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TECHNIQUES of the CONTEMPORARY COMPOSER DAVID COPE 2 B. CONTENTS Introduction xt BASICS 1 Approaches to Composition 1 Skills and Tools 4 The Profession 7 Rudiments of Orchestration and Form 8 ‘THE TONAL LEGACY 2 Basic Key Concepts. 12 Chromaticism 15 Expansions and Planing 17 Polytonality 19 NEW ROLES OF MELODY 26 Seales 26 Motives 28 Basic Melodic Concepts 29 Extended Melodic Lines 32 Accompaniments 34 HARMONY, COUNTERPOINT, AND HIERARCHY 38 ‘The Overtone Series 38 Texture 39 Consonance and Dissonance 39 Interval Strengths 40 Roots 41 Progression Strengths and Chromaticism 42. INTERVAL EXPLORATION 46 Basic Concepts. 46 Fifth and Fourth Chords Second and Seventh Chords. 50 Interval Combinations 55 18, 19. 20. CONTENTS MEDIA FORMS: 206 Multimedia 206 Mixed Media 209 Intermedia 212 Vireual Reality 214 MINIMALISM 216 Silence as Minimalism 216 Concept Music 217 Brevity Works 218) Continuivies 218 Phase and Pattern Music 219 EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC 222 Situation and Circumstance Music 222 Soundscapes 223, Biomusic 224 Antimusic 22 DECATEGORIZATION 230 Fclecticism 231 Quotation 22 Sectionalization 233 Overlays 234 Integration 236 Bibliography 239 Indes 247 INTRODUCTION If there is one characteristic ofthe arts that remains constant, itis change. Although, ‘Western Classical music, co the inexperienced listener, may seem predictable and reli- ably consistent, i is not. Over the course of centuries, harmonic vocabularies that ‘originated in medieval organum with open parallel fourths and fifths have proceeded through triads and seventh and ninth chords to the dissonant, clusterlike chords of the twentieth century. Melodic vocabularies have likewise developed from stepwise 4istonic chants through triadic leaping to extreme chromaticism and pointlism Rhythm, timbre, and texture have followed similar paths from simple to complex, though less quickly. “Those who refuse to accept change, or who canonize common-practice music of the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries to the detriment of contemporary music, Jack the vision necessary to understand the inevitable nature of change. Though ‘many a masterpiece was produced during Western music's tonal centuries, biliance ‘of craft and musicianship are evident in thousands of works written before and afer those years. “Techniques ofthe Contemporary Composer covers many of the changes that have taken place recently and even suggests afew that may yet occur. Central to the book are three basic concepts 1, There is no right way to compose music, no righ style, only different ones. Each individual must decide on his or her own mode of expression. 2. There is no progress in art. While it may at frst seem plausible that, for ‘example, a late Romantic symphony is superior to a simple tenth-century 3, careful consideration may prove the contrary. A comparison of ogress in the arts to, for instance, progress inthe sciences is inappropriate. 3. However musi is defined (and it macters little in the final analysis), i pos sesses elements that make craftand consistency fundamental to its quality. ‘Techniques of the Contemporary Composer is designed to cover the techniques, esources, and technologies of composition of the twentieth and early ewenty-ftst ‘centuries while placing an emphasis on the music of more recent years. Most music ‘omposition books deal almost exclusively with traditional techniques, inclusive of Principal music of the early to middle ewentieth century. Those that do include ontraditional techniques usually cover only 2 few contemporary idioms. The pre book, however, includes as many areas of contemporary composition as possible

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