Background

Jacques Derrida was a French philosopher who developed the philosophical concept and technique of “deconstruction.” In the introduction to Derrida’s Speech and Phenomena, the translator states that deconstruction

signifies a project of critical thought whose task is to locate and ‘take apart’ those concepts which serve as the axioms or rules for a period of thought, those concepts which command the unfolding of an entire epoch of metaphysics. ‘Deconstruction’ is somewhat less negative than the Heideggerian or Nietzschean terms ‘destruction’ or ‘reversal’; it suggests that certain foundational concepts of metaphysics will never be entirely eliminated.

Paul Ricoeur is another prominent supporter and interpreter of Derrida’s philosophy. He defines deconstruction as a way of uncovering the questions behind the answers of a text or tradition.

“Deconstruction in music questions musical identities, musicological assumptions, and even the borders between music and non-music. I use this concept to take apart the music and allow these different short pieces to focus on and experiment with one or more specific elements of what is traditionally considered Music.” – Scott Pfitzinger

Musical Elements

Composition Focus

  • Melody – Series of notes in succession
  • Harmony – Relationships between pitches occurring at the same time
  • Rhythm – The arrangement of sounds and silences in time
  • Texture – The overall sound of a piece based on the relationships between musical lines; the way the melody, harmony, and rhythm are combined

 

 Composition Type

  • Game Piece – The piece is played like a game, with a winner at the end
  • Improvisation – The piece is primarily improvised by the performers
  • Kinetic – Performers use their bodies and move around during the piece
  • Open Form – The sequence of parts of the piece is variable based on performer choices
  • Verbal – Parts are spoken rather than sung or played

Click any title to view or download the complete score for that piece.

89 Bottles of Beer (2011)

  • Focus: Rhythm      Type: Verbal
  • for 3 or more people
  • Description: The names of German brands of beer are chanted in this verbal canon.

Bouncing Ballo (2011)

  • Focus: Rhythm      Type: Kinetic
  • for any number of people
  • Description: Everyone bounces various items, exploring rhythms, resonances, and sounds.

Bubble “Pop” (2010)

  • Focus: Melody / Rhythm      Type: Kinetic
  • for 1 pianist and any number of people
  • Description: Involves improvisation on the piano based on the bubble wrap taped to everyone else’s feet.

Chinese Fire Drill (2010)

  • Focus: Harmony     Type: Kinetic / Open Form
  • for FOUR musicians, treble clef, any key
  • Description: Musicians place music around a table and, when finished playing it, run around the table, playing whatever part they end up at.

Construction Zone (2012)

  • Focus: Rhythm     Type: Open Form
  • for any number of people
  • Description: Performers play in an ensemble made up of construction tools.

Downtown (2010)

  • Focus: Texture     Type: Improvisation
  • for any number of people
  • Description: Free improvisation on a specific idea, also involving audience participation.

Elements (2011)

  • Focus: Texture      Type: Improvisation
  • for at least 5 people
  • Description: Improvisational piece based on the Five Elements of Chinese philosophy and Feng Shui: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, & Water

Evolution (2011)

  • Focus: Melody / Harmony    Type: Open Form / Improvisation
  • for 2 soloists and any number of people
  • Description: Two soloists improvise and evolve a melody between them as the other musicians quietly harmonize with them.

Roll - Ed London

Forced Union (2010)

  • Focus: Harmony     Type: Open Form
  • for any number of people
  • Description: The musicians start with random pitches and slowly achieve unison moving by half steps.

Greek Whispers (Ψιθύρους – Psithúrous) (2011)

  • Focus: Texture     Type: Verbal
  • for any number of people
  • Description: Performers whisper about Greek mythology, creating a mystical soundspace.

Have At Thee (2013)

  • Focus: Kinetic     Type: Rhythm
  • for any number of pairs of people
  • Description: Performers “sword-fight” with various items, creating an interweaving rhythmic experience.

I Wanna Be a Theremin (2010)

  • Focus: Texture     Type: Improvisation
  • for 8 musicians
  • Description: Each of the musicians improvises based on the motions of the director, who is balancing a broom on one hand.

Jinx! (2010)

  • Focus: Melody     Type: Game Piece
  • for any number of people
  • Description: Musicians play individual notes into the piano, trying NOT to play a note at the same time as anyone else.

Kino (2010)

  • Focus: Texture     Type: Improvisation
  • for any number of people
  • Description: Musicians improvise on a YouTube video, following specific guidelines.

Making Water (2010)

  • Focus: Texture     Type: Verbal / Open Form / Improvisation
  • for 1 pianist and any number of people
  • Description: The pianist improvises and the others read water-based idioms and onomatopoeias based on bodies of water.

Marco Polo (2013)

  • Focus: Melody     Type: Game Piece / Improvisation
  • for 4 or more musicians and one audience volunteer
  • Description: A volunteer from the audience is blindfolded, then walks through a maze or obstacle course, being guided by the sounds of the musicians.

Monkey Music (2010)

  • Focus: Rhythm     Type: Open Form
  • for any number of people
  • Description: Groups of musicians make groovy monkey sounds.

Musical Seussical Punctuation (2011)

  • Focus: Melody     Type: Verbal
  • for 1 reader and 1 instrumentalist
  • Description: One person reads a Dr. Seuss book aloud while the other person “plays” all the punctuation.

Oh Snap! (2010)

  • Focus: Rhythm     Type: Open Form
  • for any number of people
  • Description: Musicians snap the written rhythms, choosing different lines.

Red Light, Green Light (2010)

  • Focus: Melody     Type: Game Piece
  • for 1 director and any number of people
  • Description: Players race through the piece as fast as possible, but only when the director indicates “green light.”

Sudoku (2010)

  • Focus: Texture     Type: Open Form
  • for any number of people
  • Description: Players use a solved Sudoku puzzle as a source of tone rows.

Wholly Tonitrophobic (2010)

  • Focus: Texture     Type: Open Form
  • for any number of people
  • Description: “Tonitrophobia” is a fear of thunder. This piece is based on a whole-tone scale and involves the musicians choosing their notes and also their melodic lines.