[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:03.00,0:00:06.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I thought if I skipped it might help my nerves,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:06.23,0:00:09.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I'm actually having a paradoxical reaction to that,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:09.41,0:00:11.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so that was a bad idea. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:00:11.24,0:00:14.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Anyway, I was really delighted to receive the invitation
Dialogue: 0,0:00:14.66,0:00:18.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to present to you some of my music and some of my work
Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.59,0:00:21.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as a composer, presumably because it appeals
Dialogue: 0,0:00:21.69,0:00:25.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to my well-known and abundant narcissism. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.67,0:00:28.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I'm not kidding, I just think we should just
Dialogue: 0,0:00:28.28,0:00:31.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,say that and move forward. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:00:31.73,0:00:34.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, but the thing is, a dilemma quickly arose,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:34.61,0:00:36.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that is that I'm really bored with music,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.82,0:00:39.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I'm really bored with the role of the composer,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:39.88,0:00:43.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and so I decided to put that idea, boredom,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:43.09,0:00:46.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as the focus of my presentation to you today.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:46.07,0:00:48.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I'm going to share my music with you, but I hope
Dialogue: 0,0:00:48.36,0:00:50.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I'm going to do so in a way that tells a story,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:50.59,0:00:53.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,tells a story about how I used boredom as a catalyst
Dialogue: 0,0:00:53.100,0:00:56.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for creativity and invention, and how boredom
Dialogue: 0,0:00:56.55,0:00:59.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,actually forced me to change the fundamental question
Dialogue: 0,0:00:59.71,0:01:01.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I was asking in my discipline,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.80,0:01:03.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and how boredom also, in a sense,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:03.85,0:01:08.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,pushed me towards taking on roles beyond the sort of
Dialogue: 0,0:01:08.30,0:01:10.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,most traditional, narrow definition of a composer.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:10.91,0:01:13.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What I'd like to do today is to start with an excerpt
Dialogue: 0,0:01:13.38,0:01:16.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of a piece of music at the piano.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:16.21,0:01:25.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Music)
Dialogue: 0,0:01:25.52,0:01:28.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Okay, I wrote that. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:01:28.84,0:01:30.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,No, it's not — (Applause) Oh, why thank you.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:30.74,0:01:32.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,No, no, I didn't write that.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:32.37,0:01:34.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, that was a piece by Beethoven,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:34.65,0:01:37.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and so I was not functioning as a composer.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:37.20,0:01:40.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Just now I was functioning in the role of the interpreter,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:40.25,0:01:42.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and there I am, interpreter.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:42.31,0:01:45.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, an interpreter of what? Of a piece of music, right?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:45.02,0:01:49.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But we can ask the question, "But is it music?"
Dialogue: 0,0:01:49.23,0:01:51.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I say this rhetorically, because of course
Dialogue: 0,0:01:51.01,0:01:53.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by just about any standard we would have to concede
Dialogue: 0,0:01:53.83,0:01:55.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that this is, of course, a piece of music,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:55.78,0:01:58.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I put this here now because,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:58.10,0:02:00.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,just to set it in your brains for the moment,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:00.39,0:02:02.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because we're going to return to this question.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:02.23,0:02:04.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's going to be a kind of a refrain
Dialogue: 0,0:02:04.01,0:02:05.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as we go through the presentation.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:05.82,0:02:08.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So here we have this piece of music by Beethoven,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.05,0:02:11.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and my problem with it is, it's boring.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:11.26,0:02:18.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I mean, you — I'm just like, a hush, huh -- It's like -- (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.08,0:02:19.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's Beethoven, how can you say that?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:19.79,0:02:21.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,No, well, I don't know, it's very familiar to me.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:21.53,0:02:24.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I had to practice it as a kid, and I'm really sick of it. So -- (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:02:24.56,0:02:27.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I would, so what I might like to try to do is to change it,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.28,0:02:29.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to transform it in some ways, to personalize it,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:29.93,0:02:32.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so I might take the opening, like this idea --
