Idiomatic Composition Practices for New MusicalInstruments: Context, Background and Current

Applications

Juan Carlos VasquezDepartment of Media

Aalto UniversitySchool of ARTS

FI-00076 AALTO Finlandinfo@jcvasquez.com

Koray TahirogluDepartment of Media

Aalto UniversitySchool of ARTS

FI-00076 AALTO Finlandkoray.tahiroglu@aalto.fi

Johan KildalIK4-TEKNIKERIñaki Goenaga 5

Eibar 20600, Spainjohan.kildal@tekniker.es

ABSTRACTOne of the reasons of why some musical instruments moresuccessfully continue their evolution and actively take partin the history of music is partially attributed to the existingcompositions made specifically for them, pieces that remainand are still played over a long period of time. This is some-thing we know, performing these compositions keeps thecharacteristics of the instruments alive and able to survive.This paper presents our contribution to this discussion witha context and historical background for idiomatic composi-tions. Looking beyond the classical era, we discuss how theconcept of idiomatic music has influenced research and com-position practices in the NIME community; drawing moreattention in the way current idiomatic composition prac-tices considered specific NIME affordances for sonic, socialand spatial interaction. We present particular projects thatestablish idiomatic writing as a part of a new repertoire fornew musical instruments. The idiomatic writing approachto composing music for NIME can shift the unique charac-teristics of new instruments to a more established musicalidentity, providing a shared understanding and a commonliterature to the community.

Author KeywordsIdiomatic composition, repertoire for new musical instru-ments, NIME.

ACM ClassificationH.5.5 [Information Interfaces and Presentation] Sound andMusic Computing, J.5 [Arts and Humanities] PerformingArts.

1. INTRODUCTIONSome musical instruments successfully continue their evolu-tion in the history of music. Whereas social, technological,sonic, physical and tangible features could have equally im-portant roles in the survival of musical instruments, build-ing and maintaining a repertoire for them reflects a histor-ical practice to make this happen. In accordance with thehistory of music, the ways and means of practicing music

Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Copyrightremains with the author(s).

NIME’17, May 15-19, 2017, Aalborg University Copenhagen, Denmark.

compositions with an idiomatic approach have provided aground for instruments to evolve in form and sound quali-ties as well as a mutual pedagogical method, a shared un-derstanding and a common literature [29]. Moreover, theseexisting compositions made for them remain and are stillperformed over a long period of time allowing these id-iomatic practices build up a shared performance practiceand musical experience within a community, keeping thecharacteristics of the instruments alive, not disappearing inhistory [25]. Arriving at basic foundations of such musicalidentity that is more in line with the unique characteristicsof new instruments is essential to the NIME community;as discussed in the NIME 2016 keynote, common practiceis that new instruments often reflect “short-lived expressionof individualism” rather than a design for a broader audi-ence [18]. Idiomatic composition practice is an appropriateapproach to develop dedicated repertoire for a NIME, re-flecting the sonic and interaction affordances of new musicalinstrument and encouraging other practitioners to performcompositions written for that NIME.

In this paper we present a context and historical back-ground for idiomatic writing as well as some grounds for in-teresting discussions regarding idiomatic writing practicesin which a NIME’s affordances for interaction have beenconsidered to be contextualised as part of idiomatic com-position. In particular, we present three projects in detailthat establish idiomatic writing as a part of new repertoirefor new musical instrument.

2. IDIOMATIC WRITING AND ITS HISTOR-ICAL BACKGROUND

The term ‘idiomatic’ or ‘idiomatic music’ rarely leaves roomfor interpretation. The largely accepted definition seems tobe that a composition language defined as idiomatic is “astyle appropriate for the instrument for which particularmusic is written,” as stated in the Harvard Dictionary ofMusic [20]. However, the further implications and culturalimpact of idiomatic writing can be a controversial topic withdivergent opinions. In the same dictionary definition, it issuggested that “the quality of (a) score is judged largelyby the degree to which the various parts exploit the tech-nical and sonorous resources of the instruments withoutexceeding them”. Nonetheless, it is also pointed out thata closer analysis of J.S. Bach’s music questions this affir-mation. For instance, the E-major Fugue from The WellTempered Clavier, vol. ii is not particularly suitable for thephysical properties of the harpsichord nor the clavichord. Itcalls to the attention that Bach would write a non-idiomaticpiece for harpsichord given his status as a recognised “con-certising virtuoso” of keyboard music [33]. Moreover, if we

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Figure 1: Manuscript of the Well-TemperedClavier. Bradley Lehman conducted an study todetermine whether the spiralling ornament on topof the page is in fact an schematic for Bach’s owndefinition of ‘well-temperament’[15]

approach ‘idiomatic style’ focusing on exploring a physicalproperty of an particular instrument, The Well TemperedClavier (WTC) is indeed a seminal example of idiomaticwriting (Figure 1): The WTC was the first collection ofpieces in history traversing all 24 keys in a single keyboardinstrument, imposing a new milestone in the possibilities ofthe instrument [1].

