What Indeterminate Notation Determines

Author(s): David Behrman

Source: Perspectives of New Music, Vol. 3, No. 2 (Spring - Summer, 1965), pp. 58-73
Published by: Perspectives of New Music
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FORUM: NOTATION

WHAT INDETERMINATE
NOTATION DETERMINES
DAVID BEHRMAN

TRADITIONAL notationhas been abandoned in so much of the last

decade's music that playersare no longershockedby the prospectof
tacklinga new set ofrulesand symbolseverytimetheyapproach a new
composition.Learninga new piece can be like learninga new game or a
new grammar,and firstrehearsalsare oftentakenup bydiscussions about
the rules-about "how" to play ratherthan "how well" (whichmustbe
put offuntillater).
The traditionalroleofnotationwas to fixcertainelementsofperform-
ance whileleavingothersto the "musicianship"passed on to a playerby
his teachersand absorbedfromhisenvironment. Many ofthethingsdone
by the musician, and absolutelyessential to good performance, werenot
to be foundin thescore:deviationfromthe metricvalues,differentiation
in timbreand intonation,typesof pedallingand tonguingand sliding,
as well as aspectsof the sortdescribedby a vague word or two-"con
fuoco,""lebhaft"-words so vague theyhad meaningonly to a player
culturallyconditionedto them.
It was takenforgrantedthatany performer could obey thenotation's
literaldemands.Whetherhe was talentedor notdependedupon whether
his "musicianship"could "breathelife"intothemusic.
In thecourseofat leastone branchofdevelopmentofserialmusic,the
performer's "musicianship"came to outliveitsusefulness.The composer
no longerexpectedhim to read betweenthe linesof his score.Deviation
fromthenotatedrhythms was notdesirablein a stylein whichtheperiodic
beat ofthemeterwas no longerfeltto pulsatebeneaththerhythmofthe
soundssuperimposedupon it. Deviationin intonation,dynamics,timbre,
etc.,would merelyobscurethestructures extendedto covereach ofthose
parameters. So the playerof thissort of music had lessto do than he had
his
formerly: job was now to obey the literalrequirements ofthescorein
a deadpan fashion.To make up forthe suppressionofinterpretation, the
specifications grewmore numerousand exactingthan ever before.The
degree of precisiondemanded was sometimesso high that it taxed the
abilityoftheperformer and led him to deliverwhat in factwas a subjec-
*
58"

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 FORUM: NOTATION

tive interpretation-toplay in a way that would "sound as though"he

were fulfilling the notation'sdemands.
Some of the musicianswho went throughthe experienceof "total
organization"have describedthe lessons that they thoughtmightbe
learned fromit. It became apparent that the range of sound which
a playeris capable ofcoveringis so extensiveand so susceptibleto nuance
that no notationcan hope to controlthe whole of it, especiallynot at
once. In such a view the composer,withhis rulesand his notation,is in
a positioncomparableto thedramatist's, withhis stagedirectionsand his
dialogue. Both score and scriptare at the mercyof the interpreter who
can make a thousandrealizationsofeverysymbol,whetherof a noise,a
note,or a word.The morea composertriesto control,thelargerthenum-
ber of elementsoverwhichthe playermustdistributehis powersofcon-
centration,and themoreconventionalwill be his executionofindividual
elements-themorewill be leftto technicalreflexes builtup in thecourse
of his training.But a "conventional"techniquemay no longerhave an
expressivecontentwhich the composerwishes to incorporateinto his
music. His ideal may be to put the playerin a freshframeof mind,to
shockhimout ofan environment whichputsa smokescreenoftechnique
between himselfand the experienceof playing,to make him feel as
thoughthe makingof soundson an instrument were a freshexperience.
If thisis his pointof view,thenhis notation,it was said, "... shouldbe
directedto a large extenttowardsthe people who read it, ratherthan
towardsthe soundstheywill make."1
Examplesofthreenew notationsbytwocomposersare discussedbelow.
The examples were chosen fromamong works recentlyrecorded(by
Columbia Records and Time Records). Each is followedby a transcrip-
tion,in conventionalmetricnotation,of the fragment's realizationon a
record.The purposewas to showtherelationship betweena newnotation
and its concreteresultsin performance.Transcriptions were made by
transferring the recorded to
fragments tape, where pitchesand durations
could be moreeasilyexamined.Distancesbetweenattacksand releasesof
soundscould be measuredwitha stopwatchor ruler.
For the transcriptions of fragments fromDurations I and Duet II, the
tempo of the stop watch was adopted, with each beat (second)subdivided
intotwogroupsoffive(10thsofa second).Times werefixedby takingthe
averagestopwatchreadingaftera numberoftimingtrials(made at half-
speed). The firstsound in each fragmentwas arbitrarilyassignedthe