Dialogue: 0,0:02:32.35,0:02:34.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Music)
Dialogue: 0,0:02:34.56,0:02:39.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then I might substitute -- (Music)
Dialogue: 0,0:02:39.46,0:02:41.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then I might improvise on that melody
Dialogue: 0,0:02:41.10,0:02:44.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that goes forward from there -- (Music)
Dialogue: 0,0:02:44.73,0:03:10.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Music)
Dialogue: 0,0:03:10.75,0:03:13.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So that might be the kind of thing -- Why thank you.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:13.87,0:03:17.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)
Dialogue: 0,0:03:17.46,0:03:19.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That would be the kind of thing that I would do,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:19.58,0:03:21.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it's not necessarily better than the Beethoven.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:21.68,0:03:25.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, I think it's not better than it. The thing is -- (Laughter) --
Dialogue: 0,0:03:25.41,0:03:30.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's more interesting to me. It's less boring for me.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:30.71,0:03:33.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm really leaning into me, because I, because I have
Dialogue: 0,0:03:33.88,0:03:37.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to think about what decisions I'm going to make on the fly
Dialogue: 0,0:03:37.45,0:03:40.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as that Beethoven text is running in time through my head
Dialogue: 0,0:03:40.65,0:03:42.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I'm trying to figure out what kinds of transformations
Dialogue: 0,0:03:42.86,0:03:44.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm going to make to it.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:44.45,0:03:47.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So this is an engaging enterprise for me, and
Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.03,0:03:51.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've really leaned into that first person pronoun thing there,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:51.69,0:03:54.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and now my face appears twice, so I think we can agree
Dialogue: 0,0:03:54.01,0:03:57.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that this is a fundamentally solipsistic enterprise. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:03:57.70,0:04:00.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But it's an engaging one, and it's interesting to me
Dialogue: 0,0:04:00.11,0:04:02.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for a while, but then I get bored with it, and by it,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:02.53,0:04:05.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I actually mean, the piano, because it becomes,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:05.18,0:04:08.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's this familiar instrument, it's timbral range is actually
Dialogue: 0,0:04:08.40,0:04:10.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,pretty compressed, at least when you play on the keyboard,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:10.92,0:04:13.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and if you're not doing things like listening to it
Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.53,0:04:16.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,after you've lit it on fire or something like that, you know.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:16.26,0:04:18.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It gets a little bit boring, and so pretty soon
Dialogue: 0,0:04:18.22,0:04:20.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I go through other instruments, they become familiar,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:20.38,0:04:23.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and eventually I find myself designing and constructing
Dialogue: 0,0:04:23.06,0:04:27.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my own instrument, and I brought one with me today,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:27.22,0:04:30.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I thought I would play a little bit on it for you
Dialogue: 0,0:04:30.16,0:04:32.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so you can hear what it sounds like.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:32.37,0:04:43.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Music)
Dialogue: 0,0:04:43.78,0:04:49.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You gotta have doorstops, that's important. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:04:49.54,0:04:52.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've got combs. They're the only combs that I own. (Music)
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.65,0:04:55.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They're all mounted on my instruments. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:04:55.81,0:05:04.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Music)
Dialogue: 0,0:05:04.87,0:05:07.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I can actually do all sorts of things. I can play
Dialogue: 0,0:05:07.45,0:05:09.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with a violin bow. I don't have to use the chopsticks.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:09.95,0:05:17.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we have this sound. (Music)
Dialogue: 0,0:05:17.80,0:05:19.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And with a bank of live electronics,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:19.85,0:05:23.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I can change the sounds radically. (Music)
Dialogue: 0,0:05:23.97,0:05:33.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Music)
