Earle Brown‘s concept of open form is an essential aspect of his musical approach, fundamentally challenging traditional notions of fixed musical structure. Unlike conventional compositions, where the composer dictates the precise order and duration of all musical events, open form compositions introduce indeterminacy at various levels, making each performance a unique realization of the work.
Key characteristics and concepts of Earle Brown’s open form include:
Performer and Conductor Choice
Central to open form is the idea that the performer or conductor makes crucial decisions about the flow and design of the piece in real time during the performance. Brown explicitly contrasts this with chance operations, emphasizing that, in his works, decisions are based on informed and conscious choice, not randomness. This makes the conductor a creative agent who shares in the construction of the music with the composer.
The Score as a Palette
In open form composition, the composer provides a collection of musical “elements” or “events”. The score can be seen as a “palette” or a “field” of possibilities. The conductor or performers then assemble, order, and combine these events in real-time. For example, in Available Forms I, the conductor decides the sequence of pages or events. One can begin on any page and move between them. (the image at the top of this article is a page from Available Forms I. The conductor indicates with hand signals which number module to play). For me, the best recording of Available Forms I is this one conducted by Bruno Maderna. He successfully weaves together a wonderful musical experience.
Performance as Realization
The “form” of an open form work emerges in the time of performance. This was very important to Brown and came from his experience performing jazz as a younger man. The performance is where the structure materializes, is realized, completed, and fulfilled. Each performance is a unique, unrepeatable process. While analysis of the score provides insight, understanding the form fully requires examining the performance itself.
Shaping and Continuity
The conductor has significant control over dynamics, tempo, and other parameters, not only cueing events but also shaping them. A key concern for conductors is creating a sense of continuity, aiming for “smooth transitions and long lines of connected material” rather than mere fragmentation. Conductors can achieve this by shaping dynamics, and tempi or by revealing connections between notated material through juxtapositions or the building up related textures. The conductor’s choices can create recognizable patterns, functions, and formal schemes.
Distinction from Chance and Graph Music
Brown strongly differentiated his open form from John Cage’s chance procedures, emphasizing his use of performer/conductor choice over random outcomes. He also distinguished it from Morton Feldman’s graph music, which allowed performers to fill in notes but was still structured by the composer, lacking the “open form” aspect that interested Brown.
The “Fingerprint”
Despite the variability in performance, Brown believed each composition maintains a distinctive identity or “fingerprint” through the notated events and invariant elements. The material he composes has a certain integrity that allows it to be combined in different forms while remaining identifiable.
Collaboration and Intuition
Open form is a collaboration where performers share directly with the composer. The conductor’s musical intuition and personality contribute to the performance. Brown viewed his role as creating situations that stimulate further situations in performance, embracing ambiguity as a creative part of the outcome, similar to how ambiguity in literature allows the reader creative input.
Relationship to Closed Form
Brown also composed works with fixed structures, which he termed “closed form.” Some pieces, like his String Quartet, combine elements of both closed form (fixed sections) and open form (variable sections).
Earle Brown’s open form is a dynamic approach to composition where the composer provides the musical content (events), but the performers and conductors, through conscious choices in real-time, determine the structure and flow of the piece, resulting in a unique realization with each performance. This approach adds flexibility and spontaneity to the musical experience, concepts Brown linked to his background in jazz and his engagement with contemporary visual arts.
