessing Complexity" treats improvisation teaching and possible strategies for empowering students. It also mentions Zorn's game pieces.

(G1.1)/ Mikael Fischer, Mikael: Some thoughts on a history of improvised music in Europe. In English and japanese, 2007. Lecture held at Soundplay Festival 2007, Japan. A short concise overview referring to Noglik and Wilson. English version: http://homepage1.nifty.com/ERuKa/cmf/cmf2007_HistoryOfEuroImpro_e.html Japanese version: http://homepage1.nifty.com/ERuKa/cmf/cmf2007_HistoryOfEuroImpro_j.html

(g1.1)/ Jenkins, Todd S.: An Encyclopedia of Jazz and Free Improvisation, Westport, Conn. / London (Greenwood Press) 2004.

The chapter "The Path to Freedom" has a good, detailed account of new jazz developments from the American perspective, extending into European free music, making it an important writing on these parts of music history. Credit is also given to backgrounds in experimental composition, although probably with a few misunderstandings of the role of Cage who seems in practise to be rather unknown to the author - he states, for instance, that he used "aleatoric (chance) procedures such as hand signals or cue cards" (p.xxxiv)

g1.1/ Riikonen, Hannu T.: 1960 luku ja uusi tapa improvisoida. Nykymusiikin improvisaatioliikkeen piirissä vallinneista improvisaatiokäsityksistä. [1960's and a new way to improvise Concepts about improvisation among the contemporary music' improvisation movement]. Lisensiaatintutkimus. Turun yliopisto, Taiteiden tutkimuksen laitos, musiikkitiede, huhtikuu 2000. Licentiate dissertation, Turku (Finland), 2000. Turku University Library. Please see the 1945-1999 bibliography in which this item has been listed as a special exception.

Title of this licentiate paper means "1960 and a new way to improvise - Concepts about improvisation among the contemporary music's improvisation movement".

g1.2/ Gränslöst. Magasin för samtida musik., 1995-2000. Please see the 1945-1999 bibliography in which this item has been listed.

g1.2/ Hurly Burly, 1997-2001. Please see the 1945-1999 bibliography in which this item has been listed.

g1.2/ Rubberneck, 1985-2000. Please see the 1945-1999 bibliography in which this item has been listed.

g1.3/ The Wire, 1982-. Please see the 1945-1999 bibliography in which this item has been listed.

G2.1 DOCUMENTATION, REPORTS AND DISCUSSION CONCERNING SPECIFIC IMPROVISORS, GROUPS, WORKS, EVENTS, TENDENCIES

(G2.1)/See also: Borgo (2005;G1.1) (Evan Parker)

(g2.1)/ See also Lukoszevieze (2003;G2.1).

(g2.1)/ See also Schwabe (2001;G5).

(g2.1)/ See also Stockhausen, Hintzenstern (a2.2)

(g2.1)/ Andersson, Magnus: Interview with Christian Wolff, Nutida Musik 2, 2007.

From a public interview at the festival "Open Form A Paradigm of the Arts", Oslo in March 2007. The interview deals with the nature of open form music, Wolff explains that this is about openness in performance, not just the use of chance. Further, it deals with the work Edges by Wolff (see Wolff(1969;A1) in the 1945 99 bibliography!) according to Wolff one of his most open works and presupposing experience with improvisation. Some more themes brought up by the interviewer are whether open form music is more difficult to listen to than traditional music and whether the experience is a more intellectual one. Wolff's answer to the latter question is negative, for him the physical experience of the sound is the most important. The article contains also a good factbox explaining the meaning of such terms as indeterminate, chance, aleatoric, open form and open art work.

g2.1/ Bell, Clive (ed.): LMC...the first 25 years. Resonance 8:2 + 9:1 (double issue, with double CD), special issue on London Musicians' Collective, 2000. LOGOS BRIT.LIBR. Please see the 1945-1999 bibliography in which this item has been listed as a special exception.

(g2.1)/ Furnell, Rebecca: Declaring Independence: New Experiments and the Political Music of Frederic Rzewski. MA Thesis, Univ. of Manchester, 2000.

About Rzewski and Cardew (Rzewski advised Cardew not to do the Treatise project) and Sound Pool Events.

(g2.1)/ "Person [memories and obituaries concerning Peter Niklas Wilson]", MusikTexte 99, Dezember, 2003.

Contributions by many improvisors and others.

(g2.1)/ "Person [memories and obituaries concerning Peter Niklas Wilson]", MusikTexte 99, Dezember, 2003.

Contributions by many improvisors and others

(g2.1)/ Anderson, Christine: Review: "Torsten Wagner und Nuova Consonanza", Musiktexte 103, August, 2004.

(g2.1)/ Bergstrøm-Nielsen, Carl: "Offene Komposition und andere Künste". Bidrag til "Themenschwerpunkt: Improvisieren nach Konzepten", ringgespräch über gruppenimprovisation LXVIII, juni, 2002.

About the activity in Danish Group for Intuitive Music and other similar groups as well as in the teaching at Aalborg University. Discussion of this composition form.

(g2.1)/ Collins, Nicolas (ed.): "Not nescessarily English Music", special issue Leonardo Music Journal 11, 2001.