1CorneliusCardew,"Notation-Interpretation...," Tempo(Summer,1961), p. 26. Nota-

tionscarryingthisidea thefarthest
have beenmade byyoungercomposers.Young,Ichiyanagi,
Chiari,and othersmay providethe playerwithinstructionsin writtenor orallydelivered
prose;GordonMumma'snotation,in "Megaton,"consistsofadvice and physicaldemonstra-
tiongivento theplayerbythecomposer-bothbeforeand duringperformance.
. 59 *

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 PERSPECTIVES OF NEW MUSIC

downbeatofthefirstmeasurein the transcription. There is,ofcourse,no

accentual significance
in the relativepositionofdownbeatsand upbeats.

AltoFlute U
(Concert
pitch) W

8---------------- b

Piano

A sord. acopizz. co
Violin

sord. .
Cello

Ex. 1, Feldman,Durations
I

The pieces writtenin thisnotation,which looks at firstglance likea

featurelesssuccessionof chords,tend to assume four-part configurations
in performance:1) the opening moments-all instruments attacking
simultaneously(a sound which will occur nowhereelse, exceptthrough
extraordinary coincidence);2) the main bodyof the piece,duringwhich
all playersare engaged in movingindependentlythroughtheirparts;
3) the music which occurs afterthe fastestplayer has finished,during
which the numberof playersmore or less graduallydiminishes;4) the
endingsolo by theslowestplayer-which can runfroma noteto a system
or twoor more.
In this"race-course"form("starttogether,move independently, stop
when you reach the finishline"), the consequence to a performer for
movingtheslowestis to be leftstranded,withtheshelterofhiscomrades'
soundsremovedand his last soundsto play alone.
The proportionsof the four"parts" are determinedby the degreeto
whichthespeedsoftheplayersvary.Speed is fixedneitherbythenotation
itselfnorby therulesaccompanyingit,whichspecifyonlythat"thedura-
tion of each sound is chosen by the performer.All beats are slow."
(Whetheror not a note has the value of one beat is leftunspecified-a
consciousomissionof the type that has been describedas "obligingthe
playerto seekoutjust such rulesas he needs or as will make senseofthe
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 FORUM: NOTATION

notation.")2 But in practicethereare limitsconcerningthe speedappro-

priate to the notation,and an interpretation exceedingthemwould be
a poor one. The unwrittenrules describingsuch limitsmay in factbe
imposedin rehearsalby the composer,the conductor,or by the players
familiarwiththe composer'sworkupon those unfamiliarwith it. They
describethe boundariesof a personalizedstyle(or traditionor "common
practice") built up by the composerand passed on in the courseofper-
formancesto his players.They mightbe comparedto therulesgoverning
those facetsof performance, unsettledin the scoresof the past,which
have become perennial subjects of speculation among musicologists:
aspects(such as rhythmicalterationin the Baroque) whichwerepassed
on throughoral ratherthan writtentradition.
One reasonthatthe notationis not morerestrictive is the difficulty
of
conveyingthatthe averagespeed of all participants, consideredoverthe
whole durationof the piece, should fall roughlywithinthe same scale,
so thatno playerendswithan excessivelengthofsolo,but thatthetempo
ofsoundsand stretches shouldbe susceptibleoffreevariation.(The cello,
in the transcriptionbelow,is playingat halfthe speed of the violin.The
relationshipschange later in the recording,and the violin's lead is
narrowed.)What happens in a good performance is thatthe players,by
listeningto one another,reach a broad understandingconcerningtheir
over-allrate of movement(a sense of ensemblewhichhas to do in part
withthe musical backgroundcommonto composerand players,in part
withthenatureofwhat theyare playing).
Anotherreasonis thatconstraining the playerwithtoo manyor overly
bindingrules mightchange his mood, the spiritin which he makeshis
sounds,and the sounds themselves.3 Feldman's notationand rulessug-
gestas unobtrusively as possibleto the playerthat he producea kindof
sound whichit will be pleasurableto hear minglingfreelywiththoseof
other players,as he moves fromone sound to anotherat a speedand
rhythmof his own choosing.Since the soundsare not playingtheroleof
structuralbuildingblocks,the factthat theyare being made by certain
instruments at a certaindynamiclevel and are heard togetheris all that
matters.(The composeris not concernedwithfixingspecifically thecom-
binationof pitchesand timbresthat may be heard at any one moment.
Calling this "chance composition"would be like sayingthat the flavor
of bouillabaissehas been leftto chance because its chefforgotto fixthe
2Cardew,"Notation,"p. 23.
3 "Suppose the player to behave as follows:he reads the notationand makes himselfa
pictureofthesound (in his mind-the hypothetically imaginedsound). He thenattemptsto
reproducethispicturein sound; he comparesit withthe pictureof the sound he had in his
mind beforehand, and he may make a fewchanges,reducingthemostglaringdiscrepancies,
releasingwrongnotes quickly,reducingthe notes he findstoo loud, etc., etc." Cardew,
"Notation,"p. 23.
* 61 *

