Defragmenting Beethoven: Sound appropriation as bridge between classical tradition and electroacoustic music

This thesis serves as a written companion for two artistic-based research products built upon the concept of appropriation as connecting bridge between music technology and the classical tradition of music composition. The first artistic work is a set of 9 pieces called "Collages Vol 2", a continuation of a first release meant to be an exploratory work for the present research. The second work is the sound interaction design, and the creation of two compositions for the Network of Intelligent Sound Agents, or "NOISA", built at the Sound and Physical Interaction Research Group from the Department of Media, Aalto University. After providing context and a short survey of influences on music appropriation, I made a comprehensive documentation of each of the pieces created for this thesis, describing form, content, compositional approach and sound processing in a systematic way. I investigated on the diverse forms of appropriation as a technique for electroacoustic music composition. The most influential references for my work are documented in this written work: From the historical approach of appropriation to borrowing in music of the XX century and recent times; including a description of the first volume of my original Collages. Later on, I described my second collection of Collages and the utilisation of appropriation theories in the context of NOISA, a music interface for live performance. Finally, there is a section dedicated to a discussion featuring a commentary of a number of reviews of "Collages” preceding a closing segment with conclusions and further plans to expand this research in the future

Vibrating instruments in virtual reality: A cohesive approach to the design of virtual reality musical instruments

This thesis presents the design, implementation and findings of a Virtual Reality Musical Instrument (VRMI). The project was done under the direction of the Sound and Physical Interaction (SOPI) research group. The project was made following an iterative design methodology and the metaphors and design patterns used in Ubiquitous Music Systems. In contrast with the fast adoption of Virtual Reality as a platform for new entertainment productions, it is noticeable that the area of new interfaces for musical expression (NIME) has been disbelieving towards this technology. At the same time, previous projects under the category of VRMI have made a clear distinction between the instrument, an external 3D model, and the user. Thereby, this thesis presents a project that focuses on how VR can enhance individual musical interaction? In order to do so, this project is directed to blurry the lines between performer, instrument and environment by creating immersion through 3D audio, audiovisual feedback, bodily and spatial interaction, the performer and the system's autonomous responses. As a final result, this thesis reaches to provide the NIME community with a purposeful use of Virtual Reality as an interactive musical platform

Rethinking Interaction: Identity and Agency in the Performance of “Interactive” Electronic Music

This document investigates interaction between human performers and various interactive technologies in the performance of interactive electronic and computer music. Specifically, it observes how the identity and agency of the interactive technology is experienced and perceived by the human performer. First, a close examination of George Lewis’ creation of and performance with his own historic interactive electronic and computer works reveals his disposition of interaction as improvisation. This disposition is contextualized within then contemporary social and political issues related to African American experimental musicians as well as an emerging culture of electronic and computer musicians concerned with interactivity. Second, an auto-ethnographic study reveals a contemporary performers perspective via the author’s own direct interactive experience with electronic and computer systems. These experiences were documented and analyzed using Actor Network Theory, Critical Technical Practice, theories of Embodiment and Embodied Cognition, Lewis’s conceptions of improvisation, as well as Tracy McMullen’s theory of the Improvisative. Analyses from both studies revealed that when and how performers chose to “other” interactive technologies significantly influenced their actions. The implications of this are discussed in terms of identity formation both within performances of interactive electronic music and interactive technologies generally

Go large: The impact of size on gestural interaction in digital musical instrument design

This research is about the impact on musical gestural interaction of over- sized Digital Musical Instrument (DMI) design, that is instruments with physical dimensions that are larger than the human body performing them, but smaller than the size of the room they are in. When interacting with an interface not only does the performer move their body to control the interface, the interface design and affordances control the way the performer moves their body. In the context of DMIs, two instruments with the same sonic capabilities will elicit different patterns of gestural inter- action depending on their physical layout. Using the methodology of designing instruments for the purpose of exploring research questions, this research ex- amines the gestural interaction and music made by musicians performing with large DMIs to investigate impact of instrument size on music making. In this thesis I propose a process of investigating gestural interaction and how it shapes compositional choices through two studies. Each study examines the relative effects on performance and composition of various factors of affordances and idiomatic gestural language performed with large DMIs. Studying performer interactions and music composed with large instruments with novel layouts that participants have not yet developed idiomatic gestural languages for results in new discoveries that are relevant to the design of large instruments as well as instruments of all sizes. This research is relevant for digital musical instrument designers and Human Computer Interaction researchers as it will elucidate the influence that a DMI’s physical size and layout has on the performances and compositions created using digital musical instruments, so that designers can make informed decisions to either support or suppress specific influences in future DMI design. Further, this research contributes the design of a new digital musical instrument, Chaos Bells, that can be used by digital musical instrument performers and researchers in the future

The wedding song in Greek literature and culture

This thesis examines the Greek wedding song and its function in literature and culture. The genre, hymenaios or epithalamium, has received little scholarly attention, particularly in English (cf. Muth, WS 1954; Tufte, Los Angeles 1970; Contiades-Tsitsoni, Stuttgart 1990, ZPE 1994; Swift, JHS 2006 & DPhil diss.). Yet an examination of the poetry of marriage, a crucial aspect in the study of the ancient world, contributes to our understanding of gender and social relations, as well as literature. Using elements of genre theory, gender studies, anthropology and cultural history, I argue that the epithalamium was part of a ritual of transition; for both the bride and for the community. The archaic epithalamium enacts this transition in lyric; tragic adaptations of the genre explore the consequences when this tradition is unsuccessfully performed. In contrast, the wedding songs of Attic comedy represent a 'happy ever after' ending for the communities of the protagonists, and portray these unions as a Sacred Marriage of man and goddess. The Helenistic epithalamium takes elements of these literary predecessors, and uses them to articulate a transition in marital relations, and literary politics, in the oeuvre of Theocritus. Philia relations in this era evolve to depict a more prominent mutuality between husband and wife, which also underpins the erotic writings of Plutarch. But more importantly, this author develops epithalamial topoi to present marriage as an 'initiation' for the bridal couple, which brings the thesis full-circle to the concept of transition while laying the foundation for one of the central concepts of Menander Rhetor's prescripts

The wedding song in Greek literature and culture

This thesis examines the Greek wedding song and its function in literature and culture. The genre, hymenaios or epithalamium, has received little scholarly attention, particularly in English (cf. Muth, WS 1954; Tufte, Los Angeles 1970; Contiades-Tsitsoni, Stuttgart 1990, ZPE 1994; Swift, JHS 2006 & DPhil diss.). Yet an examination of the poetry of marriage, a crucial aspect in the study of the ancient world, contributes to our understanding of gender and social relations, as well as literature. Using elements of genre theory, gender studies, anthropology and cultural history, I argue that the epithalamium was part of a ritual of transition; for both the bride and for the community. The archaic epithalamium enacts this transition in lyric; tragic adaptations of the genre explore the consequences when this tradition is unsuccessfully performed. In contrast, the wedding songs of Attic comedy represent a 'happy ever after' ending for the communities of the protagonists, and portray these unions as a Sacred Marriage of man and goddess. The Helenistic epithalamium takes elements of these literary predecessors, and uses them to articulate a transition in marital relations, and literary politics, in the oeuvre of Theocritus. Philia relations in this era evolve to depict a more prominent mutuality between husband and wife, which also underpins the erotic writings of Plutarch. But more importantly, this author develops epithalamial topoi to present marriage as an 'initiation' for the bridal couple, which brings the thesis full-circle to the concept of transition while laying the foundation for one of the central concepts of Menander Rhetor's prescripts