In his introduction, the editor describes experimental tendencies of the UK since 1960 and on as a "golden age". There was a lively and independent activity both in free jazz and other kinds of experimental music, and a distinctive feature was its pluralism, which disregarded former distinctions between high and low art, composer and performer, and more. The movement was uncommercial, and it needs to be better documented.

Below, selected articles are summarized.

In "The arrival of a new musical aesthetic: Extracts from a half-buried diary", Eddie Prèvost, himself an important figure in the development of improvised music, outlines a personal outlook. This touches on influental groupings such as Spontaneous Music Ensemble, Music Improvisation Compay, AMM, Cornelius Cardew and John Tilbury. Tilbury introduced American indeterminate music to English audiences and Cardew's background in conservatory studies and activity himself as a conservatory teacher also contributed to exchange on various levels. Further, The London Musician's Cooperative [not the same as London Musician's Collective but perhaps a forerunner], associated with The Little Theatre Club and the names of Derek Bailey, Even Parker, John Stevens, Trevor Watts, Paul Lytton, Tony Oxley, Howard Riley and Barry Guy - as well as the Scratch Orchestra.

Matthew Sansom, in "Imagining music: abstract expressionism and free improvisation", views free improvisation from the side of composed experimental music in its general development and draws parallels to abstract expressionism in painting and its forerunner, surrealism.

Hugh Davies accounts for the history of the live electronic music ensemble Gentle Fire in "Gentle Fire: An early approach to live electronic music". This group played mainly open compositions by a variety of composers. Verbally notated cokmpositions by Stockhausen (and Sternklang) were among them, and there was a special collaboration with this composer, Davies having been his assistant earlier. The importance of this ensemble for the open composition music form is illustrated by the fact that a total of 28 different composers were performed (including ones by ensemble members but excluding collective compositions by the ensemble), and 100 works with 245 performances during the lifetime of the group 1968-1974. This article is a fascinating account of this group's career which includes also many details of the historical context. - A composition being typical of the group spirit, according to the author, by Graham Hearn is stated in extenso.

Stuart Jones, in "Making it up as you go along", reflects on his musical career in the ensembles Gentle Fire, British Summer Time Ends and Kahondo Style. This includes also reflections on the nature of pluralism, the mixing of styles: in Gentle Fire, as coming out of a love of "surreal conjugations and juztapositions" that might be akin to British stand-up comedy; later, as from simply following their liking for the popular music they had also played (cf. the editor's remarks on pluralism cited above!).

David Toop introduces the enclosed two CDs with personal memories, "Not necessarily captured, except as a fleeting glance". The variety of experimental music from 1960 and on is also reflected on - the spirit of postwar times he characterizes as "a kind of cultural and political anarchy", on the background of the war that had ended, but within the security of a stable society. That led to "collapsing boundaries" between the various experimental tendencies, and between high art and pop. The Portsmouth Sinfonia lead by Gavin Bryars who was a lecturer at the Portsmouth Art College then, is mentioned. The orchestra often appeared "hilarious" with its seemingly wretched renditions of popular classic excerpts, yet its basis was a serious playing to the best of each one's ability - a pluralist phenomenon.

Finally, there is a section (of seven) pages which, almost slightly encyclopedia-like, provides detailed information on the musicians and the music. Examples of such detailed small articles include the one on The People Band, and the one describing a group composition by Gentle Fire.

Other than by the authors mentioned above, there are also articles by: Doriún Casserley; Alvin Lucier; Scanner; Janek Schaeffer and Joe Banks.

(g2.1)/ Corbett, John: Booklet article, Sounds 99, 3 CD-set Blue Tower Records BTCD 09/10/11, 2000.

Interesting remarks about nations and clichès. "according to this set of clichees, Germans were the power blowers, the Dutch the theatrical ironics, the British some sort of anal-compulsive abstract sound manipulators...there's been plenty of flux, with the Brit Steve Beresford adopting "Dutch" cgharacteristics, and Germans like Wolfgang Fuchs utilizing more "British" aesthetics, and so on" (p.16).

(g2.1)/ Curran, Alvin: "...todesverachtend, lebensbejahend, extasesuchend...". Special issue Improvisation, MusikTexte 86/87 November, 2000.

Historical notes about an important Italian music phenomenon of the seventies and on, Musica elettronica Viva.

(g2.1)/ Decroupet, Pascal: "Vers une theorie generale", MusikTexte 98, August, 2003.

Includes analysis of Mobile by Henri Pousseur and other works - there are mutual reactions, listening pauses, modifying what you play next according to what you have heard.

(g2.1)/ Feisst, Sabine: "Etwas Unvorhersehbares tun. Zur Bedeutung der Improvisation bei Cage", MusikTexte 106, August, 2005.

Lecture examining the relation of Cage to improvisation, held at conference "New Directions in the Study of Improvisation", Univ. of Illinois 2004 (org. by Bruno Nettl and Gabrioel Solis). The author previously wrote about this subject in her book Feisst (1997;G1.1)

g2.1/ Jost, Ekkehard: Free Jazz. Graz, 1974. Reprinted 2003, Part of a series: Beiträge zur Jazzforschung; 4. Please see the 1945-1999 bibliography in which this item has been listed.

(g2.1)/ Kager, Reinhard: "Spontaneität versus Reproduktion. Einige Gedanken zur Situation des Improvisierens heute", MusikTexte 111, November, 2006.

