Aspects of musical structure and functionality of electroacoustic media in the performance of ancient Greek tragedy A composers’ point of view

Citation:

Georgaki A. Aspects of musical structure and functionality of electroacoustic media in the performance of ancient Greek tragedy A composers’ point of view. CIM08 Proceedings, Aristote University of Thessaloniki. 2008.

Abstract:

Background in music
This paper compounds an approach of music creation in ancient Greek tragedy in Greece, during the XXth
century, focusing in the avant- guard composition techniques and especially in mixing instrumental, vocal and
e/a (electroacoustic) means with a critical view on the works of Xenakis, Christou, Adamis and Vasiliadis
concerning the reforming of the micro-macro-musical structure.
Background in composition
This paper refers also, to a particular point of view in composition using e/a material in order to achieve this
sound structure that conventional means could not create. This is an advantage of the e/a sound editing,
based on the flexibility of handling the sound as a plastic material. This technical topic brings new aesthetic
and structural questions so at the conception of a work as at its realization too. A critical confrontation of
editing ready given samples to newly made.
Aims
Distinguishing the recorded playback music from the e/a material we realize the second one gives the
opportunity to keep an eye open closer to the “ethos” of the text. Independently of specified styles and
techniques, the challenge transforming symbolism in abstract sound is risky and if stylized becomes guide to
superficial performance so often in the (recent) past.
Aiming to approve this interaction between music structure - aesthetic approach and text - sound, form
comes to be a servant of nowadays needs in realizing an ancient tragedy.
Contribution
As the technological contribution in sound editing and composition leads to new fields of aesthetic and
structural quest it was expected to influence the music for theatre. Through these new tendencies the
limitation in serving the text is also the freedom to give the abstract and symbolic light of it. As directors
wade into ancient tragic theme through contemporary hypocritical techniques and directing views, composers
are capable to rely upon new technology.
Implications
Moving away form the classical techniques for composing music for the ancient Greek tragedy based on the
ancient and Byzantin melos as it was seen the first half of the XXth century by many Greek composers and
bringing the avant-garde techniques in combination to the new e/a media as a ritualistic reinforcement of the
text , this paper intends to focus on the new structures, means and compositional techniques through a
composer’s view . The above points that this novel study in e/a techniques may have many implications both
in musicological as in music theory domain. Firstly, because it scopes to redefine the compositional strategies
through the digital medium according the needs of the text and secondly because it introduces new aesthetic
approaches that reinforce the “tragic| element through the e/a media.Aspects of musical structure and functionality of electroacoustic media in the performance of ancient Greek tragedy. A composers’ point of view Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman",serif; text-shadow:auto; mso-fareast-language:JA;}