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 PERSPECTIVES OF NEW MUSIC

orderin which its ingredientsare eaten.) This lack of constraintresults

oftenin the appearance of pitch combinationssuch as widelyspaced
octaves,or triads,alongsidethe intervalscharacteristicof atonal music
(such as the"D-major 6/4 chord" appearingin thetranscription as three
to
playershappen attack,simultaneously: the flutist
and violinisttheir
fifth
note, the cellisthis thirdnote):
= 60
Alto Fl.

I0
t ? - ,
t__5__J
(concert pitch) L--5

A6
----------- -- -- -- -- --

Piano

"5 ---J 5 '

Vn.
sord. pizz.
-r--51 ---I5=
__vJ I
5L5_ I

Vc. r-5
sord.io

-----------

rco 62

62

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 FORUM: NOTATION

What controlsare presentare ofa moregeneralkind.Manifoldrepeti-

tionsofsinglenotesand of two and threenote patternsthreadtheirway
among shiftingpitches:
Flute

Violin

Ex. 3

In The Swallowsof Salangan,for instruments and chorus,chromatic

pitches intrude at intervals
into a texture made up largelyof shifting,
clustereddiatonicpitches.As theplayersand singersmoveaway fromthe
openingdownbeatin a graduallydispersingpack, the chromaticpitches
are scatteredmoreand morewidelythroughout thesurrounding diatonic
territory. one
(In performance may be consciousofnothing more thanan
increasingly faint,periodicdarkening in the sound's brightsurface.)
In the same composer's"graph" pieces,the principleof selectivecon-
trolis maintained,but freeand fixedelementsare reversed.In Projections
I and IV, Straitsof Magellan, and Intersections,
etc., the (relatively) fixed
elementsare timeofoccurrence,timbre,number,and dynamics;and the
(relatively)freeone is pitch.Pitch is fixedonly in regardto whetherit
fallswithinthe high,middle,or low portionsof the instrument's range.
Boundariesof theserangesare forthe playerto determine.
Here as before,an argumentin favorofleavingan elementunspecified
is thatfixingit would be irrelevant-wouldnot change the flavorofthe
music,whichis alreadywell established.Again,in leavingtheplayerfree
to make decisionsabout one element,the composeris directinga psycho-
logical measureat him in hopes of makinghim thinktwiceabout what
he is doing.As partofhisinterpretation, theplayermustask himself what
sortof pitchesare most appropriate-in effect,what sortof music it is
that he is playing.In a piece of thin texture,such as Projection
IV, the
pitcheschosenby each playerwill be heard individually,and theresult-
ing sound will be a combinationofthe decisionscharacteristic ofbothof
them.
The meterof the originalnotationis retainedin thistranscription. It
should be read conventionally(by assumingthat the playersfurnished
withit deviatesomewhatfromthewrittentimevalues).
The violiniststressesseventhsand fourthshere,and avoids octaves-
all this legitimately
in the traditionof serial music. But we knowfrom
some of hisotherworksthatthe composerenjoysoctavestoo: in fact,his
notationprovidesthe likelihoodoftheirappearance here as intervalsbe-
tweenpitchesof the two instruments.
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 = Tempo 72

* = harmonic

Violin pizz. p

arco
A I

keyboard2

Piano

harmonic I
(depress 4
silently) I

Numbers withinboxes = number of pitches simultaneously

= high O =middle = low

__[0 _
Ex. 4, Feldman, Projection
IV, firstp

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 FORUM: NOTATION

Violin
J= 72

pizz. arco pizz.

