In the novel context of modern world after 1950’s the search of new compositional concepts and alternatives in complex electroacoustic music and contemporary music in general, no more related with assumption of parametric independence from the relations among themselves, but concerned with the perceptual processes and complexity of listening, brought up the importance of other strategies in structuring musical material, such as gesture and texture. These new organizational strategies represent today the main interest not only in electroacoustic and contemporary instrumental composition but also possible perspectives for current analysis.

This presentation will show several aspects how the phenomenon of musical gesture can be understood as a structural element in perception of musical interaction in mixed music, through examples of analysis, systematization, classification and categorization of different interactive musical gesture relationships between instruments and electronics. The main goal is to establish a group of theoretical models of interaction that can be applied as a method for analysis, as well as a compositional tool.

My research departs from variety of different perspectives and approaches to gesture and interaction in electroacoustic, contemporary music and music in general (Schaeffer, Wishart, Smalley, Delalande, Ferneyhough, Xenakis, Hatten, Lidov, Menezes, etc.) to include the relations between two sound events with different characteristics – the electronic and the instrumental. The analysis has been focusing on works for different formations and electronics, from early times till the present, using either prerecorded, real-time processed electronics or their combination.

Petra Bachratá

Petra Bachratá (Slovakia) completed a Master’s Degree in Composition at the Academy of Music and Drama, Bratislava, Slovakia and PhD degree in composition and electroacoustic music at the University of Aveiro, Portugal. She also completed medicine at the Medical Faculty of Comenius University in Bratislava and further specialization in neurology and vertebrology. Currently she teaches composition and electroacoustic music at the University of Aveiro and works as a post-doctoral research fellow of Foundation for Science and Technology, Lisbon. Her pieces have been awarded in many composition competitions – 2011 Ján Levoslav Bella Prize, 2005 First prize in Musica Nova Prague, finalist of Confluências and Pierre Schaeffer competition, 2006 finalist of Electroacoustic Music Competition of Bourges, 2007 finalist in Musica Nova and Pierre Schaeffer competition, 2008 Second prize in 3rd International orchestral competition Póvoa de Varzim, etc. Her works have been played in Europe, USA, Brasil, Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Cuba and New Zealand. Her music was published on many CDs – Slovart Music, Numérica, KANT, Phonedition, Spektral Records, Hevhetia, etc.