Heterogenesis in Musical Rewriting and (Re)Performance

Abstract

In the music of the Twentieth Century, Luciano Berio perhaps is one of the most concerned composers with musical rewriting, intercrossing several traditions, from either European music or traditional cultures. In a short text, Jürg Stenzl indicates the three forms of rewriting that Luciano Berio employs in his compositions: (1) the simple repetition of an original model; (2) the use of the original as an open field for experimentations and (3) the rewriting which exceed the limits of identity and anamorphosis of the original sonority until an unrecognizable situation. Musical writing is, therefore, crossed by a large set of music traditions, which can be used according to a “molécularization” process, closely related to the “allagmatic” concept developed by Gilbert Simondon. In this article we discuss the conceptual aspects of rewriting giving some examples from the practices in composition and performance.