Piano

I
-W
-miff
depress
silently

arco

Ex. 5, Transcription IV
ofProjection

In the notationsdiscussedabove, a singleelement-pitch or speed-is

leftalmostfreeof control,while another,dynamiclevelsin bothcases,is
confinedto one end of its spectrum.Selectivityin controlis essentialto
ChristianWolffsrecentnotationas well. In his work the relationships
among fixedand freedelementsand the degree of specificationof ele-
ments shiftabout fromsymbolto symbol.And added to the player's
concernsis a novelmethodof linkingwhat he does, and when,withthe
soundshe hears beingmade by otherplayers.

(Duration: 0 = 1 second or less; 0 = any; Ei = very long to medium.

H (Horn player) start and Pstarts, holds P plays (short

stop tillH sounds; note).H begins
P (Pianist) together O bothrelease shortnoteas
together P's note ends.

H playsshort play 3 notesofany duration,

note.P starts 3 together, or
overlapping,
at its end, holds 0 mute (1) separate. Silence
any duration. between tones is free. Mute one
ofthem.
* = a noise

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 - J prepared

Hornsounds: 0 0 0

y f
Horn: m p mz
----

pP

P 1"' P1'
O[-

$= linemeans1) notesmustbe unequal in somerespect(e.g. durationor loudness);2)

[2 = 2 notesare to be attackedsimultaneously.
al, b+ = transposeanyofthetonesin thesourcehalfa tonehigheror lower.
= raiseor lowerpitches(ofsourceb) halfa toneand transpose
to anyhigheroctav
bx--
myand mz = twodifferentkindsofmutesormuting(to be chosenbyplayer).
Ex. 6, Christian Wolff,Duet II

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 FORUM: NOTATION

This is one of six fragments which make up the score of Duet II, for
horn and piano. The orderin whichthe fragments are played,thenum-
ber oftimestheymay be repeated,and thetotaldurationofperformance
are free.
In performing the piece, the playersfollowtwo sortsof procedures
alternately:
1. To begin,and everytimea fragment has been completed:the first
player to make the next sound determines which fragmentis to come
nextby playingthe firstsound of that fragment. The otherplayerhears
the sound,recognizesthe fragment that it begins,and respondsby play-
inghisown partin thatfragment. Or, he may a) failto recognizethecue,
b) start another fragment himself simultaneously withthe firstplayer.In
any case, the directions
provide that as soon as the playersrealize that
they are not playing the same fragmenttogether,theyshouldbreak off
and "start"overagain (followthe procedurejust described).Such break-
downs in coordinationare a part of the piece and have musicalcharac-
teristics, in performance, of theirown-rhythmsand pitchstructures, for
instance,whichhave a qualitydifferent fromthe restof the music.
When theplayershave come to knowthe piece well,one may even try
to disguisehis cues to the otherin hopes ofconfusinghim (when a cue's
pitchis unspecified, forinstance,he may use a pitchbelongingto another
cue's pitch-source).
2. During the fragments themselves-afterone has been "cued in" by
one playerand respondedto by the other-the playershave a path to
follow,fromsound to sound, until they finishthe last symbolin the
fragment. The timeat whicha playerbeginsor ends his nextsoundmay
be determinedby him or by a sound made by the otherplayer.In the
latterevent,he mustwait forthe other'ssound to occur and thenreact
to it-sometimesas fastas he can-without the benefitofadvance warn-
ing. (For the hornplayer,thisis the situationat his 6th,9th,and 10th
sounds above.) Here the player'ssituationmightbe compared to that
of a ping-pongplayerawaitinghis opponent'sfastserve:he knowswhat
is coming(the serve)and knowswhat he mustdo when it comes(return
it); but the details of how and when thesethingstake place are deter-
minedonlyat themomentoftheiroccurrence.
The game-likefeaturesjust describedseem closer in spiritto certain
Oriental musical traditionsthan to thoseof the West.The disguisingof
cues is similarto a techniquein Indian Music called Laratgheth-across-
rhythmgeneratedby soloistand percussionist when,in competition, each
triesto confusethe otherwith rhythmicpatternsplayed offthe strong
beat.
In movingfromsymbolto symbol,the player is requiredto shifthis

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 PERSPECTIVES OF NEW MUSIC

attentioncontinuallyfromone aspect of what he does to another.Each

symbolhas itsown combinationof controls,applied selectively:

V\= determinedto someextent(fixed,or possibilitiesnarrowed)

