Hewitt, Donna

2011

Gesture in performance is widely acknowledged in the literature as an important element in making a performance expressive and meaningful. The body has been shown to play an important role in the production and perception of vocal performance in particular. This paper is interested in the role of gesture in creative works that seek to extend vocal performance via technology. A creative work for vocal performer, laptop computer, and a human-computer interface called the eMic (Extended Microphone Stand Interface controller) is presented as a case study to explore the relationships between movement, voice production, and musical expression. The eMic is an interface for live vocal performance that allows the singers' gestures and interactions with a sensor based microphone stand to be captured and mapped to musical parameters. The creative work discussed in this article presents a new compositional approach for the eMic by working with movement as a starting point for the composition and thus using choreographed gesture as the basis for musical structures. By foregrounding the body and movement in the creative process, the aim is to create a more visually engaging performance where the performer is able to use more effectively the body to express their musical objectives.

Proceedings of the International Symposium on Performance Science 2011, p. 169-174

9789490306021

https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/21355

en

Association Europeenne des Conservatoires, Academies de Musique et Musikhochschulen (AEC)

Choreographic approaches to music composition for a new musical interface: The eMic

Conference Publication

Publication