Composition - GENERAL INTRODUCTION

Experience as a composer and improvisor was an important background for me in entering the music therapy discipline in which freely improvised music plays an important role. When improvising, certain forms of structural thinking take place, and the awareness of material, interaction and more can be trained by means of exercises (see Intuitive Music. A Mini-Handbook). Composition has also, to varying degrees, been a part of the discipline of intuitive music (see Sound is Multi-Dimensional).

Composition and improvisation are kinds of research into the medium of music and what it can do. They contribute to define, establish and expand the fundamentals, even if their technical aspects are not directly a part of a psychological context.

Here at VBN are given some examples of works, with the complete playing material and with several recordings for each so as to make it possible to get an idea of the variability of the structural idea in question. See the entries having titles beginning with "Composition...". It is recommended to sort the list by title in order to have them all at one place.

Especially since 2000 publication has taken place through www.vbn.dk and other internet sources. Before that time, compositions were published on paper by www.edition-s.dk In some cases, however, publication may still be with edition-s. And a few older works have been included here nevertheless.

Sharpening the Process is an article discussing the interactive, collectively creative aspect of ensemble improvising and the meaning of using composed structures at all in improvised music.

Further examples may be found in published CDs together with playing material published by www.edition-s.dk or listed in the database of the Royal Library. See the Royal Library's database REX and that of Aalborg University Library, AUBOLINE and the database at www.snyk.dk