Soiled Amplitudes: My Musical Composition and Notational Aesthetic in Five Seasons

A book of unusual musical exploration, Soiled Amplitudes follows composer Dennis Bathory-Kitsz in his search for both compositional truth and the integrity of music created as graphical scores. Revealing music as a mix of so-called "colonial notation" and a panoply of new symbols, graphics, drawings, and colorful patterns, he carries the reader through the historical twists and turns of music written on paper. Along the way, Bathory-Kitsz explains what he means by nonpop, why music isn't language as we know it, how performance art and installations are part of the compositional realm, and why the world of musicians is filled with modern-day Mozarts waiting to be heard. Living in Vermont, he also lays out the life and challenges of a rural composer in an urban artistic society. With more than 100 illustrations and photographs, Soiled Amplitudes includes graphical scores contributed by 30 composers working today, along with an extensive bibliography and references. Read more