Abstract
Philosopher Stephen Davies has used the terms “ontologically thin” and “ontologically thick” to describe compositions with varying amounts of flexibility under interpretation. Placing these two poles on a continuum of ontological substance, I extend Davies’s ideas to shed light on issues concerning meaning in live electroacoustic music. I demonstrate that algorithmic and interactive elements lend an extra dimension to the existence of the musical work and that the apparent obsolescence of live performance caused by new technology is really an opportunity to develop meaning in a new parameter of musical structure.
Special thanks to the performers who have helped me develop these concepts in live concerts (in alphabetical order): Gracie Arenas, Eric km Clark, Ulrich Maiß, Andy McWain, and Chapman Welch.
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Morris, J.M. (2009). Ontological Substance and Meaning in Live Electroacoustic Music. In: Ystad, S., Kronland-Martinet, R., Jensen, K. (eds) Computer Music Modeling and Retrieval. Genesis of Meaning in Sound and Music. CMMR 2008. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 5493. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02518-1_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02518-1_15
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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