Gestural composition with arbitrary musical objects and dynamic transformation networks

Abstract

This thesis proposes a theoretical framework and a working implementation of a music composition software that overcomes many aspects of the distance commonly perceived by composers when using software products dealing with abstract representations of music. It is based on elaborate musical spaces and complex algorithmic procedures (constructs from contemporary mathematical music theory), which it makes more accessible using an intuitive gestural interface. More specifically, the software applies the principles of transformational theory and gesture theory to composition rather than analysis, poiesis rather than esthesis. The overall design of the software is based on the three levels of the ontological dimension of embodiment: the levels of facts, processes, and gestures. Users can interact with any of these levels via the software's graphical user interface. They can define and manipulate arbitrary musical objects in a gestural way and their compositional process is recorded in a transformation graph. This graph, in turn can be modified in a gestural way and finally translated back into standardized gestures that represent the evolution of the musical work.