Dialogue: 0,0:05:33.04,0:05:39.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Like that, and like this. (Music)
Dialogue: 0,0:05:39.29,0:05:41.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so forth.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:41.41,0:05:43.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So this gives you a little bit of an idea of the sound world
Dialogue: 0,0:05:43.55,0:05:46.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of this instrument, which I think is quite interesting
Dialogue: 0,0:05:46.23,0:05:50.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it puts me in the role of the inventor, and the nice thing about —
Dialogue: 0,0:05:50.00,0:05:53.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This instrument is called the Mouseketeer ... (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:05:53.12,0:05:55.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the cool thing about it is
Dialogue: 0,0:05:55.38,0:05:58.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm the world's greatest Mouseketeer player. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:05:58.95,0:06:00.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Okay? (Applause)
Dialogue: 0,0:06:00.57,0:06:03.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So in that regard, this is one of the things,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:03.75,0:06:05.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this is one of the privileges of being,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:05.61,0:06:08.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and here's another role, the inventor, and by the way,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:08.61,0:06:10.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when I told you that I'm the world's greatest,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:10.79,0:06:14.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if you're keeping score, we've had narcissism and solipsism
Dialogue: 0,0:06:14.79,0:06:16.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and now a healthy dose of egocentricism.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:16.80,0:06:20.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I know some of you are just, you know, bingo! Or, I don't know. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:06:20.40,0:06:25.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Anyway, so this is also a really enjoyable role.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:25.94,0:06:28.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I should concede also that I'm the world's worst Mouseketeer player,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:28.68,0:06:30.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it was this distinction that I was most worried about
Dialogue: 0,0:06:30.93,0:06:33.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when I was on that prior side of the tenure divide.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:33.86,0:06:36.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm glad I'm past that. We're not going to go into that.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:36.35,0:06:39.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm crying on the inside. There are still scars.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:39.31,0:06:43.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Anyway, but I guess my point is that all of these enterprises
Dialogue: 0,0:06:43.12,0:06:46.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are engaging to me in their multiplicity, but as I've presented them
Dialogue: 0,0:06:46.86,0:06:50.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to you today, they're actually solitary enterprises,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:50.21,0:06:53.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and so pretty soon I want to commune with other people, and so
Dialogue: 0,0:06:53.24,0:06:55.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm delighted that in fact I get to compose works for them.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:55.76,0:06:58.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I get to write, sometimes for soloists and I get to work with one person,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:58.84,0:07:02.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sometimes full orchestras, and I work with a lot of people,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:02.15,0:07:05.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and this is probably the capacity, the role creatively
Dialogue: 0,0:07:05.83,0:07:08.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for which I'm probably best known professionally.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:08.99,0:07:11.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, some of my scores as a composer look like this,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:11.97,0:07:14.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and others look like this,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:14.04,0:07:16.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and some look like this,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:16.12,0:07:19.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I make all of these by hand, and it's really tedious.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:19.17,0:07:21.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It takes a long, long time to make these scores,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:21.50,0:07:23.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and right now I'm working on a piece
Dialogue: 0,0:07:23.68,0:07:25.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that's 180 pages in length,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:25.70,0:07:29.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it's just a big chunk of my life, and I'm just pulling out hair.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:29.89,0:07:32.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I have a lot of it, and that's a good thing I suppose. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:07:32.40,0:07:35.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So this gets really boring and really tiresome for me,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:35.97,0:07:38.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so after a while the process of notating is not only boring,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:38.94,0:07:42.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I actually want the notation to be more interesting,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:42.07,0:07:44.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and so that's pushed me to do other projects like this one.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:44.79,0:07:47.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is an excerpt from a score called
Dialogue: 0,0:07:47.02,0:07:49.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"The Metaphysics of Notation."
