Improvisation as a Method of Composition
Reconciling the Dichotomy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4159783 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Katya Davisson (Durham University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 62 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 373-386 |
| Publication date | 2022-08-25 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The British Journal of Aesthetics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0007-0904 • E-ISSN: 1468-2842 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/aesthj/ayac018 |
| OpenAlex | W4225644268 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 17 |
This article builds upon existing scholarship concerning the relationship between improvisation and composition. Sections 1 to 3 comprise an exploration into and analysis of both the traditional understanding of improvisation and composition as opposing categories, as well as the more modern, nuanced view of their interpenetrating natures. I conclude that the former view should be replaced by the latter. Sections 4 and 5 present and subsequently negate two potential failings of my argument. First, I confront the problem posed by Goehr's work-concept, whose essence is opposed to the spirit of improvisation, but argue that recording allows for the solidification of these improvisations into works. Secondly, I undermine the view that composition is creation ex nihilo whilst improvisation is the mere reworking of old material. I uncover the originality of improvisation and formulae of composition to restore their compatibility and reinforce improvisation's status as a method of broad- and narrow-sense composition
Aesthetics · Argument (complex analysis · Art · Composition (language · Epistemology · Improvisation · Linguistics · Originality · Political science · Qualitative research · Scholarship · Social science · Sociology · Visual arts · Law · Music Technology and Sound Studies · Musicology and Musical Analysis · Neuroscience and Music Perception · Philosophy
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |