Acousmatic Music: Principles of Graphic Visualization

Abstract

The article analyzes approaches to graphic visualization of acousmatic music. The specificity of this electronic music’s genre variety is considered, the characteristic features of which are masking of the sound source and the absence of traditional written encryption – notation.The purpose of this research is to reveal the modern possibilities of graphic visualization of acousmatic works.The research methodology of the research is based on the use of the structural-functional methods to study the attributive characteristics of sound objects, as well as a comparative method aimed at analyzing different sound approaches to electronic scores. The principles of transforming the functions of musical notation in acousmatic works are revealed. It is noted that due to the absence of the performer, the notation loses its most important role – to serve as an instruction for repeatedly playing music since the composition is recorded in the studio and broadcast at the concert in the form of a phonogram.The scientific novelty of the research is to improve approaches to the study of avant-garde electronic music without author’s notation. Based on the study of composer’s scores “Vivente non vivente” by S. Gubaidulina, “Articulations” by D. Ligeti, “Electronic study No. 2” by K. Stockhausen, which are created on the basis of audio recordings, the functions of graphic fixation carried out after sounding are analyzed. Analogies with the notation of folk songs are drawn. Computer methods for visualizing acoustic processes are considered. It was revealed that almost all of them have the form of a graph of the sound vibrations distribution in the coordinates of frequency and time corresponding to the vertical and horizontal of traditional notation. The disadvantages of the automatic image of acoustic processes that do not reveal the uniqueness of the timbre and texture of sound objects are analyzed. A comparison of different musicological approaches to solving this problem made.Conclusions. The necessity of creating visualization for the study of compositions that do not have an author’s score has been substantiated. Based on the study of avant-garde notation patterns, an assumption has been formulated regarding the type and characteristics of graphic symbols. The principles of acousmographic visualization, which adds written signs to the sonogram aimed at revealing the author’s intention, have been investigated.