P = determinedby pianist..,.by way of notation
S = simultaneity
(determinedby the firstto act next)
sounds: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th lOth
pitch IvN Iv[v/v]
timbre V V
time
of
attack S v P P P
timeofrelease(duration) S S S
VI VI V
dynamic Vv I v
Horn Part
The degreeof controlis relative.Where the pitchcolumnis blank,as
at the 1stsound,the playermustchoose any 1 pitchfromamong the 36
or 40 or morepitcheswithinhis range.At the 7thsound,hispossibilities
are cut down by about half (see below): he mustchoose one pitchfrom
among the 15 or 16 of the transposed,shiftedpitch source which fall
withinhis range. At the 10th sound, he must choose 1 fromamong
6 pitches;at the 5th, 1 fromamong 3; only the 3rd sound is fixed(the
slantinglinemeans thatthe D is to be played slightlyflat).
The same sortof scale, runningfromfixedto free,is applied to the
otherelementsas well. The dynamicsrun (in the horn part) fromun-
specified,throughany selectionor combinationin any order of three
levels(9th note-pp, f,mp) down to fixed(2nd and 10thsounds).
The transcriptionsbelow approximatetwo realizationsof thenotation
quoted above. They were made fromthe performance by David Tudor
and Howard Hillyer(the fragmenthappens to occur twiceduringtheir
six-minuteversion,on Time Records58009):
If one were comparingthesetwo fragments and had no access to the
originalnotation, their would
relationship surelyseempuzzling.The two
are obviouslythe same music-the groupingsofsounds,the generalcon-
tinuity,manyofthepitches,are thesame-but variedseemingly without
method, fullof small,erratic in
changes pitch,configuration, numbers of
notes.A glance at the originalmakes clear that the discrepanciescome
about throughan active use of the indeterminacylinkingcomposition
with notation,instrumental technique,and the players'personalities.It
is impossibleto know, in advance, what specificallywill resultfroma

* 68
?

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 FORUM: NOTATION

symbolsuch as ? (the horn'sfourthnote). The playerhere mustcon-

centrateat once upon beginningthe next sound when he wants to or
playingimmediatelyiftheotherplayerbeats him to thedraw. The same
applies to itstimeofending.Since thereis no advance warning,therewill
be a slight pause between the attacks and releases of initiatorand
follower-thetimeit takesthe followerto translateinformation received
by his ear into mechanicalaction on his instrument. (The intervalbe-
tweenthe timea driversees an unexpectedobstaclein the road and his
applicationof the brakesis comparable.)The attackwill have a rushed,
nervous,crampedqualitythatcould not have been notatedin any other
way. It is thisquality that the composeris concernedwith,ratherthan
withthesounds'othermeasurements.
What sortof delayed reactionsresultfromthisnotationmay be seen
in bothtranscriptions: in the lack ofsimultaneityin releasesofhornand
piano at the horn's3rd,4th,and 5th notes;and in the pauses separating
thehorn's6thnotefromitspiano neighbors.
A listofoperationsto be performed by the hornplayerin makingthe
fragment's tensoundswould includethe following:

SOUNDS
1stand 2nd 1stis short,of any pitch,mutedby one of twomethods
selectedforuse in the piece; its dynamicingredients are
ffand/orp. It is connected,legato,to the 2nd sound:short,
same mute,any pitch,mp.
(In the firsttranscriptionthereis a pause betweenthe
1st and 2nd horn sounds. Perhaps the horn player was
unsureabout whetherthepianisthad begunthesamefrag-
ment that he had, broke off,reassuredhimselfabout the
pianist'sactivity,and wenton to his second note.)
3rd Horn player waits forpianist'snext sound whichmay
come veryquicklyafterthe firstgroupof fiveor afterany
lengthof silence;plays his 3rd sound (a slightlyflatD2 at
any dynamic,withoutmuting,beginningany time after
the piano note's attack but beforeits release or fadeout;
the two players release simultaneously(cut-offis deter-
minedby the firstplayerto act next).
4th (Aftera pause ofany duration):any pitch,anyduration,
dynamicingredients fand/orp, begunand endedtogether
withthenextsound ofthe pianist.(Horn is the initiatorin
both transcriptions.)

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 PERSPECTIVES OF NEW MUSIC

= 60
Horn (concert pitch)

(flat)

Piano

r-5-I ---I
--5

L5

8-,

-
r-
L-
- O
aA 0
j_0 _

5 mute
40q 5- ----! /

~ 5

Ex. 7A, Transcriptions of Duet II

*
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Horn
,(D r-5-1-5--15

(flat)

Piano

. .
LL.

8-
L-5 55 r5-5 -5
.

r-J 5

5-11 ---

--I
r----

(stringtouched
with fingernail)

(muted)

C0* ?