Dialogue: 0,0:07:49.21,0:07:51.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The full score is 72 feet wide.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:51.76,0:07:54.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a bunch of crazy pictographic notation.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:54.45,0:07:57.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Let's zoom in on one section of it right here. You can see
Dialogue: 0,0:07:57.34,0:08:01.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's rather detailed. I do all of this with drafting templates,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:01.16,0:08:04.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with straight edges, with French curves, and by freehand,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:04.77,0:08:07.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the 72 feet was actually split
Dialogue: 0,0:08:07.43,0:08:10.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,into 12 six-foot-wide panels that were installed
Dialogue: 0,0:08:10.46,0:08:15.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,around the Cantor Arts Center Museum lobby balcony,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:15.35,0:08:19.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it appeared for one year in the museum,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:19.16,0:08:22.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and during that year, it was experienced as visual art
Dialogue: 0,0:08:22.01,0:08:23.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,most of the week, except, as you can see in these pictures,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:23.91,0:08:26.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on Fridays, from noon til one, and only during that time,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:26.95,0:08:30.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,various performers came and interpreted these strange
Dialogue: 0,0:08:30.33,0:08:33.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and undefined pictographic glyphs. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:08:33.61,0:08:37.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now this was a really exciting experience for me.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:37.30,0:08:38.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was gratifying musically, but I think
Dialogue: 0,0:08:38.90,0:08:41.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the more important thing is it was exciting because I got to take on
Dialogue: 0,0:08:41.59,0:08:44.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,another role, especially given that it appeared in a museum,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:44.49,0:08:47.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that is as visual artist. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:08:47.77,0:08:50.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We're going to fill up the whole thing, don't worry. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:08:50.27,0:08:52.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I am multitudes. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:08:52.27,0:08:55.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So one of the things is that, I mean, some people
Dialogue: 0,0:08:55.17,0:08:56.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,would say, like, "Oh, you're being a dilettante,"
Dialogue: 0,0:08:56.96,0:08:59.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and maybe that's true. I can understand how, I mean,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:59.54,0:09:01.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because I don't have a pedigree in visual art
Dialogue: 0,0:09:01.70,0:09:03.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I don't have any training, but it's just something
Dialogue: 0,0:09:03.73,0:09:06.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I wanted to do as an extension of my composition,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:06.20,0:09:09.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as an extension of a kind of creative impulse.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:09.10,0:09:12.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I can understand the question, though. "But is it music?"
Dialogue: 0,0:09:12.20,0:09:14.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I mean, there's not any traditional notation.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:14.45,0:09:16.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I can also understand that sort of implicit criticism
Dialogue: 0,0:09:16.71,0:09:20.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in this piece, "S-tog," which I made when I was living in Copenhagen.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:20.08,0:09:22.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I took the Copenhagen subway map and
Dialogue: 0,0:09:22.07,0:09:25.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I renamed all the stations to abstract musical provocations,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:25.20,0:09:27.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the players, who are synchronized with stopwatches,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:27.97,0:09:30.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,follow the timetables, which are listed in minutes past the hour.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:30.83,0:09:33.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So this is a case of actually adapting something,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:33.89,0:09:35.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or maybe stealing something,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:35.77,0:09:38.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then turning it into a musical notation.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:38.12,0:09:40.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Another adaptation would be this piece.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:40.27,0:09:43.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I took the idea of the wristwatch, and I turned it into a musical score.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:43.62,0:09:46.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I made my own faces, and had a company fabricate them,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:46.85,0:09:49.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the players follow these scores.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:49.09,0:09:51.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They follow the second hands, and as they pass over
Dialogue: 0,0:09:51.11,0:09:54.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the various symbols, the players respond musically.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:54.10,0:09:56.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here's another example from another piece,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:56.32,0:09:58.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then its realization.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:58.38,0:10:00.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So in these two capacities, I've been scavenger,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:00.86,0:10:03.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the sense of taking, like, the subway map, right,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:03.24,0:10:05.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or thief maybe, and I've also been designer,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:05.76,0:10:08.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the case of making the wristwatches.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:08.08,0:10:11.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And once again, this is, for me, interesting.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:11.66,0:10:14.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Another role that I like to take on is that of the performance artist.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:14.97,0:10:17.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Some of my pieces have these kind of weird theatric elements,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:17.66,0:10:19.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I often perform them. I want to show you a clip
Dialogue: 0,0:10:19.82,0:10:21.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from a piece called "Echolalia."
