Transcription, Adaptation and Maintenance in Live Electronic Performance with Acoustic Instruments

Abstract

This paper examines processes of musical adaptation in a live electronic context, taking as a case study the authors’ collaborative work transcribing Richard Dudas’ Prelude No.1 for flute and computer (2005), to a new version for clarinet and live electronics, performed in the Spring of 2014 by clarinettist Pete Furniss. As such, the idea of transcription and its implications are central to this study. We will additionally address some of the salient information that the user interface in a piece of interactive electro-instrumental music should present to the performer, as well as some possible ways of restructuring not only the interface itself, but also the deroulement of the piece to aid the solo performer to the maximum degree possible. A secondary focus of the paper is to underline the need for the creation of a body of musical works that are technically straightforward enough to serve as an introduction to live electronic performance for musicians who might otherwise be daunted by the demands of the existing repertoire.