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Music and Systems Thinking: Xenakis, Di Scipio and a Systemic Model of Symbolic Music
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Systems thinking' includes a number of interdisciplinary theories based on organizational approach to problems, in other words considering everything as systems. The paper discusses the connection of Iannis Xenakis and Agostino Di Scipio with 'systems thinking' and proposes an experimental compositional model related to this line of thinking. Xenakis, in order to formulate and explain what he called 'Stochastic Music' he used the methodology of 'cybernetics', one of the most important theories of 'systems thinking'. Also, based on the same approach, he formulated the hypothesis of 'second order sonorities'. After this historical point Di Scipio comes to add his objection to Xenakis's approach. Di Scipio doubts that the stochastic laws are capable of determining the emergence of 'second order sonorities'. Resulting from this problematics on Xenakis, his criticism of the conventional model of interactive music and the application of notions found in 'systems thinking', Di Scipio is suggesting a 'self-organized' interactive model. According to this model, the sound system is able to observe itself and regulate its own processes. It can be considered as a self-organized system, an organism, placed in his environment, the space of the concert hall. Based on this line of music evolution connected with 'systems thinking', we have attempted to develop a systemic model of symbolic music, an experimental compositional model mainly used for instrumental writing. The term 'symbolic' refers to the focus on the information's flow through symbolic means, i.e. through music notation. In addition, the approach treats 'systemically' the compositional work, applying notions found in 'systems thinking' through the cognitive sciences. We have abstracted the 'live interactive music model' used in live electronics, from a systemic viewpoint, using it as the basis of what we call the Creative System of Symbolic Music. Using simple examples, the structural design and the functional performance of the model will be presented.
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... 10. Aquí cabe también citar las propuestas sistémicas de Kollias (2008), que están fuertemente emparentadas con los enfoques ecológicos. ...
Las prácticas creativas basadas en cognición ecológica conforman una de las líneas consolidadas dentro de la investigación en música ubicua (ubimus). Su fuerte relación con los recursos locales y su perspectiva relacional hacen de este enfoque una herramienta propicia para ampliar las posibilidades creativas del uso de sonidos ambientales. En este trabajo analizamos los resultados de un proyecto artístico multimodal realizado a partir de materiales visuales y sonoros locales, situados en la Amazonia Occidental y trabajados a través de soporte tecnológico en modalidad asíncrona. La videodanza Atravessamentos es analizada como estudio de caso de la aplicación de técnicas de síntesis y manipulación de audio, y como estrategia intermodal y multimodal, incluyendo las disonancias cognitivas, la organización de densidades texturales, el modelado ecológico y las relaciones miméticas. Se destaca la utilización de cuadrículas biofónicas para establecer sistemas de referencia espaciales y temporales que facilitan las decisiones estéticas colaborativas.
... As I have shown in previous studies [1] [2], Systemics can be applied in all musical creation. However, here I will limit the discussion only in selforganised electroacoustic music and mainly in connection with Xenakis' approach and more particular with that of Di Scipio. ...
The present paper discusses an alternative approach to electroacoustic composition based on principles of the interdisciplinary scientific field of Systemics. In this approach, the setting of the electronic device is prepared in such a way to be able to organise its own function, according to the conditions of the sonic environment. We discuss the approaches of Xenakis and of Di Scipio in relation to Systemics, demonstrating the applications in their compositional models. In my critique on Di Scipio's approach, I argue that the composer is giving away a major part of his control over the work and therefore the notion of macro-structural form is abandoned. Based on my work Ephemeron, I show that it is possible to conduct emerging situations applying the systemic principle of 'equifinality'. Moreover, I argue that it is possible to acquire control over these situations and their properties over time so as to develop formal structure.
... The sound result emerges during the performance as a result of these interactions between the self-organising system and the environment. I have extensively talked about the connection of Di Scipio with systems thinking and thus I will avoid repeating it here (Kollias 2007Kollias , 2008Kollias , 2009b). During the course of my research on systems thinking and its connection with music composition, I have investigated the music of Xenakis and Di Scipio and the way both composers have been inspired by these theories. ...
