S. Szczelkun, Improvisation Rites
Included in Reform set/collection.
Improvisation Rites: from John Cage's Song Books to The Scratch Orchestra's Nature Study Notes (2018) by Stefan Szczelkun. https://archive.org/details/NatureStudyNotesEpub18
Licensed with CC BY-NC and you can also pay to the author here: https://payhip.com/b/LsSP
What is written
In short, the book describes three projects:
In the two first cases, the group consisted of some former members of Scratch Orchestra and invited performers gathered together for four performances in London (e.g. in Cafe Oto). Further workshops were conducted by Carol Finer and Stefan Szczelkun (SO members themselves) in Athens, during Documenta 14).
The whole first half or so of the book does not reveal a lot about the author. Instead of an opinionated narration we are offered different materials like meeting minutes, e-mails, reviews, and other factographic sources. Observations show up in a dispersed way and come from different participants. This part provides a rare insight into the process of preparing the performance within the context of experimental music, what considerations are made and what effects are sought after.
A shift towards more general remarks on music and performance occurs in Chapter 3 "Archive and Evaluate" which is a transcription of a discussion summarizing earlier experiences of the performing group. Many quotes from this section will serve to enrich biographical information on the creators of improvisation rites.
What is said
From this point on there are insights into social and artistic function of instructional scores as envisioned by their proponents. For the reader interested in music games it may serve as an inspiration to compare the two forms and appreciate their potential. As the book is about performing both Cage and Cardew, their work is also compared. One conclusion is especially interesting from the game design point of view (p. 134):
In simplistic summary Cage was into chance whereas Cardew was into choice.
The chance vs choice question is well-known for both game scholars and designers. Modern practice is to look for a perfect balance between the two. The extremes of pure chance or full choice are considered good options only for niche players (e.g. children, gamblers, futurists, historians…). For broader groups of players, a random game will be boring and a very open game will be overwhelming. It might be useful to consider this dichotomy as chance vs skill as it's treated in Caillois typology, which also ties in to the next topic.
Second point of interest is target audience of Improvisation Rites. Here, Stefan Szczelkun presents hopes that it could become a (more) common practice and be influential towards the overall change of culture. It's again hard to make comparisons without clear definitions of "music games" and "improvisation rites" (are they actually separate things?), but most of improvisation rites that so far had been created are poetic and subtle, and the success of the typical improvisation rite depends on specific skills of their performers, like interpretation ability, social openness, motivation towards creativity. Contrary to that, music games tend to a more clear and guided experience and such an approach might be useful if we'd like to reach really broad circles with our instructional musical score.
Finally, another topical overlap between the book and our wiki is about the very playfulness of Improvisation Rites, and what it means. This is less directly covered in the text, although it runs through it, and from our perspective might be related to Huizinga's Homo Ludens. That classic book provides a pioneer definition of play, and specifically demands that play should be something separated from ordinary life (feature exemplified by a "magic circle", the term later adapted as general reference for such social contracts). This topic was further developed by Caillois who analyzed the paradoxical situation of gamblers and athletes. We may sum up the central matter as a question:
Can you have a "professional concert" of Improvisation Rites and stay true to them?
The book shows that the same consideration might be given to some pieces of John Cage. You will not find a definite answer neither here nor in Improvistation Rites […], but if you are interested in this topic, Stefan Szczelkun's work will give you food for thought.
New Improvisation Rites
During the events some new improvisation rites were added to the original set (which was indeed intended as extendable). It's not actually clear if this addition should be treated as "no rights reserved" following the source material, Creative Commons license (like the book) or other usage rights should be applied.
As a preparation, an image may be drawn or downloaded.
Metaphoric use preferred, but can be performed as an instruction as well.
Choose a jingling combination, like 'willy nilly', and make up a sentence to declaim to the audience in the manner of a street-corner orator or busker.
Speak the best Arabic you can for as long as you can. You may want to use a phrase book or an audio lesson, or repeat a few words or phrases learnt by heart.
Use index and thumb of both hands to clamp your mouth jaws wide open.
Walk around saying/repeating "Kiss me" or "I love you" as if addressing a lover, current past or potential; The tone and intensity may change accordingly. Stop when you feel/think that your message has got through.
Pair up with another person. They do not need to be doing this rite also.
Listen to their playing and pick out three parameters. (For example: pitch, speed, duration, timbre, etc.) For each of your three parameters, try to either match your partner or do the complete opposite of them.
Pick any pop song that is relatively current and which contains instructions to the user on how to act, dance, sing, clap, etc. and follow these instructions outside of the song's context.