Quite often in the past, idiomatic writing also pushedthe boundaries on how a performer approaches an instru-ment. The idiomatic possibilities of a solo voice exploredby composers in the early baroque ultimately “crystallisedin the refined methods of the Italian bel canto”, introducedan entire new aesthetic approach to lyric singing [5]. Sim-ilarly, Paganini’s 24 Caprices encouraged new pedagogicalmethodologies to teach violin given the new limits imposedby the highly-challenging pieces [3]. At the same time, wecould identify a concept of an ‘idiomatic performance’ as adesire to emulate as closely as possible the physical charac-teristics of the instruments for which a piece was composed.Paul Holland’s violin methodology describes how “studentsare taught to hold the bow farther up the stick toward thebalance point”, in order to recreate the same sound pro-duced by the characteristic Baroque bow when performingscores from that period of musical creation [10]. The aim toexploit new developments of the instruments played an im-portant role for instrument standards also in the nineteenthcentury. Herbert Horn pointed out that new developmentsaimed towards technically improved instruments resultedin establishment of the piano as “the universal householdinstrument” [11]. The relationship between creation of id-iomatic repertoire and the historical development of acous-tic instruments is strong and can be traced in time as theformer evolves symbiotically depending on the possibilitiesoffered by the later [28].

2.1 Idiomatic Composition beyond the Clas-sical Era

In contemporary music, the concept of ‘idiomaticism’ waschallenged by the widespread use of extended techniquesin acoustic instruments, considered precisely an extensionof the idiom [28]. In a similar vein, the term ‘radicallyidiomatic’ was coined by Richard Barrett to describe an in-tense level of artistic physical dialogue with the instrumentperformed [9]. The main idea behind this method was toeliminate any sight of frontier between the composition andthe physical dimension of the instrument, evolving from asymbiotic relationship into a indistinguishable monolithicaesthetic discourse. On the opposite side of the spectrum,intentionally non-idiomatic music for a non-conventional in-

strument, as an amplified/modified toy piano has also beenimplemented before [34].

Finally, some theorists use the term ‘idiomatic music’and furthermore ‘idiomatic improvisation’ to define a set ofcharacteristics of specific musical genre -or stylistic features-in the context of improvisation, rather to refer to specificinstrument where the music is performed [6]. Using ‘id-iomatic’ and ‘stylistic’ as exchangeable terms, is, however,less frequent practice, more common in genres with highlyimprovisatory structure, such as Jazz.

2.2 ThereminAmong the many attempts to create musical devices formusical expression using technology, some seemed to haveresisted the test of the time relatively well. One of them isthe Theremin, the well-known instrument invented by LeonTheremin in 1917 (patented in 1921 in Russia and filled forthe US patent in Dec 5 of 1925) [16]. Leon Theremin -an exceptional performer himself- travelled extensively firstthrough Russia and later in the United States demonstrat-ing the capabilities of his invention. [8] The repertoire, how-ever, was mainly adaptations of existing music from thecommon-practice period; Figure 2 shows the 1928 versionof Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade for Theremin and Or-chestra performed in New York. Theremin’s effort ensured asignificant media attention, including high-profile concertswith top orchestras in the United States. As a result, avast number of original, idiomatic music was created forthe instrument by composers of the time. Warren Brodskymade a thorough catalog of works exclusively written forthe Theremin, thanks to which he concludes that the instru-ment became responsible of “preempting all other electronicinstruments and becoming the standard method of produc-ing electronic sound until the advent of the transistor in thelate 1960s”[4]. A similar example with substantial idiomaticworks can be found in the “Ondes Martenot”, a keyboard-based instrument in which repertoire was expanded by someprominent composers, Olivier Messiaen among them [2].

