Conference: Principles of Music Composing (deadline extension)

Lithuanian Composers’ Union
Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre

18th International Music Theory Conference

Principles of Music Composing:
LINKS BETWEEN AUDIATION AND COMPOSING
Retrospective of the Century 

November 13th–15th 2018
Vilnius, Lithuania

Considering audiation and composition together is not prevalent in existing research, and thus provides a thought provoking intention in the field of music theory. Audiation is designed and usually referred to in educational contexts as an aptitude to hear and comprehend music even when the real sound is not present. It is a cognitive process by which the brain gives a meaning to musical sounds. Giving a sense to a sound is an essential condition for the emergence of particular composing techniques, styles or even the general features of entire historical periods. With the rapid development of technologies and their apparent influence on composing as well as the increasing manifestations of serial methods in contemporary music, the role of audiation in the creative process becomes a problematic issue. For this reason integrating audiation and composition into a common discourse is expected to foster an intellectual field embracing both composing dilemmas as well as educational issues. Special attention is paid to audiation facets of Lithuanian composers and their development in the retrospective of a century. 

The topic of the conference is divided into suggested subtopics:

1) Audiation, aural perception/reception, inner hearing, ear training in the context of composing practices. Theoretical, typological, historical outlook.
2) Different audiative approaches (tonal, sonorous, intensity, rhythmic, etc.) as a premise for emergence of new composing techniques or trends in the retrospective of the century.
3) Composing as a result of audiation activity or conscious rejection (or restriction) of aural conducting in the composing process. (Auto)analysis of composer’s creative process. 
4) Audiation aspects in accordance with creative evolution and style of a composer in oeuvre of Debussy (commemorating the 100th anniversary of composer’s death), his contemporaries and later composers.
5) Audiation tendencies and their manifestation in Lithuanian composers’ music following Čiurlionis (celebrating the centenary of independence of Lithuania). 
6) Audiation strategies as creative stimuli in relation with other areas (literature, painting, motion, spirituality, etc.) and interrelationship between different senses (aural, visual, touch, etc.). Interdisciplinary approach to Debussy, Čiurlionis’ and other composers’ creative work.
7) Aural training possibilities and perspectives in regard with new composing demands emerged in the previous century.

Paper proposals (abstract and a short biography) should be sent by email: pmc.lmta@gmail.com. The abstract must not exceed 500 words. The duration of full presentation is limited to 20–25 minutes.

The main language of the conference is English. 

The deadline for proposal submissions is extended to September 24th 2018. Proposals will be reviewed by the members of the scholarly committee and all applicants will be notified of the outcome.

The participation fee is 20 Euros.

Selected papers of the conference will be published in the annual peer reviewed scientific journal ‘Principles of Music Composing’.

Scholarly committee of the conference:

Prof. dr. Pavel PUŞCAŞ (Music Academy Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
Prof. Miloš Zatkalik (University of Arts in Belgrade, Serbia)
Prof. Roger Redgate (Goldsmiths, University of London, England)
Dr. Bert Van Herck (New England Conservatory of Music, USA)
Dr. Jānis Petraškevičs (Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, Latvia)
Dr. Martin Vishnick (United Kingdom)
Prof. dr. Rimantas Janeliauskas (Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre)
Prof. dr. Antanas Kučinskas (Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre)
Assoc. prof. dr. Mārtiņš Viļums (Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre)
Assoc. prof. Marius Baranauskas (Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre)

Coordinators of the conference:

Andrius Maslekovas,
Aistė Vaitkevičiūtė