Mainstream jazz is critisized for having a reproductive attitude and thus having alienated itself from the former creative spirit of jazz. As positive developments the author sees the use of computers in freely improvised music and interest in improvisation from classical avantgarde composers. Reference is made to Adorno, Berendt, Noglik, Lewis and Wilson.

(g2.1)/ Karkoschka, Erhard: "Aspects of Group Improvisation", http://www20.brinkster.com/improarchive/ek.htm 1971 (transl.2004).

Translation from German of the classical article by Erhard Karkoschka from 1971 on improvisation as a liberating experience seen from a composer's point of view. (g2.1)/ Lukoszevieze, Anton: "Die Welt als Musik durchwandern" - "Nahezu komplettes annotiertes Werkverzeichnis Philip Corner", MusikTexte 99, December 2003.

The last title contains a list of verbally and graphically notated works by this Fluxus-orientated composer which is comprehensive and annotated - among other things, instrumentation and notation are stated.

(g2.1)/ Lekfeldt, Jørgen: "Som tiden går - portræt af Carl Bergstrøm-Nielsen", Dansk Musiktidsskrift 2, oktober + 3, november, 2001/02.

Examines and analyses selected work dealing with improvisation in various ways, among others Quadrivium for piano (1972), Mimesis I for wind quintet (1974), Postcard-Music (1976), pieces from "improvisationskalender" (1996) and Frameworks (2000f). Includes lists of selected works, of recordings and of selected writings on music (especially in Danish).

(g2.1)/ Metzner, Susanne: "hear and everywhere", Einblicke 13, 2002.

Accounts of a course at Magdeburg. Participants worked independently of each other and communicated via a billboard

(g2.1)/ Meyer, Thomas: "Über das Verfertigen von Präludien. Eine Gebrauchskunst zwischen Komposition und Improvisation", Neue Zeitschrift für Musik. Tema-nummer om improvisation. No. 4, Juli/August, 1999.

On historical improvisation guides by among others Clementi, Couperin, Gretry, Telemann, Kalkbrenner.

(g2.1)/ Nonnenmann, Rainer: "Wanderer, kommst du nach...?", in: MusikTexte 102, August, 2004.

Includes a discussion of problems with late works by Nono which were written in close collaboration with musicians. They remain bound to those specific persons and are hard to approach by others - the know-how remained implicit with Nono and those musicians.

(g2.1)/ Parsons: The Scratch Orchestra and Visual Arts, Leonardo Music Journal 11,1, 2001.

Contains good, detailed accounts of the history of the Scratch Orchestra. Also activity of Portsmouth Sinfonia and Fluxus is treated

(g2.1)/ Pfleiderer, Martin: "Herausforderung. Der englische Saxophonist John Butcher", MusikTexte 86/87 november, 2000.

(g2.1)/ ringgespräch über gruppenimprovisation LXVIII, June, 2002.

Speciel issue on improvisation following recipes. Various exercises and pieces are quoted around in this issue.

g2.1/ Rutherford, Paul: Telephone conversation with Paul Rutherford, 4/5, 2000. Please see the 1945-1999 bibliography in which this item has been listed as a special exception.

g2.1/ Schwabe, Matthias: "Carl Bergstrøm-Nielsen: From the Danish Seasons" in: Ringgespräch über Gruppenimprovisation, März, 2000. Please see the 1945-1999 bibliography in which this item has been listed as a special exception.

(g2.1)/ Sutherland, Roger: "The Death of the Scratch Orchestra: A Personal Account", Noisegate 8, 2002?.

A very good contribution to the historical account; provides various details.

(g2.1)/ Szczelkun, Stefan: Exploding Cinema 1992-1999, culture and democracy. PhD (Royal College of Art, London) http://www.stefan szczelkun.org.uk, 2002.

The section 1.02 contains an informative personal account of the author's time with the Scratch Orchestra.

(g2.1)/ Trudu, Antonio: "Randbemerkungen zu Franco Evangelistis Schriften", Muenz, Harald (ed.): "...hin zu einer neuen Welt. Notate zu Franco Evangelisti, Saarbrücken (Pfau) 2002.

P. 33: "1964 he was a co-founder of the improvisation group Nuova consonanza and wrote the following: "It was perfectly clear to me that, taking variants of material as the basis, one oculd also extend variability to the form: the open work, through which I came to GNIC, is an extreme limit of Western music, but also a return to the origin". Quoted from Nuova Consonanza nel mondo italiano oggi, in: Marcatré, no. 16, 17, 18, 1965, p. 231f.

(g2.1)/ Wagner, Thorsten: "Improvisation als "weiteste Ausdehnung des Begriffs der aleatorischen Musik". Franco Evangelisti und die Improvisationsgruppe Nuova Consonza", Muenz, Harald (ed.): "...hin zu einer neuen Welt. Notate zu Franco Evangelisti, Saarbrücken (Pfau) 2002.

About the legendary Italisn improvisation group Nuova Consonanza. It was founded winter 1964/65 and was designed to consist solely of composers. In the group, musical works were still cultivated, but open ones. From 1963 (La Scatola) till 1979 Franco Evangelisti did not compose, because he was critical to restauration tendencies. He worked in these years with the improvisation group and with pedagogical electronic music activity

(g2.1)/ Watson, Ben: Derek Bailey and the Story of Free Improvisation, Sabon, Essex (Verso) 2004.

