Graphic Scores

Sesame Street - 30 Dots (Circles vs. Squares)

Animation by Norman McLaren from 1971 created by using an optical film printer

In the 70's, Rainer Wehinger created a "Hörpartitur" or "score for listening" for the piece Artikulation by György ligeti, representing different sonorous effects with specific graphic symbols much like a transcription.

Wanna try? György Ligeti - Articulation - An Aural Score By Rainer Wehinger. Not the traditional score but a sort of mainline to play the composition with electronic instrument. here.

Next is "Animated Graphic Store 1", created by Leafcutter John (Planet Mu, Schematic, Krankrieg), and played by Kammer Klang Quartet.


Here is a visual interpretation of Erik Satie's famous piano suite Trois Gnossiennes. The movement of each column maps the physical activity of each the pianist's fingers respectively.

Now, Beethoven - Bagatelle, opus 33 #5 accompanied by a bar-graph score. Rendition and graphics by Stephen Malinowski. with the The Music Animation Machine (MAM). More informations about the machine here.

An unseen animated graphic score was played on a projector. a crowd of around 30 people (mostly voice and 6 instrumentalists) improvised along with the visuals.
This event explored how an animated graphic score can create a musical dialogue between a group of musicians and non musicians, young and old, drunk and sober.' Shane Mc Kenna
Probably the best way to show a music score to young kids, as a introduction.