3. COMPOSING MUSIC FOR NEW MUSI-CAL INSTRUMENTS

The concept of idiomatic music has influenced research inthe field of music technology in various ways. Huron andBerec designed a systematic method to analyse Trumpetrecordings and measured the level of difficulty and whatwas described as ‘idiomaticsm’ -or level of suitability forthe instrument-. In the study there is an association ofidiomatic writing with lower levers of difficulty and theauthors mention the importance of differentiating betweenperformance difficulty and level of idiomaticism. The lat-ter is relative, according to the conclusions, by such factorsas tempo and key transposition [12]. Another attempt inanalysis of idiomatic features in music can be found in thesemi-automatic grammatical approach to analysis of chord

Figure 2: Programme from the concert of LeonTheremin with the New York Philharmonic Orches-tra conducted by Willem Van Raten, in August 27thof 1928.

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Figure 3: Tanaka performing live with BioMuse in-terface.

sequences by Keller et al. [13], in what they call ‘idiomaticanalysis’. This methodology was released as a free, open-source software called Impro-Viso. However, once more, theconcept of ’idiomaticism’ is related here to genre, aka. theset of stylistic rules proper to Jazz [13].

Earlier in 1981, Rolnick advocated for a performance modelthat made full use of the physical characteristics of a syn-thesiser [21]. In 1986, Rolnick also addressed the issue ofdeveloping an idiom for computer music and performancewith musical instruments developed with technology [22].The lack of commonalities between technological interfaceshas been seen as an impediment to build a common compo-sitional framework that can define what is, or not idiomaticin a broader sense for computer music. Furthermore, thecontinuous advancement of technology presents a challengein its own right: “If composition for synthesiser and com-puter performance is to develop in ways at all analogous tothe development of music for other instruments, composerswill have to figure out how to write for these systems in away which takes into accounts the fact of constant changesin software and hardware” [22]. Similarly, Saariaho makesan reflection about considering computer music composi-tion as an ‘idiom’ by itself. She defines the Vers Le Blancas “Idiomatic to the computer medium (but) impossible torealise with traditional instruments.” [23].

However, currently in the field the most common applica-tion of idiomatic writing resides in the composition of mu-sic for new musical instruments. Pieces composed havingin mind physical characteristics of a new musical instru-ment include the piece “Pico I for Seashells and InteractiveGlove”, based in enhancing with sensors a hand gesture overa seashell perceived as idiomatic [7]. In user studies with theNIME “T-Stick”, the authors reported an effort to develop“notation standards and a vocabulary of gestures idiomaticto the interface” [17]. Some of those efforts were later incor-porated as default setting of the instrument’s performancepractice and learning. As another example, we can mentionthe application of idiomatic composition in a framework forlocative media, or “Idiomatic Locative Media” in a researchconducted by Atau Tanaka [31].

3.1 Bio Muse and Global StringAtau Tanaka has embraced idiomatic writing as a centralpart of his practice. Tanaka’s departure point has beenestablishing a parallelism between idiomatic music in thecommon-practice period and creation of new repertoire for

Figure 4: Global String explores ‘performative id-iom’, reflecting the social interaction affordances ofthe installation piece.

new musical interfaces [28]. Nevertheless, the importanceof idiomatic writing for Tanaka goes well beyond the merephysical development of the interface. He points out that anew definition of idiomatic has to be achieved for each newinstrument built, due to having no “codified performancepractice” yet developed for the new device. Tanaka leavesopen the discussion if in this context the new idiom shall re-fer to a piece, or to a composers’ unique aesthetic language.[28]. Even though Tanaka was speaking specifically aboutsensor instruments, however, liberating and inspiring newframework of artistic expression can be applied to a muchwider range of technologically enhanced musical interfaces.

In relation to the idiomatic practices, Tanaka introducesa summary of projects of a diverse nature involving musicalinterfaces with various types of sensors [28]. One of themis BioMuse, a controller that transforms bioelectric signalsinto MIDI data [14]. Tanaka was commissioned to createcontent and produce a concert premiere for this interface(Figure 3). Regarding BioMuse and the idiomatic approachthat Tanaka took, an “extremely personal vocabulary” wasconstructed with the instrument, possible thanks to playingthe double role of composer/performer. Tanaka considersthe mapping of the information extracted from the biosig-nals as the “score” of the piece. He defines the compositionas a process of sound organisation correlative to the inter-face’s output, or “the choice and combination of differentbiosignal post-processing techniques as connected to vari-ous synthesis articulations, placed in context of a musicalstructure over time” [28].

Furthermore, Tanaka makes allusions to the ‘multi-sitenetwork music installation’ called Global String [30]. Hedescribes the term ‘performative idiom’, which is extractedfrom the interaction of multiple users with the installation,allowing to identify certain ‘common tendency’ on the ex-ploration of possibilities with the system. Figure 4 showsthe Global String installation that features a ‘concert mode’,allowing soloist to perform at distance communicating byvisual and sonic cues, in the equivalent of a score.