Biography. With a large index comprising many names and concepts

g2.1/ Watts, Trevor: Mail-correspondance with Trevor Watts, May, 2002. Please see the 1945-1999 bibliography in which this item has been listed as a special exception.

(g2.1)/ Wilson, Peter Niklas: "Segen der Konzeptlosigkeit". das Berliner "Zeitkratzer"-Ensemble, MusikTexte 93, Mai, 2002.

(g2.1)/ Wilson, Peter Niklas: "Neue Paradigmen in der Improvisierten Musik. Ein Vortrag beim Achten Darmstädter Jazzforum", MusikTexte 99, Dezember, 2003.

Deals with forms of improvised music which are not connected to jazz and with "reduction" as a keyword with improvisors Burkhard Stangl and Andrea Neumann et al.

(g2.1)/ Wilson, Peter Niklas; Polaschegg, Nina: Bildende Kunst und improvisierte Musik, MusikTexte 103, August, 2004.

G2.2 STOCKHAUSEN

(g3)/ See also Jahn (2006;E2).

(g2.2)/ Bergstrøm-Nielsen, Carl: Fixing/Circumscribing/Suggesting/Evoking. An analysis of Stockhausen's text pieces.
www.stockhausensociety.org/intuitive-music.htm, 2006.

Analytical examination of the 31 pieces in Stockhausen's work collections. Close attention is given to the different degrees of precision or directness employed by the composer in describing the musical material. Such degrees were worked out by the composer on the background of serial principles. This repertory thus allows the improvising musician to choose according to his liking how "down-to-earth" or not the playing process should be.

G2.3 ZORN

(g2.3)/ Roussel, Patrice: Discography of John Zorn. http://www.wnur.org/Jazz/artists/zorn.john/discogr.htm, 2000.

http://www.wnur.org/Jazz/artists/zorn.john/discogr.htm

Contains a bibliography as well, and list of videos.

G3 GENERAL PHILOSOPHY, AESTHETICS, MUSIC THEORY AND MUSIC ANALYSIS

(g3)/See also: Borgo (2005;G1.1)

(g3)/ "Med eller uden kaos", Dansk Musiktidsskrift 6, marts, 2002/2003.

About the festival Stockholm New Music 2003 which focuses on composing musicians and composers who are musicians themselves. "You have to see the musician as an artist and not just as a tool", Ivo Nilsson stated (p.201). The entailing discussion is summarized.

(g3)/ Bergstroem-Nielsen, Carl: "Sound is multi-dimensional. Parameter analysis as a tool for creative music making" - URL TILFØJES, 2006.

33 pieces for improvising ensemble based on the author's teaching at Aalborg University, Denmark. Compositions were created as part of the training in improvisation and formulation of playing rules. They employ selected global parameters, allowing participants to play from the score in a heterophonic manner. Verbally prescribed parameter changes and graphic/pictorial illustrations are further characteristics. Additionally, history and theory of parameter analysis is accounted for.

(g3)/ Ehrler, Hanno: "Musik im gebogenen Raum. Der Leipziger Musiker und Komponist Erwing Stache", MusikTexte 92, Februar, 2002.

In characterizing this composer, reference is made referring to Fritsch (1997;G3) among others.

(g3)/ Engström, Andreas (ed.): Special issue on improvisation, Nutida Musik 2, 2005.

(g3)/ Fischlin, Daniel; Heble, Ajay (ed.): The Other Side of Nowhere. Jazz, improvisation and communities in dialogue, Middletown, Connecticut (Weslyan University Press) 2004.

This book includes contributions from speakers and musicians who have participated in the Canadian Guelph Jazz Festival (near Toronto). Scholars from USA, however, also play an important role, and main emphasis is on Cultural Studies from a black perspective. Contributions are grouped in four categories: Performers Improvise - Between and Across Cultures - Social Practise and Identity - Collaborative Dissonances. George Lewis is professor of "Cultural Studies / Experimental Practises Area" at San Diego University (UCSD) which seems to have become a center for improvisation studies. His "Improvised Music after 1950: Afrological and Eurological Perspectives" is reprinted with a newly written afterword commenting "...The Changing Same". In an article by the editors bearing the same title as the general title of the book, Stephen Nachmanovitch and Tom Nunn are adressed critically: "... in their haste to promulgate arguments about improvisation as a life-strategy for expressions of individuality, originality and creativity, they fail to account for the ways in which jazz improvisation and creative improvised music have always.. been about community building (rather than individual self-expression), about fostering new ways of thinking about, and participating in, human relationships (p.23). An article by Julie Dawn is devoted to the Feminist Improvising Group in the London seventies, making apparent the historical background of the later well-known trio Les Diaboliques with two of the former members - Maggie Nicols, Irene Schweizer plus Joëlle Leandre. Eddie Prèvost who is the only participant here from Europe, recalls the ciscussions during the seventies wiuth Cornelius Cardew and expresses a sceptical opinion on using music "to help fly a political banner" (p.356) and advocates instead a general critical attitude to market conditions which make it difficult to develop in any larger scale the idea of responsible teamwork taking place in improvised music. - The book includes short biographies of contributors and a large bibliography of roughly 500 titles, plus a "webography". Contributors other than those alredy mentioned: Ingrid Monson; Michael Snow; Pauline Oliveros; Dana Reason; Jason Stanyek; Michael Essen; Mark Anthony Neal; Sherrie Tucker; Marshall Soules; Krin Gabbard; Michael Jarrett; Nathanael Mackey; John Corbett and Benjamin Lefebre.