Ex. 7B
71
.

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 PERSPECTIVES OF NEW MUSIC

5th Played a shorttimeafterthe pianist'snext two attacks

(whichmay be overlapping,simultaneous,or separatedby
any amount of silence); using one of the threepitches
given; at any dynamic;with the second kind of muting;
released simultaneouslywith the end of the pianist's
second sound.
6th Any dynamic,any pitch,durationshort;begunjust as
pianist'sshortpp sound is released.
7th Beginning,duration,dynamicfree.One pitch is to be
chosen fromamong 15 possibilities.(To findthe pitchof
thisnote the player must raise or lower one of the three
pitchesin Sourceb a half-step
and transposeit anynumber
of octavesup or down. It turnsout that 15 or 16 ofthese
transpositionsfall withina horn's range. The playerhas
any time in which tojump thissmall hurdle.)
8th Any noise (made with the instrument),
characterand
dynamics unspecified,played between the attack and
releaseofpianist'ssquare note.
9th Begun when pianist'ssquare note ends; highestpitch
possible; dynamic ingredientspp and/or f and/or mp;
duration,otherwisefree,may here be determinedby the
context(sound mustbe brokenoffin timeto play the 10th
sound).
10th Short;begunat end of the last ofpianist'sthreesounds;
dynamicpp; one pitch chosenfromamong six available.

Firsttranscription:
afterhis 7th note the hornplayerhears a numberof
piano sounds and must decide whichones correspondto whichsymbols.
the
Evidently pianist's low F correspondsto his square symboland theE
above it to theblack,sincetheE is followedbythreesounds(the3 symbol)
while the F continues.Piano's releasesbeyondthispointare notaudible
on the record.(The hornplayermay "see" the releaseofthesesoundsas
the pianist'shands leave the keyboard;or he may guessabout the time
theyare released.) Note: the horn's9th and 10thsoundswill appear in
reverseorderifthepiano's F is held aftertheD and Eb are released.
Secondtranscription:
The 9th and 10thsoundsof the hornseem to come
twoor moresecondsafterthereleaseofthelastpiano sounds.Such a situa-
tionarisesoftenin playingfromthisnotation.Waitingforthereleaseofa
sound-hard to hear if it is a sustainingpiano note-one hears other,

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 FORUM: NOTATION

louder sounds interveneand then realizes that the originalnote is no

longer sounding. Knowing that one has missed the cut-offcue, one
proceeds(tardily)to thenextsymbol.
The complexities ofthisnotationare directedlessat an arrangement of
sounds resultingfromperformers' actionsthan at the conditionsunder
whichtheiractionsare to be produced.(It addressesitselfto theplayer's
mind as well as to his fingers).By comparison,even the mostcomplex
"totallyorganized,"conventionallywrittenscoresseem simple-if con-
sideredfromthe pointofviewofwhat the playerhas to thinkabout (his
part tellshimwhichnoteto play first, how to play it,how longto hold it,
how long to wait beforeplayingthe secondsound,etc.,etc.,untilhe has
finished).Wolffsnotationapproachesthe roleofrulesgoverningthecon-
duct of games. It tends to produce characteristicsound combinations,
recognizableas the composer's"signatures," just as a game has itschar-
acteristic"moves." (Among them are grace notesjumping back and
forthamongplayers,thesuddencut-off ofa longsoundjust afteranother
begins, the thinsustainingsound made by a playerwho is waitingforhis
cue and is not surewhetherhe may have missedit.)
One of the criteriawithwhich to judge a notationis the questionof
what,ifany,the consequencesare of playingwell or badly (what incen-
tivesare thereforrealizingthenotationin theway intendedand expressed
by the composer).In Wolffsnotation,the playersmustlistenwithsuch
care to one anotherthatan inaccuracyis liable to alterthesignalreceived
by one's partnerand so to disturbthecontinuity. The same is trueofthe
notation used by Feldman in de Kooningand VerticalThoughts,in which a
chain ofsoundslinksplayerto player(one is directedto beginplayingat
the momentwhenanother'ssound beginsto fade). Elsewhere,Feldman's
scorespresentthe playerwithan "honorsystem"notation.With no one
to checkup on what he does, the player'sincentivefordoing his bestis
(presumably) the pleasure of contributingto a sound world whose
transparencyis such that the smallestdetail remainsperfectly audible
withinit. Expressedin the notationsofboth artistsis an idea thatmusic
mustremaina creativeactivityforplayersas well as an arrangement of
symbolsby the composer.

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