Basic questions

Does music exist in time or does time exist in music?

How does music structure time, and how does time structure music?

What different types of time are experienced during the listening process?

Is the temporal structure in the music, in the performance, or in the listening?

Types of time

Absolute timeAbsolute time real time of the perfomancereal time of the perfomance clock time of a soundfileclock time of a soundfile social time of concertssocial time of concerts biological time of the listenerbiological time of the listener

Musical timeMusical time directed time: goal-orienteddirected time: goal-oriented gestural time: upbeats, endings and beginingsgestural time: upbeats, endings and beginings Durational time: proportions and perceived lengthDurational time: proportions and perceived length Vertical time: the extended nowVertical time: the extended now

For most of us, there is only the unattended

Moment, the moment of in and out of time.

The distraction fit, lost in a shaft of sunlight,

The wild thyme unseen, or the winter

lightning

Or the waterfall, or music heard so deeply

That it is not heard at all, but you are the

music

While the music lasts.

T.S.Elliot

Soundbytes

Arve Henriksen: White Gravel (2’12)Arve Henriksen: White Gravel (2’12) Olivier Messiaen: Regard XVIOlivier Messiaen: Regard XVI

How do we experience time in these excerpts? How do we experience time in these excerpts? What forces contribute to our sense of time What forces contribute to our sense of time

here?here? What is characteristic about the development What is characteristic about the development

of each piece?of each piece?

Ingredients of Musical Time

DirectivityDirectivity expectation, fulfilment, predictability; achievement, deferral or expectation, fulfilment, predictability; achievement, deferral or

denial of goalsdenial of goals

ContinuityContinuity succession and interruption of the order of events; discontinuitysuccession and interruption of the order of events; discontinuity

Linear time Linear time created when earlier events imply later ones, and later ones are created when earlier events imply later ones, and later ones are

consequences of earlier ones. Linear time is processive.consequences of earlier ones. Linear time is processive.

Nonlinear time Nonlinear time represents the consistent and immutable principles in any piece represents the consistent and immutable principles in any piece

or section, which may be revealed gradually, but do not develop or section, which may be revealed gradually, but do not develop from earlier events or from earlier events or tendencies. Nonlinear time is tendencies. Nonlinear time is nonprocessive.nonprocessive.

Linearity• progression• motion and change• time becomes• timing of events is

crucial• left brain hears

sequences• horizontal listening

Nonlinearity• consistency• stasis and persistence• time is• presence is more

important than position

• right brain creates patterns

• cumulative listening

Research project

“Improvisation – Interaction – Composition: exploring feedback-systems as a

compositional model”.

research models that describe the interaction between

improvisers and composers

develop techniques for the creative exploration of this

interaction

apply this knowledge to artistic co-operations, resulting in

musical works.

Peter Tornquist