"With nearly 40,000 scores of both published and unpublished works, the British Music Collection is a treasure trove of musical creativity and diversity in Britain in the 20th and 21st centuries"

With nearly 40,000 scores of both published and unpublished works, the British Music Collection is a treasure trove of musical creativity and diversity in Britain in the 20th and 21st centuries. An excellent example of this diversity can be seen from this stunning experimental score for Matrix, composed by Alywnne Pritchard. Matrix, composed in 2001 for violin, shows the freedom and creative nature inherent to much experimental music. The piece is made up of eight spokes and three islands of music which can be played in any direction by the performer (i.e. both towards and away from the centre), but that can also be linked as the performer is allowed to make excursions at their discretion into other spokes and islands at any of the paths that are highlighted on the piece’s accompanying map. Repetition of individual fragments is also allowed so long as all parts of the score are played during the piece. Consequently, by allowing the performer to choose their path through the score, this same piece can be played differently by each performer and in each performance! my image What an interesting and inventive approach to composition and notation! And another great example of the innovation and variety of methods that have been captured by the British Music Collection throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. So with another 39,000 additional scores to browse through, imagine all of the other exciting musical styles and approaches that are waiting to be discovered by our users! The full score to Matrix by Alywnne Pritchard is available on the British Music Collection website.


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