Drawing Sound in Time: A Commentary on my Recent Music

Abstract

Drawing Sound in Time reflects on how I have attempted, in the music written over the period of my doctoral studies (2004-2010) to use time as a basis for the mapping of sonic activity and how this aesthetical concern has helped me develop a teleological approach to form and structure. The shaping of time in my work often has its origins in the visual, either from my own drawings or from other visual stimuli. As well as considering the visual appearance of my music, I will draw on the correlation of music and art by abstract painters (most notably Paul Klee) alongside composers Iannis Xenakis and John Cage whose philosophy represent for me a way forward, not only aesthetically but also on a technical level. Additionally, the discussion will refer to astronomy as certain aspects of the subject relate to the development of techniques in my compositional language, and furthermore will often draw on the titles of the pieces (stars and constellations) as a basis for generating materials. I will address in particular the use of coding in my music that is an integral part of the way I work. My commentary will examine the main aspects of my musical language using examples from selected works in the accompanying portfolio