The Aural Score is an alternative approach to musical composition, transmission, and performance that places sound, rather than written notation, at the center of the creative process. Drawing inspiration from the oral tradition of Iranian classical music and informed by my experience in Western classical composition, this approach seeks to overcome some of the limitations of conventional notation in communicating the full expressive and sonic identity of a musical work. Rather than translating musical ideas into written symbols, the composer realizes the composition directly through sound, with the recording serving as the primary reference for performers. Through attentive listening, imitation, memorization, and personal exploration, performers develop an intimate understanding of the music, including its subtle nuances of timing, ornamentation, articulation, timbre, phrasing, and expressive gesture. The Aural Score is not intended simply to replace written notation with a recording, but to reconsider the relationship between composer, performer, and musical work. By shifting the process of learning from the eye to the ear, it encourages performers to move beyond the reproduction of prescribed instructions and engage more actively with the composition as a living musical experience. While preserving the essential identity of the work, this approach allows greater space for individual interpretation, imagination, and creativity, making each performance a unique realization of the composer's musical ideas.
SARV
For solo violin, commissioned by Sheng-Ching Hsu, is the first work in a series of my compositions exploring the concept of the Aural Score.
Inspired by the oral practice of Iranian classical music, in which musical ideas are passed from generation to generation through listening and imitation, the aural score offers an alternative approach to communicating newly composed music. It allows performers to engage directly with the musical material while developing their own individual interpretations.
Through the aural score, performers can gain a more detailed, intuitive, and organic understanding of musical elements such as ornamentation, articulation, timbre, and phrasing. At the same time, this approach creates space for their imagination, creativity, and personal expression, allowing each performance to bring a unique perspective to the composition.
Sarv moves through Avaz-e Abu Ata before concluding in Dastgah-e Segah.
Sarv is dedicated to Jalil Shahnaz, one of the great masters of the Iranian tar.