(g3)/ Funk-Aydemir, Roswitha: "Gut hören, frei spielen. Kurse freie Musik in Kassel", Ringgespräch über Gruppenimprovisation LXXI, Oktober 2006.

At the end of this report from a workshop with Rike Kohlhepp and Thomas Reuter, examples of pre-forming of improvisations done by agreeing on a few characteristics are stated. This is a greyzone area between composition and improvisation worthy of much more study.

(g3)/ Hodginson, Tim: "A rich field of possibilities: strategies and indeterminacy in free improvisation", Resonance 8,1, 2000.

The possibilities arising is a part of the improvising process, even when they do not come to use. Good essay on aesthetics.

(g3)/ Kösterke, Doris: "Was ist Qualität?", ringgespräch über gruppenimprovisation LXVII, juni, 2001.

Considerations taking as their basis the novel by Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Quality lies in the relation between the beholder and the object.

(g3)/ Lind, Rikke: "Improvisation". Klassisk musik. DR's magasion om livet i musikken og musikken i livet, nr. 5, maj, 2003.

Harpsichordist and conductor Lars Ulrik Mortensen deals with improvisation in earlier times and in music history and states that historic music practise has re-established improvisation and in so doing made it possible to have more improvisation teaching at conservatories.

(g3)/ Linnros, David: "Ständigt flöde - improvisationen och sökandet efter friheten", Special issue on improvisation, Nutida Musik 2, 2005.

Resaon and Nature may appear as enemies, reason having become totalitarian and one-sided - according to Adorno/Horkheimer. Friedrich von Schiller, who built on ideas from Kant, asserted that sensibility cannot be simply subsumed under reason. Solely when they interact, humans can realize their potential: "Only when [the human being] changes, it EXISTS, only when it remains unchanging IT exists", says Schiller. So, "without form no matter, without matter no form". Applying these reflections to music, the author concludes that the concepts of improvisation and composition represent abstract principles, hence they are not very informative. Therefore, he recommends that discussion be focused on the actual potentials and limitations of the music in question.

(g3)/ Lucier, Alvin: "An einem hellen Tag. Avantgarde und Experiment", MusikTexte 92, Februar, 2002.

Critique, among other things, of a practise of playing cue-music by Wolff from fixed versions.

(g3)/ Lundman, Tony: "Med eller uden kaos", Dansk Musiktidsskrift 6, marts, 2002/2003.

(g3)/ Prèvost, Edwin: Minute Particulars. Meanings in music making in the wake of hierarchical realignments and other essays, Wiltshire (Matchless Recordings and Publishing), 2004.

This is the second book by Eddie Prèvost, well known drummer of the British improv scene, workshop leader and director of Matchless Records.

Whereas the author's first book, No Sound Is Innocent, ((1995;G3) in the 1945 99 bibliography) took its focus from the playing situation, this one comments on tendencies in music life. The central keyword appears to be communitarism.

This, the author points out, was central to jazz from its early stages and still an unchallenged vital principle for early European improvised music.

Earlier, in 1927, Louis Armstrong, already in a star position, nevertheless recorded with "Hot Five" in a very collaborative way. At the same time, Anton von Webern worked with his Trio opus 20 and did away with hierarchical tonality, a form of democracy taking place on a symbolic level only, but nevertheless utopian. There was an open window to less authoritarian music practise in both fields. "The days of the concerto were not over and the star soloist in jazz had hardly begun" (p.17). One may wonder at the fact that "The heroic figures of the lonely painter, composer, poet or rock guitarist still dominate our popular sense of creative genius. No equivalent place of honour has been found for the highest order of collaborative activity" (p.17).

However, according to the author, communitarism became challenged by the ideas of John Cage of letting sounds be just sounds. This could serve as an excuse for solipcist playing, without listening to or interacting with each other. Sudh attitudes are, still according to the author, widespread among laptop playing musicians, also when they practice sampling technology.

To be sure, the author values Cage's historic contributions having the effect "to get musicians to loosen up in their relation to the music making materials" (p.107). But his ideal on the role of chance is rather described as of making the "correct mistakes" (p.107). This is to be understood in relation to an anecdote about Thelonius Monk who was once dissatisfied with a performance in which he had "made all the wrong mistakes" (p.101). So, for Prèvost, chance is meaningful especially in its dialectical relation to intentionality.

The author also deplores the development of indeterminate music into "intellectual property" of solely the composer, after having credited it for suggesting "a new social site within music making" (p.36), giving musicians equal rights and responsibilities. He also sees a one sided focus of historical interest on such works from the sixties as a danger. If musicians, however, create their own indeterminate scores, this "would perhaps force them to examine what it is that they find lacking in other more formal compositions. It would also stimulate aesthetic cultural questions" (p.72).

Among additional issues critisized is reductionist aesthetics. "Moments of significant silent serenity" cannot, according to the author, be isolated from the communitarian and processive flux where they arise (p.38). Also he critisizes the label "non idiomatic" music, coined by Derek Bailey, in its use as a general characterization of free improvisation, for underplaying "the individuality and the uniqueness of a musician, or group of musicians, that is one of the most cherished aspects of free improvisation" (p.14).