Dialogue: 0,0:10:21.58,0:10:24.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is actually being performed by Brian McWhorter,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:24.65,0:10:25.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who is an extraordinary performer.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:25.96,0:10:29.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Let's watch a little bit of this, and please notice the instrumentation.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:29.39,0:10:58.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Music)
Dialogue: 0,0:10:58.28,0:10:59.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Okay, I hear you were laughing nervously because
Dialogue: 0,0:10:59.96,0:11:02.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you too could hear that the drill was a little bit sharp,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:02.25,0:11:04.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the intonation was a little questionable. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:11:04.38,0:11:06.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Let's watch just another clip.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:06.39,0:11:16.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Music)
Dialogue: 0,0:11:16.97,0:11:19.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You can see the mayhem continues, and there's, you know,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:19.66,0:11:21.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there were no clarinets and trumpets
Dialogue: 0,0:11:21.54,0:11:23.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and flutes and violins. Here's a piece that has
Dialogue: 0,0:11:23.45,0:11:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,an even more unusual, more peculiar instrumentation.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:26.00,0:11:29.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is "Tlön," for three conductors and no players. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:11:42.33,0:11:44.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This was based on the experience of actually watching
Dialogue: 0,0:11:44.27,0:11:46.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,two people having a virulent argument in sign language,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:46.78,0:11:48.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which produced no decibels to speak of,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:48.64,0:11:52.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but affectively, psychologically, was a very loud experience.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:52.05,0:11:55.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, yeah, I get it, with, like, the weird appliances
Dialogue: 0,0:11:55.72,0:11:59.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then the total absence of conventional instruments
Dialogue: 0,0:11:59.82,0:12:02.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and this glut of conductors, people might, you know,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:02.70,0:12:05.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,wonder, yeah, "Is this music?"
Dialogue: 0,0:12:05.60,0:12:09.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But let's move on to a piece where clearly I'm behaving myself,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:09.45,0:12:11.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that is my "Concerto for Orchestra."
Dialogue: 0,0:12:11.93,0:12:13.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You're going to notice a lot of conventional instruments
Dialogue: 0,0:12:13.93,0:12:17.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in this clip. (Music)
Dialogue: 0,0:12:17.63,0:12:30.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Music)
Dialogue: 0,0:12:30.48,0:12:32.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This, in fact, is not the title of this piece.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:32.52,0:12:35.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was a bit mischievous. In fact, to make it more interesting,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:35.07,0:12:39.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I put a space right in here, and this is the actual title of the piece.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:39.36,0:12:41.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Let's continue with that same excerpt.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:41.38,0:12:51.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Music)
Dialogue: 0,0:12:51.68,0:12:59.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's better with a florist, right? (Laughter) (Music)
Dialogue: 0,0:12:59.77,0:13:02.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Or at least it's less boring. Let's watch a couple more clips.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:02.00,0:13:15.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Music)
Dialogue: 0,0:13:15.98,0:13:19.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So with all these theatric elements, this pushes me in another role,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:19.03,0:13:21.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that would be, possibly, the dramaturge.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:21.85,0:13:26.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was playing nice. I had to write the orchestra bits, right?
Dialogue: 0,0:13:26.34,0:13:28.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Okay? But then there was this other stuff, right?
