Evolution and Collaboration: the composition, rehearsal and performance of Finnissy’s Second String Quartet

The research embodied in the DVD comprises both the analysis and organisation of primary source materials resulting from an ethnographic study, and the design of interactive software to facilitate the presentation of the resulting large quantity of multimedia materials. This includes research into user interface design and navigation strategies with particular concern that users will be able to maximize their engagement with these materials through a structured yet flexible interface. The DVD offers a methodology in action. As a form of meta-research about composer-performer interaction it provides users with an experience that promotes the inter-relationship between aural and visual components with an emphasis on aural perception. The journal articles establish the rationale and research context concerning non-linear approaches to music analysis, identifying research areas, musical structure and some of the analytical content that was subsequently expanded and developed into the software DVD.