b. Feb. 6, 1994
fl. Jan 23, 2018 —
Initial studies with Martin Rokeach; counterpoint with Frank La Rocca; aesthetics, notation, and performance practice with Antoine Beuger.
Speculative theorist of post-Partch structural theory and post-Tenney perceptual theory.
A composer of radical Catholicity in the truest sense, in both conception and in execution, as well as one akin to Harry Partch in stressing a corporeal music—drawn from the ancient world,without pastiche, syncretic new age ideas, or direct copy, achieved through an emphasis on an ancient attitude, not an ancient sound—interested in developing the tradition of liturgical recitative beyond its Gregorian roots while retaining its essential quality.
2013 - initial studies with Martin Rokeach for three months; drops out of academic study after reading Genesis of a Music and refusing to study tonal theory
2013 — 2016 - independent study of modal structures
2016 — 2018 - on the recommendation of Martin Rokeach, private study of counterpoint and modality with Frank La Rocca
2018 - discusses aesthetics, notation, and performance practice with Antoine Beuger; performance of rescinded study piece in Haan
2018 — 2019 - private study of composition with Frank La Rocca; finalization six years of observations into Prolegomena to Tetrachordal Structure
2020 - refutation of the observations of the Prolegomena in Eleatic Conceptions of Musical Experience
a note to prospective performers or curators:
I have supplied a slight survey of my life as proof of my
traditional apprenticeship;
however, I will not respond to requests for
headshots and would prefer the image to the right be used instead.
I believe in the notion of the unknown craftsman, of one who creates for everyday use, not
for artistic superiority or for the sake of growing and maintaining a career. I am not anonymous
for the sake of protecting my ideas from being stolen by those who do engage in careerism, but
apart from my name I would like to remain anonymous.
I am still happy to assist with/appear in person
at a performance, naturally as funds will permit, as I am not a recluse, but simply trying to distance
myself from being more important than the music itself.
My interests lie in the experience of engaging with life, which includes both the composition
and performance of music for the sake of comprehending it as a part of the natural world, one that has been
put in place for us to come to know; therefore, I do not agree with the vanity inherent within
the identification of the artist, as a commerical environment places value on names over the work itself;
that is, a work of Mozart's without an attribution would not be considered equivalent
to one with his name by the general public, as the quality of the work is not what is appreciated,
but the fact that it came from his
hand.
As I was primarily taught by a composer who ended up composing a great deal of sacred music
meant for liturgical use, I believe deeply in writing music that has a value in a community far beyond
the benefit it brings to the individual who composes it.
My belief is that music must be:
functional, simple, and have no excess ornamentation;
it must be one of many similar pieces and must be inexpensive;
it must be unsophisticated; and it must be made by hand.
Please find your music elsewhere if you disagree.
Copyright © Sean Tartaglia 2019