A second section of the book gathers together mostly various previously published materials. This section can be hard to read because one must in some cases know the context. For example, John Zorn is critisized in two of the chapters, and only in the second one it becomes apparent that this has to do with "revival" efforts which are, however, not described in further detail.

The writing style of the book is rhapsodic, viewpoints being often repeatedly stated when taking up new examples at various points in the discourse. The strength of this is the immediate feeling of being in the company of the author speaking. A drawback seems to be that issues brought forward are eminently such ones that need to be discussed within a wider field of musicians. It could be an idea for possible further writings to have co-authors with adverse opinions.

It cannot be overlooked that there is a pessimistic tone throughout the book. If one reads it as a manifesto or a pamphlet it may appear conservative, seeing no hope at all in newer developments such as the use of laptops and sampling.

However, "The validity of this activity will be assessed ultimately by how resonant the responses are to these texts, even through many of my theses may come to be modified by myself or crucified by others" (p.3), we are told in the introduction. So go ahead and discuss with the author!

(g3)/ Scheib, Christian: "Filter, Struktur, Speicher. Improvisation: Aktuelle Momentaufnahme aus einer Zwischenwelt in einer Zwischenzeit. Fallbeispiel Österreich", in: Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, Heft 3 (Juli/August) p.18-21, 1999.

Article which inspired Peter Niklas Wilson by looking beyond the opposition of composition / improvisation.

(g3)/ Schwabe, Matthias: "Musik von der Quelle. Über musikalische Qualität im Allgemeinen und improvisatorische Qualität im besonderen", ringgespräch über gruppenimprovisation LXVII, juni, 2001.

The author makes reflects thorougly on the issue of musical quality with empirical descriptions as the starting-point. Sounding together and playing together are concepts describing essential, specific characteristics according to him.

(g3)/ Schneider, Hans: "Klangnetze oder Kunst als Erfahrung der Horizont-Erweiterung und der eigenen Veränderbarkeit", in: Schneider, Hans (Hg.): Klangnetze: ein Versuch, die Wirklichkeit mit den Ohren zu erfinden, Saarbrücken (Pfau) 2000.

Touches upon the issue of improvisors dealing with combining their own worlds with the multitude of what is outside of it.

(g3)/ Stangl, Burkhard: "Schall, Schrift und Schallschrift", in: Schneider, Hans (Hg.): Klangnetze: ein Versuch, die Wirklichkeit mit den Ohren zu erfinden, Saarbrücken (Pfau) 2000.

Deals with various aspects around writing, "orality" and media.

(g3)/ Stryi, Wolfgang: "Ein Garant für die Intensität.. Heiner Goebbels im Gespräch". Special issue Improvisation, MusikTexte 86/87 November, 2000.

This lecture deals with music as connected to short- and long-term memory. Since improvisation is open to the unexpected, it may provide an opportunity to play with cause and effect - to turn their relation upside down, like in dreaming. The egalitarian aspect of music pracitise is seen as conncected to the here-and-now aspect

(g3)/ von Kieseritzky, Herwig von: "Zwischen Alltagserfahrung und ästhetischer Vermittlung. Musikalisch-szenische Konzepte - Überlegungen und Beispiele". Bidrag til "Themenschwerpunkt: Improvisieren nach Konzepten", ringgespräch über gruppenimprovisation LXVIII, juni, 2002.

This is a good treatment of the intermidiary area between composition and quasi nothing - that is, agrements made by improvisors. An important issue which has not yet had the amount of focus it deserves.

(g3)/ Wilson, Peter Niklas: "Rekonfigurationen. Komposition und Improvisation", MusikTexte 86/87 november, 2000.

On the greater visibility of improvisation in concert life in recent years. Good, full discussion of form concepts, with interesting quotations from musicians. On well-known indetermination aesthetics within new music as a sign that opposites are becoming relative. A fine summing up of this authors' insights till now.

(g3)/ Wilson, Peter Niklas: "Tendenz zur Kanonbildung", ringgespräch über gruppenimprovisation LXVII, juni, 2001.

An attempt to describe the norms and expectations concerning freely improvised music.

G4 PSYCHOLOGY

g4/ Nachmanovitch, Stephen: Free Play. Improvisation in Life and Art. N.Y. (Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, a member of Penguin Putnam Inc.), 1990. Swedish translation: Spela Fritt. Improvisation i liv och kunst, Göteborg (Ejeby) 2004. Please see the 1945-1999 bibliography in which this item has been listed as a special exception.

(g4)/ Rzewski, Frederic: "Autonomie des Augenblicks. Eine Theorie der Improvisation", MusikTexte 86/87 November, 2000.

The author associates improvisation and composition with short- and long term memory. He views it as having central importance that improvisation is open for the unexpected - a possibility for playing with turning the cause-effect relation upside down in a dynamic manner. Also the aspect of here-and-now is associated with the egalitarian aspect.

G5 MISCELLANEOUS WRITINGS

(g5)/ Bruun, Peter og Andersen, Frode: "Noderne på papiret er ikke musik", Dansk Musik Tidsskrift 4, november, 2000/01.

The line of thought may be summarized approximately like this: music is a rather autonomous thing and expresses time.

