Reframing Sound Shapes in Spectromorphological Composition: Notating perspectival space through spherical, Euclidean and Cartesian-coordinate systems

Abstract

This paper examines Smalley’s preliminary taxonomy of the sound shape and the subsequent application of graphical notation in electroacoustic music. It will demonstrate ways in which spatial categorisations of the morphological sound shape have remained relatively untouched in academia, despite a codependency of frequency, space and time. Theoretical examples and existing visualisations of the sound shape will be considered as a starting point, to determine why the holistic visualisation of space is warranted. A notational system addressing the codependency between spatial and spectral sound shapes will be presented, with reference to its context in Cartesian-coordinate sound environments. This method of electroacoustic notation will incorporate the visualisation of Smalley’s categorisation of spatial sound shapes and ideas of spatial gesture, texture and distribution within Smalley’s composed and listening spaces. This visualisation and notation of composed and listening spaces will demonstrate that audio technologies are imperative drivers in the future analysis and understanding of the sound shape. It will measure the modulation of spatial sound shape properties for Cartesian (height, width, depth) and spherical (azimuth and altitude) across linear temporality, to better represent the complete form of Smalley’s sound shape. This spatial notation will aid the rounded visualisation of Smalley’s morphology, motion, texture, gesture, structure and form. Use of this notational framework will illustrate ways in which a new tool to score electroacoustic sound shapes can inform new practices in computer music composition.