Everyone is scattered around the performing area performing any activities (rites, whatever) but awkwardly (clumsily, painfully etc.). Very gradually they leave whatever they are doing and stagger waywardly and uncertainly to an initially agreed point to slowly form a queue. When all have joined the queue, it limps/staggers around the performing area at varying speeds, directions, the performers making sounds, individually or collectively or both at different times.
Very gradually the performers one by one drop out of the queue and lie prostrate on the floor all over the performing area as far apart from each other as possible. When all are on the floor they start moaning spasmodically and softly. After 1-3 minutes a solo performer slowly attempts to get up only to sink back down again, (the other performers remaining on the floor). The solo performer repeats this a few times with greater success each time, finally managing to stagger to his/her feet. The soloist then moves to the initially agreed point and, adopting a defiant pose, fairly softly (i.e. keeping with the overall soft dynamics) but firmly says "Save our NHS!" He/she is similarly followed by other people at an accelerating pace until everyone is standing at the point in a straight line directly facing the audience. The rite ends with all the performers, on a downbeat shouting "Save Our NHS!"
Catch a sparrow.
If they won't come to you through communication, set a trap.
Tell them that you feel love for them and that you want to tame them and be responsible for their wellbeing.
If they don't seem to understand or are showing signs of unhappiness decide to keep them in a cage or let them go.
Catch a human.
If they won't come to you by communication, set a trap.
Tell it that you feel love for it and that you want to tame it and be responsible for its wellbeing.
If it doesn't seem to understand or is showing signs of unhappiness decide to keep it in a cage or let it go.
Catch a cloud.
If they won't come to you through communication, set a trap.
Tell it that you feel love for it and that you want to tame it and be responsible for its wellbeing.
If it doesn't seem to understand or is showing signs of unhappiness decide to keep it in a cage or let it go.
Buy a piece of frozen meat.
Find the animal it came from.
Find which part of its body the meat came from.
Give it back.
Gargle a series of recognisable tunes with a liquid of your choice.
Ask your mother or father* about what they think of the world today. Use their exact words in a prophetic speech or song using accompanying music of your choice. Perform with vigour and gusto.
*If mother or father not available, ask anyone you think of as older and wiser than yourself.
Give someone a kiss (on the lips, possibly).
Approach someone in the room (player or audience) and ask them to write a rite. Share some short examples if necessary. Offer them a pen and a piece of paper with the words PLEASE PERFORM THIS RITE IMMEDIATELY at the bottom. Once written, ask them to hand the rite to the player of their choice.
Consider your voice and your body movement as two indivisible elements of a single voice-body instrument (in this view, singing while remaining completely still would be like playing the piano without moving the keys). Explore making sound in this way.
Make a sound. Notice what you experience. Put yourself in an asymmetrical posture. Make another sound. Notice what you experience. Put another person in an asymmetrical posture (approach them gently.), while holding your own and maintaining physical contact together. Both make a sound (non-verbally invite the other person to do so). Notice what you experience.
Make free sound, experiencing your inner world as an unexplored land with many new things to discover. When inspired, feel free to leave your explorations and allow your sound-making to move into building or creating things on this land (eg. fences, walls, colourful banners that catch the wind and can be seen from afar). When inspired, feel free to leave the things you have created, and go back to discovering what is new. When inspired, feel free to go back to the things you have created, or create new ones (eg. a circle of stones around the fire, strong buildings that protect people from the elements). When inspired, feel free to return to your explorations. And so on. Consider raising a pennant or flag when you are exploring, and lowering it when you are building to help distinguish between these two modes of exploration and creation.
Text someone a message from the performance space during the performance. Then copy the text message onto a sheet of paper (add a line drawing if you like). If you get a reply include that. Finally take a photo of it to share with the text recipient later.
Metaphorically: Clear your chest - the one in the attic and cellar, as well as that in your thorax. Expectorate the unexpectorated.
Protest against the creator of the rite/ against the rite itself. Create a 'procession'/demonstration/riot to express your opposition.
Take a very important decision collectively or individually. Then do the opposite to what you have decided.
Express your gratitude to the institution (if there isn't one, then make it up).
Everybody in the room uses their voice to sing a single continuous note, different than the ones sung by the people around them. The same note cannot be sung by two people. As an interval do the reverse (everybody sings the same note).
Performers move through a space. Everyone is walking/moving towards the doorsteps of change. When the performer finds his/her door, stop. Performers can only make a sound with a singular quality of any duration in lieu of knocking on this metaphorical door. The noises made must correspond to each performer's emotions vis à vis their desires for change. 1) Wait for the right moment to knock. 2) Knock right away and wait for a reply. The performance ends once everyone has knocked and feels satisfied to leave the unanswered door or feels a response emerged and walks through the door. It is not permitted to stay waiting forever.
