When attending a musical performance, I often notice my listening experiences effortlessly shaped by what I see, such as a performer’s stage behavior, facial expressions, choice of clothing, or accompanying art work. The importance of the visual element–especially a musician’s movements–cannot be overlooked. Physical gestures are a crucial characteristic of human expression and communication. I have developed a fascination in compositions that take this notion into account, particularly in a style that integrates prescribed and improvised movements with instrumental music. The result is a unique, engaging, and multifaceted performance art with numerous and diverse learning opportunities for a performer.
An example of the creative use of extra-musical aspects is Karlheinz Stockhausen’s In Freundschaft (for unaccompanied saxophone). The motions coincide with the musical gestures, providing visual cues to help clarify the musical structure. Another example is Eric Stokes’ piece for alto saxophone called Tag: Theater Piece. His use of theatrical movements, both prescribed and improvised, creates a sense of play that allows the performer to act and react physically to the music. This is just a preview of a very diverse and growing collection of instrumental music utilizing prescribed and improvised movements.
I have found that learning music with physical movements can help expand the ability to understand, feel, react to, and communicate music. When learning Tag, for instance, I had the chance to learn from and collaborate with dancers in an effort to develop clear and expressive movements for my performance. I believe that studying moving music heightens the awareness of physical presence and visual expression, which could be very useful for new conductors, teachers, and performers. There is indeed music to be seen and heard from the human body.
Watch: Jesse Dochnahl performs Eric Stokes’ Tag
