Background

A set of songs investigating 'narration' in music. Performed by → ↑ →, the 7 pieces are micro-experiments, drawing on linguistic concepts of narrativity and language, and ways in which background film music 'narrates' visually apparent action and scenography.

Jayne Stevenson, Ralph Traviato & Philip Brophy - Clifton Hill Community Music Centre, Melbourne © 1980

Credits

Compositions - Philip Brophy
Performers - Philip Brophy, Ralph Traviato & Jayne Stevenson

1980

Universal Workshop, Melbourne
Clifton Hill Community Music Centre, Melbourne

1981

City Studio, Sydney
"Various Levels" included on New Music 80 compilation LP, Innocent Records, Melbourne

1982

Experimental Art Foundation, Adelaide

Overview

From the original programme note

This set of music contains seven songs that are still in the vague stage of self-clarification. An attempt has been made to write music that tells something- music specifically involved with the actual act of telling; of narration. Music not primarily or intentionally concerned with concepts of texture or structure, or with the effects of conventions and usages of tonality and rhythm. All the songs of Narrative Music are concerned with the spatial, temporal and textual location (or rather, the multitude or complex of relations) given to a listener by passing through real time listening to a piece of music. Narrative Music (music that narrates rather than music that describes) would thus be concerned with a textual paradigm of [writing/telling/reading] as opposed to a music paradigm of [composing/performing/listening]. All in all, Narrative Music looks at initiating a nw 'listening perspective' - one based on Barthes' writings on writing and on the role of music within narrative frameworks such as films. At least, such would be the perspective that one should adopt to see if the songs function under these prescribed terms.

Technical

Songlist

1. A Rotating Object
2. Various Levels
3. You Do You Don't
4. So Here I Am
5. Being There
6. Presence Of The Present
7. Down