Aleatory, << AY lee uh `tawr` ee, >> music, is a type of music in which the specific shape of a composition is not determined by the composer. The composer does not specify particular pitches, rhythms, and tone colors. He or she only gives ranges of these materials and relies on either chance procedures or performers to select and shape them.
There are two basic types of aleatory music. In the first type, the composer uses chance procedures, such as the tossing of dice, to determine the order and quality of sounds. After the chance operations have established the musical details, the composer creates a fixed score using traditional musical notation. In the second type, the performer largely creates a composition. The composer might specify eight measures to be played with high notes, followed by six measures of low notes. The performers then create melodies, harmonies, and rhythms of their own design.
Loading the player...Classical aleatory music
The most important composer of aleatory music was John Cage of the United States. Other important composers have included Earle Brown, Morton Feldman, and Christian Wolff of the United States; Pierre Boulez of France; and Karlheinz Stockhausen of Germany.
See also Boulez, Pierre ; Cage, John ; Stockhausen, Karlheinz ; Electronic music .