(g5)/ Gagel, Reihard; Joachim Zoepf (Hrsg): Können Improvisatoren tanzen?, (Wolke Verlag) 2003.

Documentation from the Symposium Improvisierte Musik in Köln, 21-23. January 2000. With a CD. Contributions by among others: Gagel, Felix Klopotek, Peter Niklas Wilson ("Rekonfigurationen", on improvisation and composition approaching each other institutionally and structurally), Johannes Fritsch ("Improvisation und Extase", comparing improvisation with myth and posing the question about what to do with negative music experiences) and a manifesto by Wolfgang Schliemann and Joachim Zopf, "Improvisierte Musik - Ars sui generis".

(g5)/ Gronemeyer, Gisela; Oehlschlägel, Reinhard (ed.): Special issue Improvisation, MusikTexte 86/87 November, 2000.

Also to be mentioned, in addition to those articles having separate entries: "Improvisation als Herausforderung. Der englische Saxophonist John Butcher" (Martin Pfleiderer) [mentions among other things Chris Burn's Ensemble]. - Other interviews deal with composers and their relation to improvisation: Anthony Coleman, Wolfgang Mitterer, Peter Eötvös, Héctor Moro and Bernd-Alois Zimmermann. Trescher's important analytical article about Cardew's Treatise was already included in my large bibliography as an exception, even if the date is later than 1999 (Trescher 2000;E2).

(g5)/ Hamel, Peter Michael: "Improvisationsformen. Zwischen Experiment und Werkanspruch, Heilkunde und Sozialarbeit, Volks- und Musikhochschule"in: MusikTexte 100, Februar, 2004.

Historic memories around "Freies Musikzentrum", established in München 1979. The author mentions among other things John Cage's critical attitude towards improvisation and the role of Tonius Timmermann for the development of music therapy.

(g5)/ Schwabe, Matthias: Interview med Michael Vetter, ringgespräch über gruppenimprovisation LXVII, juni, 2001.

Various information about an important German improvisor. Reflections about the specific quality of improvisation.

(g5)/ Steen-Andersen, Simon: "Improvisation. Uddrag af en samtale mellem komponisten og guitaristen Christian Billian og Simon Steen-Andersen", Autograf XI, 2, november, 2002.

Interview with some remarks on improvisation.

(g5)/ Wilson, Peter Niklas: "Rekonfigurationen. Komposition und Improvisation", MusikTexte 86/87 November, 2000.

The author begins with statements about the greater visibility of improvised music in concert in recent years. There is a good, full discussion of form concepts, with interesting musicians' quotations. Also the overlapping of composers' improvisors' roles and their difference after all is treated here. This article is a very good summarizing of the insights till now of this author.

H. OTHER WRITINGS.

H1 GENERAL ACCOUNTS OF MUSIC HISTORY, DEALING THOROGHLY WITH THEMES CONCERNING NEW NOTATION FORMS AND/OR IMPROVISATION

(h1)/ Cox, Christoph; Warner, Daniel (ed): Audio Culture: readings in modern music, USA (Continuum) 2004.

This is a comprehensive sourcebook covering various aspects of experimental music, including improvised music.

A section on "The open work" features texts by composers John Cage, Earle Brown and Anthony Braxton as well as an interview with John Zorn. The three latter texts have not been described by this author before, and the availability of general remarks by Braxton about how to deal with his pieces is a valuable thing. The Zorn interview is an important one, maybe the most important one till now when it comes to information about the game pieces, since it deals in depth with the evolution of game piece composition over time. It also contains Zorn's declaration that he likes the game pieces to remain unpublished, since personal instruction is important - a decision which on one hand is not very helpful for those wishing to study alternatives to a music tradition being still so deeply fixed to traditional notation. On the other hand this might hopefully provoke some more people to create their own game pieces. Umberto Eco's influential "The poetics of the open work" is represented here, very relevant text to go with texts about open compositions.

In the department for "Improvised musics" one finds texts from Derek Bailey's classic book and texts by Ornette Coleman (documenting the role of free improvisation in his work) and Frederic Rzewski (on improvisation and momory). George Lewis' article on "Afrological and EUrological Perspectives" in improvised music after 1950 is also reprinted.

Other relevant texts to be mentioned in this specific context of improvised music and related could be ones by John Cage and Cornelius Cardew's "A Scratch Orchestra: Draft Constitution".

The chapters come with informative introductions to each chapter. Credit must go to the editors for putting the difference between indeterminacy and aleatory devices right in the introduction to "The open work" and for providing a reasonable, short article on "Visual sounds: Graphic scores". Each chapter is preceded by a collection of interesting quotations. There is also an index and a chronology.

With its compilation of essential and useful texts extending into experimental music generally (including recent developments of DJ culture and electronica) this book is a must for libraries and will be a most useful tool for students. It is also a much needed initiative in bridging the gap between American and European experimental / modern music history, taking in materials from both sides of the Atlantic. May more good discussion and work in this spirit follow...

H2.1 BIBLIOGRAPHIC AND DISCOGRAPHIC LITERATURE

(H2.1)/See also: Borgo (2005;G1.1)

(h2.1)/ See also Fischlin (2004;G3).

(h2.1)/See also Rüdiger et al (2004;F2).

(h2.1)/See also Roussel (2000; G2.3)

(h2.1)/ Sounds99 - inlaybook to LP record,

Includes discographies of those musicians participating in this festival.