This paper focuses on the link between the musical thought of Iannis Xenakis and theories of systems thinking. It will be demonstrated how the composer interprets in his musical thought, concepts of systems thinking, such as markovian stochastic music, or in the formulation of second order sonorities, which resulted in the formation of a new music paradigm. Finally, we shall examine how these lines of thought evolved, as for instance in the music of Agostino Di Scipio or in my own music.
In this paper, I will present the practical results of my research on the interdisciplinary scientific field of Systemics. I will include two experimental approaches to composition based on the application of systemic principles. Systemics consists of a number of interdisciplinary theories based on organizational approach to problems. From a systemic viewpoint, everything is considered as a system, i.e. as a complex of interacting elements. In the first part of the paper, I will show how I have applied the theory in instrumental composition. In this approach, I have attempted to develop an experimental compositional model based on a model of live interactive music from a systemic viewpoint. In the 'Systemic Model of Symbolic Music', we are interested on the information's flow through 'symbolic' means, i.e. through music notation. In addition, the approach treats 'systemically' the compositional work, applying notions found in Systemics through the help of the Cognitive Sciences. In the second part, I will show an alternative approach to interactive electroacoustic composition, also based on concepts of Systemics. In this approach, the musical work it appears in time like a 'living music organism', a musical work able to adapt in any given situation but always maintaining a stable and recognisable structural form. This 'organism' results from a live algorithm, a software, installed on a computer. The organism has the ability to 'listen' through the microphones and to 'express' itself through the loudspeakers. In this way, the organism is a self-organised system, in other terms it is capable of influencing its own organisation. Here, I will demonstrate the structure of the 'organism' and I will explain the basic principles of its creation.
In this paper, I will focus on the musical work as a self-organising entity within a systemic framework. In particular, two significant and inter-related systemic concepts will be mentioned: self-organisation and open system. Firstly, I shall explain the two concepts within the context of systems thinking with reference to a graphical model of second-order cybernetics. This section will conclude with a discussion of the difference between natural and artificial self-organising systems. I will then extend the systemic perspective, describing what I call self-organising music, and discussing my algorithmic composition Ephemeron as a case study.
The present paper discusses an alternative approach to electroacoustic composition based on principles of the interdisciplinary scientific field of Systemics. In this approach, the setting of the electronic device is prepared in such a way to be able to organise its own function, according to the conditions of the sonic environment. We discuss the approaches of Xenakis and of Di Scipio in relation to Systemics, demonstrating the applications in their compositional models. In my critique on Di Scipio's approach, I argue that the composer is giving away a major part of his control over the work and therefore the notion of macro-structural form is abandoned. Based on my work Ephemeron, I show that it is possible to conduct emerging situations applying the systemic principle of 'equifinality'. Moreover, I argue that it is possible to acquire control over these situations and their properties over time so as to develop formal structure.
Contents I. Historical Development of Cybernetics.......................................................1 A. Origins.....................................................................................1 B. Second Order Cybernetics............................................................2 C. Cybernetics Today.....................................................................4 II. Relational Concepts................................................................................5 A. Distinctions and Relations...........................................................5 B. Variety and Constraint................................................................6 C. Entropy and Information..............................................................6 D. Modelling Dynamics..................................................................7 III. Circular Processes...................................................................................8 A. Self-Application......
Auditory scene analysis (ASA) is defined and the problem of partitioning the time-varying spectrum resulting from mixtures of individual acoustic signals is described. Some basic facts about ASA are presented. These include causes and effects of auditory organization (sequential, simultaneous, and the old-plus-new heuristic). Processes employing different cues collaborate and compete in determining the final organization of the mixture. These processes take advantage of regularities in the mixture that give clues about how to parse it. There are general regularities that apply to most types of sound, as well as regularities in particular types of sound. The general ones are hypothesized to be used by innate processes, and the ones specific to restricted environments to be used by learned processes in humans and possibly by innate ones in animals. The use of brain recordings and the study of nonhuman animals is discussed.
It is the author belief that cybernetics should be considered not merely as a program to be carried out in the future, but as an existing science. In this book the author's intention is to express and to exemplify his ideas on cybernetics and to display some of his personal philosophical reflections
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Sound is the interface": From interactive to ecosystemic signal processing " . Organised sound: An international journal of music technology
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