Exploring Musical Procedural Rhetoric: Computational Influence on Compositional Frameworks and Methods in the piece "Elevator Pitch"

Abstract

This text discusses the compositional process of the work "Elevator Pitch" for cello and electronics. This piece proposes an ironic analogy to a political discourse, here characterized as devoid of substance and heavily reliant on traditional rhetorical strategies. A significant artistic exploration in this composition is examining how computational techniques, specifically integrating constraint algorithms with Markov chains, can influence creative conceptual frameworks and compositional processes. These techniques are metaphorically seen as procedural equivalents to classic rhetorical devices, hence they are used as tools for organizing both the local musical context and the overall form. I have termed this approach 'musical procedural rhetoric'. This concept strongly resonates with the composition's conceptual backdrop, ironically reflecting the tone of a political elevator pitch. Further discussion involves the construction aspects of the piece: from concentrating on constraint rules and steerable Markovian generation, formalizing qualitative musical parameters via an experimental extension of the 'Cluster-Engine' computer-assisted composition library, to addressing the interaction between compositional processes shaped by computational methods and those originating from a more embodied and organic perspective.