Between Freedom and Fixity

Between Freedom and Fixity: Artistic Reflections on Composition and Improvisation is Ilya Ziblat Shay's practice-based research project. Four of Ziblat's compositions are discussed as musical models that integrate freedom and fixity, presenting (musically) tangible forms of the two concepts. Different approaches to notation, improvisation, performance, and electronic music are presented, and the research also draws on extra-musical notions in order to extend the direct practice-based context. By exploring the possible functions of freedom and fixity as they exist in composition this research aims to be relevant not only to musicians and scholars but also to listeners in general.

The online dissertation combines the text with audio, video, and score samples, and is available on freedomandfixity.com.