Dialogue: 0,0:13:28.80,0:13:30.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There was the florist, and I can understand that,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:30.73,0:13:33.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,once again, we're putting pressure on the ontology of music
Dialogue: 0,0:13:33.87,0:13:36.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as we know it conventionally,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:36.59,0:13:41.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but let's look at one last piece today I'm going to share with you.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:41.01,0:13:43.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is going to be a piece called "Aphasia,"
Dialogue: 0,0:13:43.67,0:13:47.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it's for hand gestures synchronized to sound,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:47.11,0:13:49.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and this invites yet another role, and final one
Dialogue: 0,0:13:49.85,0:13:52.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'll share with you, which is that of the choreographer.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:52.42,0:13:54.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the score for the piece looks like this,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:54.90,0:13:59.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it instructs me, the performer, to make
Dialogue: 0,0:13:59.31,0:14:02.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,various hand gestures at very specific times
Dialogue: 0,0:14:02.04,0:14:04.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,synchronized with an audio tape, and that audio tape
Dialogue: 0,0:14:04.29,0:14:07.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is made up exclusively of vocal samples.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:07.17,0:14:09.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I recorded an awesome singer,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:09.59,0:14:11.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I took the sound of his voice in my computer,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:11.94,0:14:14.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I warped it in countless ways to come up with
Dialogue: 0,0:14:14.54,0:14:16.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the soundtrack that you're about to hear.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:16.80,0:14:21.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I'll perform just an excerpt of "Aphasia" for you here. Okay?
Dialogue: 0,0:14:21.77,0:15:00.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Music)
Dialogue: 0,0:15:00.11,0:15:06.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So that gives you a little taste of that piece. (Applause)
Dialogue: 0,0:15:06.73,0:15:09.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Yeah, okay, that's kind of weird stuff.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:09.02,0:15:11.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Is it music? Here's how I want to conclude.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:11.25,0:15:13.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've decided, ultimately, that this is the wrong question,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:13.83,0:15:15.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that this is not the important question.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:15.79,0:15:18.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The important question is, "Is it interesting?"
Dialogue: 0,0:15:18.52,0:15:21.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I follow this question, not worrying about "Is it music?" --
Dialogue: 0,0:15:21.41,0:15:23.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not worrying about the definition of the thing that I'm making.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:23.90,0:15:26.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I allow my creativity to push me
Dialogue: 0,0:15:26.35,0:15:28.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in directions that are simply interesting to me,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:28.51,0:15:31.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I don't worry about the likeness of the result
Dialogue: 0,0:15:31.56,0:15:33.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to some notion, some paradigm,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:33.62,0:15:36.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of what music composition is supposed to be,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:36.61,0:15:39.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that has actually urged me, in a sense,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:39.05,0:15:40.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to take on a whole bunch of different roles,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:40.78,0:15:42.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and so what I want you to think about is,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:42.92,0:15:46.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to what extent might you change the fundamental question
Dialogue: 0,0:15:46.14,0:15:48.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in your discipline, and, okay,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:48.86,0:15:51.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm going to put one extra little footnote in here,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:51.24,0:15:52.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because, like, I realized I mentioned
Dialogue: 0,0:15:52.85,0:15:55.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,some psychological defects earlier, and we also,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:55.79,0:15:59.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,along the way, had a fair amount of obsessive behavior,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:59.53,0:16:01.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and there was some delusional behavior and things like that,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:01.69,0:16:04.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and here I think we could say that this is an argument
Dialogue: 0,0:16:04.67,0:16:06.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for self-loathing and a kind of schizophrenia,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:06.65,0:16:08.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at least in the popular use of the term,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:08.59,0:16:10.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I really mean dissociative identity disorder, okay. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:16:10.82,0:16:13.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Anyway, despite those perils, I would urge you
Dialogue: 0,0:16:13.89,0:16:16.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to think about the possibility that you might take on roles
Dialogue: 0,0:16:16.46,0:16:18.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in your own work, whether they are neighboring
Dialogue: 0,0:16:18.55,0:16:21.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or far-flung from your professional definition.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:21.05,0:16:22.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And with that, I thank you very much. (Applause)
Dialogue: 0,0:16:22.83,0:16:29.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)