Abstract
Recent scholarship on musical creativity in its many guises [Clarke et at. 2005; Burnard 2012; Hargreaves et al. 2012] has contributed to a less individual, composer-centred model that acknowledges the social, collective basis of much music-making and the latent collaboration therein. Albumleaves seeks to bring new insights to this knowledge, in particular how musicians respond to a broader notion of interpretation and increased creative responsibility. A secondary insight is to provide a personal reflection on the creative process; it is still more common for composers to write about completed pieces than the process of composition itself. The process of inquiry involves the composition of a new work, Albumleaves, and the documentation of rehearsals. The score contains a significant degree of indeterminacy and the formal structure of the piece is open. Interpretative decisions must be made at many different levels: dynamic choice, textural density, timbral quality, formal continuity and so on. Documentation will be produced using Com-phone, an Android app enabling on-the-fly creation of slideshows. Participants compile their own documentation, sharing it via a dedicated YouTube channel. By showing how radically the musicians experiment with the creative possibilities implied by the notation, the research should reveal the extent to which greater indeterminacy and openness can contribute to a collaborative composer/performer relationship. It will also evaluate the effectiveness of Com-phone as a research tool. Dissemination will be via conference papers (Huddersfield, Kings College London, Goldsmiths) and a recording on Signum Classics; the premiere will take place in October.