• Musica Elettronica Viva. Musical Participation in the Experiments of 1960s

УДК: 789.983+78.03

DOI: 10.35852/2588-0144-2023-3-173-185

EDN: KXBYZE

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Tatiana A. Tsvetkovskaya

Head of Special Projects the Radio Orpheus
The Russian State Musical TV and Radio Centre
Moscow, Russia
E-mail: tskoblik@mail.ru

Musica Elettronica Viva. Musical Participation in the Experiments of 1960s

Abstract

This article analyzes early experiments of Musica Elettronica Viva. The music of this avantgarde group, which emerged on the wave of widespread interest in collective creative process and free improvisation, is usually considered jointly the socio-political upheavals of the late 1960s. Although the historical canvas — student unrest, mass riots, the rise of counterculture — reflects the spirit of the era, external facts obscure the artistic innovation of MEV. Meanwhile, the aim of the group, created to be a composer’s laboratory, was to find a new sound through spontaneous interaction with stage partners. While in the first experiments (Spacecraft) only MEV participants were engaged, in further ones (Soup, Soundpool) everyone could join the improvisation. Such an approach was supposed to not only destroy professional authoritarianism, but also to transform the music art itself. For such a courageous idea, a plan was required. And this plan was suggested by one of MEV founders, the American composer and pianist Frederick Rzewski. The analysis of his articles, lectures, essays, and documents allows us to identify the key points of the MEV strategy, which can be interpreted as the principles of music participation. Despite the fact that the group was fully focused on improvisation, its achievements also follow music composition. This fact proves the personal heritage of each of the MEV participants. Nowadays, due to the rising interest in the compositions created in co-authorship with the listener, the early works of MEV deserve closer attention. They do not just employ one of the possible approaches to engage the audience in the creative process, but, in fact, they have designed and tested an original model of participation, the study of which will join the list of music participation resources.

Keywords

Frederic Rzewski, Musica Elettronica Viva, participatory art, free improvisation, live electronic music, Parma Manifesto.

For citation

Tsvetkovskaya Т.А. Musica Elettronica Viva. Musical Participation in the Experiments of 1960s. Theatre. Fine Arts. Cinema. Music. 2023, no. 3, pp. 173–185.

DOI: 10.35852/2588-0144-2023-3-173-185

EDN KXBYZE

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Received: 03.05.2023

Revised: 04.08.2023

Accepted: 14.08.2023