3.2 No More TogetherNo More Together is a composition written as a part ofrepertoire for the PESI interactive performance system, ex-ploring specific musical and expressive possibilities throughthe affordances of the system [19]. Figure 5 depicts thescore that guides the musicians to choose from three given

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Figure 5: The composition score of No More To-gether

states with instruction to change the current state. Follow-ing the score, musicians remain listening and responding tooverall collective sound. These three parts of the score keepthe musicians in and out of synchrony, with the possibil-ity of keeping them all in the same state (Figure 6). Thescore enables the musicians to explore the expressive, social,spatial and interactive affordances of the PESI interactivemusic system as well as providing alternative states on be-ing able to specify on various levels how the compositiondevelops during the performance. The main characteristicof the score is that it facilitates a dynamic social interactionamong three musicians. At the same time, these three con-tradictory states in the score creates potential moments foraccidental interactions to happen during the performance[19].

Coordination of the three musicians through their spa-tial location forms a social interaction that allows musiciansto dynamically modify the control features of the soundsynthesis module, simply by changing their distance fromeach other and their location in the performance space [24].Space and social actions are deeply interconnected and re-flect the unique characteristic of the system, bringing upnew ways of musical exploration in group music activity. So-cial interaction in a shared performance spaces also makesmusicians consciously aware of their presence as well as ofothers. The focus on the self and others awareness is rein-forced in the composition by being able to control others’sounds through one’s spatial relation to them. The condi-tions of such social interaction increase the musicians’ mu-tual engagement during the performance of the piece.

3.3 NOISA Etude #1, #2 and #3

Figure 6: No More Together performance, Gold-smiths, London 2013

‘NOISA Etude #1, #2 and #3’ are music compositionsthat featured ‘idiomaticsm’ not only in the creation of thepieces, but also in the design of the instrument, the Net-work of Intelligent Sonic Agents - NOISA. NOISA is an in-teractive music system designed to monitor the performer’sengagement and respond in autonomous ways in order tomaintain it [26]. NOISA functions in three different stages:first, it monitors physical activity in the performer, thenestimates the current level of engagement, and finally re-sponds whenever it considers it is necessary to do so. Todefine what actions to consider in the response module, firstthe authors elaborated a portfolio of two second-long move-ments that were considered as idiomatic gestures, as shownin Figure 7. Once the performer is experiencing high lev-els of engagement, his/her actions are recorded in confor-mity with the overall properties that rule the portfolio of id-iomatic gestures [27]. Afterwards, the gestures are labelledwith handle data, current estimated engagement and au-dio properties of the event. NOISA retrieves these musicalactions once the monitored engagement reaches low levelsof attention. As the responses are based in rules of whatwe consider ‘idiomatic’ for our instrument, these counterac-tions will always comply with an style appropriate for thesonic and physical characteristics of NOISA instrument.

In relation to the composition process of NOISA Etude#1 and #2, the authors borrowed the motivic through-composition technique, which is a methodology of com-position from the common-practice period, also known asthematic development. The authors crafted the pieces byexpanding the small in-built idiomatic gestures into longermusical phrases and ultimately in various sections; guar-anteeing cohesion, aesthetic interest and appropriateness ofthe writing for the NOISA instrument. Figure 8 illustratesthe NOISA Etude #2 composition score. Both pieces have adetailed score, using a custom notation comprised of graphicboxes over a timeline, indicating position of each slider overtime [32].

In the case of NOISA Etude #3 the exploration of id-iomatic writing practice shifted the unique characteristics ofNOISA instruments into a more established musical iden-tity. The soundworld of the piece is determined by theindividual characteristics of the NOISA, which are emergedfrom dynamic processing of musical timbre and mixed withlive electronics. The real time performance of this idiomaticcomposition allows the musicians to blend the NOISA in-struments and live-electronics, so that the sound of eachinstrument is merged together into a complex, but tightlymixed texture. In a performance situation, NOISA is treatedas a solo instrument, amplified and processed in real time

Figure 7: Catalog of idiomatic gestures for the Net-work of Intelligent Sonic Agents

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Figure 8: The notation explained for the composi-tion NOISA Etude #2

by a MAX patch in a laptop computer. Figure 9 shows thestudio-recording session of the piece Etude #3, which is ex-ecuted as a manner of a musical theme. The piece is furtherdeveloped into a ternary form A-B-A with contrasting char-acter between the first two and a third section, comprisinga recapitulation of the first. Having both NOISA and thelive electronics communicating with variations of a themein a larger-scale form, has been defined as thematic dialogueby the authors.

4. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONSEven though idiomatic composition is a generally under-stood concept and a widely used idea, the research focusingexclusively on the topic and its implications is remarkablylow in quantity. Rekindling a discussion about idiomaticwriting for new instruments seems appropriate after exam-ining the crucial impact of specific repertoire in the develop-ment of “old” instruments, such as the standard symphonicacoustic musical instruments. Furthermore, the wide arrayof current technological music interfaces provides a commonground for a compositional approach in capacity of helpingthese tools to have a meaning beyond a “short-lived expres-sion of individualism” [18]. The construction of dedicatedrepertoire for an instrument makes tangible the possibilitiesof the device, encouraging other practitioners to perform itand expand it, thus generating a broader communal impact.

In this paper we presented idiomatic composition practiceas an appropriate approach to develop dedicated repertoirefor a NIME, in which compositions consider specific NIME

Figure 9: Studio recordings of the third Etude forNOISA and live electronics

affordances for sonic, social and spatial interaction. Theworks presented and discussed in this paper demonstratethat the potential of idiomatic composition in new musicalinstruments is a terrain fertile for further exploration, withenough historical precedents to make it a viable option forinstrument development through repertoire. In order to cre-ate a more defined musical identity and enable a NIME toevolve in forms and sound qualities, it is necessary to con-sider building new repertoire for new musical instruments,guided by the design principles of the instruments as wellas physical and sonic features.

Regarding the criteria to select the projects we presentedas examples of idiomatic writing for particular NIMEs inthis paper, it is important to clarify that these projectswere chosen not as a mature finalised example of idiomaticcomposition, but rather as an initial demonstration of con-sidering interaction affordances during the compositionalprocess. It is perhaps too early to measure the amountof potential success of the projects explained, or if they willindeed promote the construction of a significant amount ofrepertoire for the instruments involved. A practice of com-position that is based on what is idiosyncratic for the newinstrument is not widespread in the NIME community sofar, which is precisely what we have focused on promotingin this paper. We also believe that further encouragementis needed to shift the emergence of a repertoire for newinstruments into a practice. As suggestion for promotingthis practice, it is feasible to carry out call for works andeven commissioned pieces featuring idiomatic writing fornew musical instruments. A second suggestion would in-volve encouraging interface makers to release their projectswith documentation aimed specifically to recreate the in-strument in other contexts, facilitating the construction ofnew repertoire by other practitioners.

It is important to mention that in addition to serve as acompositional framework, an idiomatic approach can also bea design principle. New instruments for musical expressioncan be molded to respond sonically in various different ways,therefore multiplying the potential of a new sound outcomeencloses closely the physical characteristics of a new de-vice. In the Network of Intelligent Sonic Agents (NOISA),for example, the architecture of the instrument inspired thesound interaction, the response module (through idiomaticgesture storage and retrieval), and finally composition ofthe pieces themselves. It is up to discussion as well if apply-ing idiomatic composition principles into new instrumentscan encourage a piece being judged by how the compositionactually takes advantage of both the physical and sonic re-sources of the new device, as suggested by Randel in ref-erence to the acoustic counterparts [20]. While an opinionon this issue can be formulated, only the observation andresearch through practice in a larger study can give a clearunderstanding on this matter.

A secondary discussion arises when wondering if the semi-otic charge of the word interface shall be compared, or evenreplaced by the term instrument when referring to newmusic devices. Idiomatic writing has its take on this dis-cussion by surrounding the term instrument with a tightinstrument-outcome connection, going beyond the ideal ofa considering the object as a tool for a particular function(musical expression, in this case). Idiomatic composition isimpregnated into the evolution and standardisation of aninstrument in such a way that poses new challenges thatcan potentially transform the performative approach andeven expand the expressive dimensions of the entire instru-ment. Standardisation of new instruments, however, can bea controversial matter in its own right. A potential questionarises when evaluating if the current pace of technological

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development, capitalist modes of production, and a culturalaffinity towards immediacy represent prohibitive factors to-wards the establishment of musical repertoires. Would thiscontext represent a critical setback for a general model ofidiomatic composition in NIME community? We believethat considering idiomatic practices means new possibili-ties could come into being in the NIME community. Thewhole historical course of idiomatic approach provides solidevidence that building and maintaining repertoire for newmusical instruments is not only a feasible road for survivalbut also potentially crucial for shifting the implications ofself-determinism into progressive and communal thinking.

5. ACKNOWLEDGMENTSWe acknowledge the third reviewer for his/her constructivecomments and effort to improve our paper.

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