Composing with, Composition by: A Set of Compositional Practices

This chapter presents an account of my collaborative processes as a composer and founding member of the contemporary music Ensemble Modern, begun in Germany in 1980. I share insights into my compositional agency ranging from sole compositional work to shared authorship and the collaborative and participatory composition, whilst working on various local and international projects, with professionals and amateurs alike. One example took place in the Hojuji Temple of Kamaishi, Japan, working with community groups to produce a performance comprising sound, voice, and movement derived from the experiences and recollections of local people concerning the tsunami and specifically their memories of how the stars appeared the night of the tsunami. The fragile living conditions and emotional fallout post-tsunami resulted in an ever-present precariousness of the dynamics of the creative unfolding. I arrived to find a community dealing with grief and exhaustion, yet was able to meet with local choirs and create songs and sounds that reflected their yearning for spring, for better times. Questions have arisen throughout my research in this respect: how can one best share and distribute the action, the making, and the compositional process between artists, participants and audienceAudience? How can we share our expertise with others in a hands-on invitation to make music together? What sort of music does this approach produce? Can we expect that more socially-driven works, where the agenda is the process and not only the performance, will still be perceived as a form of art?