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graphic score by john kannenberg

Landscape 1 : Vanishing Point
About the Score Notes for the Performers

Landscape I : Vanishing Point is a graphic score for a musical perfor- 1. Any instrumentation is acceptable. At least one performer 7. Beginning with the eleventh minute, each portion of the
mance with a duration of nineteen minutes. The score consists of four must use the accompanying field recording of the landscape as score presents a mirror image of minutes one through nine.
individual parts that can be performed by four or more musicians. While source material for their performance. At least four perform- Performers are not required to attempt to play their initial
the score is meant to help guide the musicians through a decision-making ers should participate. Any performer may use any part of the performance backwards; rather, the decision process should
process, the music performed is meant to be improvisational in nature. score; however, all four parts must be used and there should be reversed as the piece is finished.
only be one part per performer. If more than four performers
The score began to take form when I made a field recording on the shore of are present, duplicates of the four parts of the score may be 8. At the end of the nineteenth minute, the Timekeeper should
Lake Michigan in October of 2003. While recording the sound of the land- used. indicate to the performers that they should stop.
scape, I also made a sketch of the landscape which is reproduced in Figure
1. The field recording also captured the sound of my drawing, and both the 2. Structural and melodic aspects of the performance are at the
sketch and the field recording have been used to construct the final score. disposal of the performers; however, the overall volume should
be quiet in relationship to the performance space.
Two sets of lines from the sketch and two visualizations of waveforms from
the field recording were used as the template for the score parts included 3. One performer should be designated as Timekeeper and use
here. After constructing a grid for the score, I used the sketch lines and their instrument to indicate the passage of time to the other
waveforms as guides, placing them within the score’s grid and placing a performers. A hand signal or other silent gesture (to be decided
square in each area the lines/waveforms intersected the grid. by the performers) should be used to coordinate the tenth
minute and its central vanishing point second.
Each row of squares in the composition grid represents a type of musical
decision to be made during the performance: the top row (white squares) 4. The squares on the composition grid indicate three types
represents Volume, the middle row (grey squares) represents Timbre, of musical decisions: Volume, Timbre and Complexity. During
and the bottom row (black squares) represents Complexity. Each column each minute, each performer should concentrate their musical
represents one minute of the complete composition, while the large central decisions based on the indicated type of decision. Decisions of
circle is a detail of the central minute of the piece. This minute represents Volume may include raising or lowering the volume. Decisions
the central vanishing point of the composition: white spaces created by of Timbre may include changing the quality of the sound being
descending black lines indicate the gradual shifts both down and up in produced (adding reverb, distortion or otherwise changing
volume, while the central white square indicates a single silent second. the tonal quality of the sound). Decisions of Complexity may
include adding notes or chords, changing or adding rhythms,
The roman numerals beneath each column are meant to aid the perform- or adding or subtracting sounds. Figure 1. Original source sketch, Lake Michigan shore, October 2003.
ers in keeping track of the composition’s time. One of the performers is
designated as the official Timekeeper; at the piece’s premiere, I will serve 5. In minutes where there are more than one type of decision
as Timekeeper and will indicate the minutes to the other performers by indicated, performers should attempt to divide their attention
tapping a cymbal’s bell the corresponding number of times (e.g., one between the decision types equally.
cymbal bell tap for minutes marked as I, two taps for II, etc.).
6. In minutes where the only musical decision indicated is
The performance consists of two halves, each working towards and away Volume, performers may choose to either change their volume
from the central vanishing point. Each part’s score is an arch form, with the or simply not play at all.
second half a mirror image of the first. Score, images and text ©2004 john kannenberg.
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Part One
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Part Two
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Part Three
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Part Four