(h2.1)/ Zeitschriftendienst Musik,

Index to names and themes for 60 German and other periodicals.

(h2.1)/ Lukoszevieze, Anton: "Die Welt als Musik durchwandern" - "Nahezu komplettes annotiertes Werkverzeichnis Philip Corner", MusikTexte 99, December 2003.

(h2.1)/ Martinelli, Fransesco: Joëlle Léandre Discography, Italy (Vivaldi e Bandecchi) 2002. Please see the 1945-1999 bibliography in which this item has been listed as a special exception.

bibliographical and other information

h2.1.1/ Steinauer, Mathias; Wohlhauser, René (ed.): Adesso. Zeitgenössische Musik verlagsunabhängiger Komponistinnen und Komponisten. Partituren - Tonträger - aufführungsmaterial. Katalog 1999/2001, 1999. Please see the 1945-1999 bibliography in which this item has been listed as a special exception.

H3.1 LITERATURE ON MUSIC THERAPY

(h3.1)/ Bruscia, Kenneth A.: "Response to the Forum Discussion of The "IAPs" In The Nordic Journal Web-site" in: Nordic Journal of Music Therapy vol. 11, nr. 1, 2002.

Various practical considerations.

h3.1/ Deuter, Martin: "Polaritätsverhältnisse. Zu einer musikalisch-psychologischen Benennung der Improvisation", in: Vermittlungen..musically speaking. Special issue of Einblicke (hrsg. BVM, Berufverband der Musiktherapeutinnen und Musiktherapeuten in Deutschland e.V.). Zum Improvisationsunterricht im Musiktherapiestudium / On Improvisation Training in Music Therapy Training, Heft 12, November, Manus, 2001. Please see the 1945-1999 bibliography in which this item has been listed as a special exception.

H3.2 WRITINGS RELATED TO THE TEACHING OF INTUITIVE MUSIC AND GRAPHIC NOTATION AT AALBORG UNIVERSITY AND OTHER PLACES

(h3.2)/ Bergstrøm-Nielsen, Carl: "Musicoterapia e improvisaciòn libre", Tavira (2a época), Revista de Ciencias de la Education No 19, Cadiz (Universidad de Cadiz) 2003.

H4 MISCELLANEOUS OTHER WRITINGS

Note. In the large bibliography (1945-1999), this was a category also for various literature having been mentioned in the text - even including writings I would directly warn the reader against. In this 2000- list H4 is different: it deals solely with various literature which is directly relevant.

(h4)/ Christensen, Erik: "Overt and hidden processes in 20th century music", in: Seibt, J. (ed.): Crossdisciplinary studies in dynamic categories, Pr. in the Netherlands (Klüwer Academic Publishers) 2003.

Describes two different versions of Variations II (1961) by Cage, thus exemplifying how different versions may be.

(h4)/ Christensen, Jean: "New Music of Denmark" in White, John D. (ed.): New Music of the Nordic Countries, USA (u.tr.)(Pendragon Press Musicological series)) 2002.

In addition to a biographically-oriented dealing with generations of individual composers, some pages deal with experimental tendencies, their organisations and their interaction with mainstream music life and its organistions.

(h4)/ Gagel, Reinhard: anm. af Wilson: Hear and Now, ringgespräch über gruppenimprovisation LXVIII, juni, 2002.

Review of Wilson (1999;G1.1).

(h4)/ Mörchen, Raoul: "Facettenreiches Phänomen. Peter Niklas Wilson in der "edition neue zeitschrift für musik"", MusikTexte 99, Dezember, 2003.

Review of the book on reductionism by Wilson. At the back of the issue of MusikTexte in question there is also an advertisement from the publisher including this book.

(h4)/ Scheib, Christian: "Annäherung an das Utopische. Bücher zur improvisierten Musik von Sabine Feisst und Peter Niklas Wilson, MusikTexte 84, Mai 2000", 2000.

Review of Feisst (1997;G1.1) and Wilson (1999;G1.1). Provides characterisations of the two books and throws them into relief relating them to each other.

OTHER

I. RECORDINGS

Note. Unlike in the large bibliography 1945-1999 which, even on a modest scale, attempted to list varied selections, this is just a residual category listing recordings belonging to some of the items above! The reader is thus referred to other sources - you may for instance consult the links section on my homepage http://hjem.get2net.dk/intuitive/ilinks.htm.

I1. VARIABLE WORKS AND MUSIC PLAYED FROM RECIPES

(i1)/ See also Collins (2001; H2.1).

(i1)/ Tyrrestrup, Hans; Søegaard, Fredrik and "MusEXP": Nocturnes Compositions 2 x 22. Includes a music CD, Jelling (Academy of Music, Esbjerg) 2001.

Book with a series of pictures inspiring improvisations from simple instructions. Additionally, notations representing free fantasy variations over the sounding results have been added. (The additional information here has been gathered from music author Søegaard).

(K)Graphic Scores by Ichiyanagi Toshi January 16(Tues.)- 28(Sun.), 2001, Art Space G, Aichi Arts Center (Japan). In cooporation with KONDO Yasuyo. (http://www.aac.pref.aichi.jp/english/bunjyo/event/PReport-e/00/00-12gs.html). This item has been listed in the 1945-1999 bibliography as a special exception.

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