Multipart music as a conceptual tool. A Proposal

MACCHIARELLA, IGNAZIO

2016-01-01

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Abstract

The term ‘multipart music’ began to be used within our literature recently. Literally, it designates a generic co-presence of manifold components ‘inside a music’ without qualifying exactly what kind of co-presence is in play. Nevertheless, ‘multipart music’ is used more and more often, replacing the historically connoted term ‘polyphony’ which immediately refers to the domain of so-called western art music. Importantly, ‘multipart music’ has the advantage of containing the term ‘part’ which can be considered in the theatrical sense of ‘role’, thus shifting the focus towards the essence of the musical action, namely the performative behaviours from which the sound intertwining springs. These actions can be interpreted as coordination of diff erent sound gestures, i.e. bodily actions which begin and end and which have c haracteristic features and confi gurations that can be represented in terms of rhythmic-temporal dimensions and pitch chains. In such a perspective this paper focuses on what individuals do when they sing/play together in organized ways. Using diff erent examples, the paper off ers a contribution to the theoretical discourses of the ICTM (International Council for Traditional Music) Study Group on Multipart Music.