Abstract

Shaping collective free improvisations in order to obtain solid and succinct works with surprising and synchronized events is not an easy task. This thesis is a proposal towards that goal. It presents the theoretical, philosophical and technical framework of the Improvisatory Music and Painting Interface (IMPI) system: a new computer program for the creation of audiovisual improvisations performed in real time by ensembles of acoustic musicians. The coordination of these improvisations is obtained using a graphical language. This language is employed by one "conductor" in order to generate musical scores and abstract visual animations in real time.

Doodling on a digital tablet following the syntax of the language allows both the creation of musical material with different levels of improvisatory participation from the ensemble and also the manipulation of the projected graphics in coordination with the music. The generated musical information is displayed in several formats on multiple computer screens that members of the ensemble play from. The digital graphics are also projected on a screen to be seen by an audience. This system is intended for a non-tonal, non-rhythmic, and texture-oriented musical style, which means that strong emphasis is put on the control of timbral qualities and continuum transitions.

One of the main goals of the system is the translation of planned compositional elements (such as precise structure and synchronization between instruments) into the improvisatory domain. The graphics that IMPI generates are organic, fluid, vivid, dynamic, and unified with the music. The concept of controlled improvisation as well as the paradigm of the relationships between acoustic and visual material are both analyzed from an aesthetic point of view. The theoretical section is accompanied by descriptions of historic and contemporary works that have influenced IMPI.

Brief Description and Contributions

The Improvisatory Music and Painting Interface (IMPI) is a piece of software for the creation and guidance of audiovisual improvisations. By drawing into a digital tablet using a defined syntax, a conductor generates in real time both the music displayed in several formats on computer screens for the musicians, and dynamic graphics projected on the stage in synchronicity with the music. The kind of musical style this system is intended for is non-tonal, non-rhythmic, and texture-oriented, which means that strong emphasis is put on the control of timbral qualities and continuum transitions. One of the main goals of the system is the translation of planned compositional elements such as precise structure and synchronization between instruments into the improvisatory domain. The graphics that IMPI generates are organic, fluid, vivid, dynamic, and unified with the music.

Most of the audiovisual systems currently developed and most of the research in the field are focused on the exploration and creation of audiovisual systems with electronic sounds as audio output. This work, on the other hand, proposes the creation of an audiovisual system where the music is generated by acoustic instruments in real time.

Shaping collective free improvisations in order to obtain solid and succinct works with surprising and synchronized events is not an easy task. This thesis suggests an audiovisual system for obtaining these results. There is not a unique and objective method for mapping acoustic and visual elements and several works has been created in the field of the audiovisual performance. With its own paradigm and techniques, IMPI is a contribution to the field.

IMPI is a project under constat development. Currently, three versions have been created, each one solving different technical and aesthetical challenges. What has been developed so far is an important step in the creation of a final version that integrates all the features and could generate the result that the system is intended for.