The Fast-Acting and Self-Eating Quintet

GR - Graduate

Fast-Acting/Self Eating is an experiment in time-restricted collaborative composition. This class will be a small ensemble of five composers/instrumentalists. Each participant of the class will write a piece for the instrumentation of the group. All instruments and experience levels welcome. The instrumentation of the class will be announced to all participants at least a week before the first class period, and each participant of the class will be assinged a day throughout the two week period where they must present a piece for the group. All forms of musical notation are welcome, whether they are transmitted aurally or on paper. The participant to whom the first day is assinged will present a piece with no prompt other than the instrumentation of the group. The participant to whom the second class is assigned will have to write a piece that is based on the previous piece presented in the first class period. This process continues, creating a meta structure where every piece written is based on the piece that was presented a day or two before. This will challenge participants to write pieces that are based on pre-existing material, and also to do so in very small amounts of time. The last class period will be a rehearsal that aims to string together all of the pieces into a setlist that will be performed and recorded via room mic. The class will meet a total of six times for, at the most, two hours per meeting, although the full two hours may not be needed for every meeting. The restriction of the class to five particpants is a result of the format being five class periods of presenting pieces, and one final rehearsal.