Texture and Form in Composing for Large Ensemble of Improvisors
Sculpting Air in The Sub Habitat (subtitle: Texture and Form in Composition for Larger Ensemble of Improvisers) is an exploration and unfolding of creative processes in composing for a larger ensemble (6+ musicians) of improvisers, as well as the processes in the ensemble’s rehearsals and concerts. In Sculpting Air, the project holder acts as both composer and performer, working with an ensemble created specifically for this project: Sub Habitat.
The members of Sub Habitat are Lotte Anker (DK), Mazen Kerbaj (GER/LBN), Katt Hernandez (S/USA), Nina de Heney (S), Sten Sandell (S), Andrea Neumann (GER), and Burkhard Beins (GER).
Sculpting Air originated from the project holder’s need to deepen, (re)examine, and challenge their compositional practice, including aesthetic preferences and inclinations, within a larger ensemble of improvisers. The project was initiated with an exploration of vague, fragmented notions of particular sonic and textural qualities, structural concepts, and a higher degree of connectedness between predetermined and undetermined compositional elements.
The project is based on the project holder’s compositional work and four ensemble sessions and session concerts conducted between 2020 and 2022. It includes examples and reflections from these processes, aiming to articulate answers to the following research questions:
- Based on the concepts of texture, MODE, and LIBRARY, how can new compositional tools be developed for a larger ensemble of improvisers in a way that reflects the sonic palette and expression of individual musicians, the ensemble’s collective identity, and the project holder’s artistic intentions?
Additional considerations include:
- How can these tools be applied as sculpting materials in a large-form piece, where the predetermined and indeterminate elements mutually reinforce each other to expand the musical space?
- How can the sonic potential of the ensemble be explored in dialogue with its musicians?
- How does the ensemble’s overall expression influence the compositional process, and vice versa?
- In score form, how can a specific vocabulary, concepts, and notational forms be developed to clarify artistic intent and convey the balance between predetermined and indeterminate compositional elements?
