Hostname: page-component-65f69f4695-dmqqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-06-29T03:59:18.161Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

TRANSFORMING PRACTICE: THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL SCORES ON CREATIVITY, PERFORMANCE AND ACCESSIBILITY

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 June 2025

Solomiya Moroz  and
Craig Vear
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This article presents an overview of findings from an ERC-funded DigiScore project that investigates how digital technologies are reshaping music creation, performance and accessibility. Digital scores, defined as interactive interfaces for musical ideas, enable innovative compositional approaches, immersive performance experiences and inclusive practices. Drawing on nearly 50 case studies across five continents, the research highlights four key impacts: (1) enhanced interactivity and multimedia integration; (2) non-linear and real-time compositional methods; (3) novel performance opportunities in physical and virtual spaces; (4) broader accessibility for diverse musicians and audiences. An overview of case studies by the project’s partners and principal investigator illustrates how digital scores impact the creative practices of composers and performers, while also influencing audience engagement and fostering collaboration and participation. Despite challenges in balancing technological complexity with usability, the findings demonstrate how digital scores democratise music-making, offering new creative possibilities and redefining contemporary musical practices.

Information

Type
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Information
Tempo , Volume 79 , Issue 313 , July 2025 , pp. 56 - 69
Check for updates
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

1 Craig Vear, The Digital Score: Musicianship, Creativity and Innovation (New York: Routledge, 2019), p. 19.

2 Christopher Small, Musicking: The Meanings of Performing and Listening (Middletown, CT, Wesleyan University Press, 1998).

3 Vear, op. cit.

4 Cat Hope, ‘Reading Music Notation beyond Style’, in Sounding Future. https://www.soundingfuture.com/en/article/reading-music-notation-beyond-style (accessed 26 February 2025).

5 Solomiya Moroz and Craig Vear. ‘Jess +: Intelligent DigiScore for Inclusive Music-Making’, dataset, University of Nottingham Research Data Repository, 2024, http://doi.org/10.17639/nott.7380.

6 Jarek Kapuściński, ‘Intention Statement’ as part of ‘Point Line Piano by Jarek Kapuściński’ dataset, University of Nottingham Research Data Repository, 2024, http://doi.org/10.17639/nott.7414.

7 Solomiya Moroz and Craig Vear. ‘Exercices d’étrangeté III Mycorrhizia by Sandeep Bhagwati’, dataset, University of Nottingham Research Data Repository, 2024, http://doi.org/10.17639/nott.7445.

8 Ingrid Laubrock, ‘Intention Statement’ as part of ‘DigiScore TENOR commissions: Ingrid Laubrock and Kitty Xiao’ dataset, University of Nottingham Research Data Repository, 2023, http://doi.org/10.17639/nott.7320.

9 Kitty Xiao, ‘Intention Statement’ as part of ‘DigiScore TENOR commissions: Ingrid Laubrock and Kitty Xiao’ dataset, University of Nottingham Research Data Repository, 2023, http://doi.org/10.17639/nott.7320.

10 https://DigiScore.github.io/pages/neoscore/.

11 Xavier Davenport, ‘Intention Statement’ as part of ‘DigiScore TENOR commissions: Xavier Davenport dataset, University of Nottingham Research Data Repository, 2023, http://doi.org/10.17639/nott.7318.

12 Lauren McCall, ‘Intention Statement’ as part of ‘DigiScore TENOR Commissions: Lauren McCall’ dataset, University of Nottingham Research Data Repository, 2023, http://doi.org/10.17639/nott.7319.

13 Jarek Kapuściński, ‘Intention Statement’ as part of ‘Point Line Piano by Jarek Kapuściński’ dataset, University of Nottingham Research Data Repository, 2024, http://doi.org/10.17639/nott.7414.

14 Solomiya Moroz, ‘Intention Statement’ as part of Queer Temporal dataset, University of Nottingham Research Data Repository, 2024, http://doi.org/10.17639/nott.7390.

15 Ethan Cayko, ‘Intention Statement’, as part of Netronomia dataset, University of Nottingham Research Data Repository, 2024, http://doi.org/10.17639/nott.7409.

16 https://browsersound.com/.

17 Ted Moore, ‘Intention Statement’, as part of ‘Fold by Ted Moore, DigiScore and browser festival commission’ dataset, University of Nottingham Research Data Repository, 2023, http://doi.org/10.17639/nott.7337.

18 Cullithumpian Consort, ‘Semi-structured Interview’, as part of ‘DigiScore TENOR commissions: Ingrid Laubrock and Kitty Xiao’ dataset, University of Nottingham Research Data Repository, 2023, http://doi.org/10.17639/nott.7320.

19 Ibid.

20 Ben Eidson, ‘Semi-structured Interview’ as part of ‘DigiScore TENOR Commissions: Lauren McCall’ dataset, University of Nottingham Research Data Repository, 2023, http://doi.org/10.17639/nott.7319

21 Solomiya Moroz, ‘Extending Notation through Embodied Research’, In Rama Gottfried, Georg Hajdu, Jacob Sello, Alessandro Anatrini and John MacCallum (Eds.), Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Technologies for Music Notation and Representation, Hamburg, Germany, 2020. (pp. 185–188). Hamburg University for Music and Theater.

22 https://andrewhugill.com/digitalsyzygies/listen.html.

23 Cat Hope, ‘Intention Statement’, as part of Sound Drawing in Space dataset, University of Nottingham Research Data Repository, http://doi.org/10.17639/nott.7411.

24 Solomiya Moroz and Craig Vear. Journey Through a Changing World, dataset, University of Nottingham Research Data Repository, 2024, http://doi.org/10.17639/nott.7485.

25 Cat Hope, ‘Intention Statement’, as part of ‘Speechless Opera by Cat Hope’ dataset, University of Nottingham Research Data Repository, http://doi.org/10.17639/nott.7338.

26 Cat Hope, ‘Semi-structured Interview’, as part of ‘Speechless Opera by Cat Hope’ dataset, University of Nottingham Research Data Repository, http://doi.org/10.17639/nott.7338.

27 Craig Vear et al. ‘Jess +: AI and Robotics with Inclusive Music-Making’, In Florian Floyd Mueller, Penny Kyburz, Julie R. Williamson, Corina Sas, Max L. Wilson, Phoebe Toups Dugas, Irina Shklovski (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 2024. Article 33, (pp 1-17). Association for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/3613904.3642548.

28 Jess Fischer, Deirdre Bencsik and Clare Bhabra, ‘Semi-structured Interview’, as part of ‘Jess +: Intelligent DigiScore for Inclusive Music-Making’, dataset, University of Nottingham Research Data Repository, 2024, http://doi.org/10.17639/nott.7380.

29 Jess Fischer, ‘Semi-structured Interview’, as part of ‘Jess +: Intelligent DigiScore for Inclusive Music-Making’, dataset, University of Nottingham Research Data Repository, 2024, http://doi.org/10.17639/nott.7380.

30 Deirdre Bencsik and Clare Bharba, ‘Semi-structured Interview’, as part of ‘Jess +: Intelligent DigiScore for Inclusive Music-Making’, dataset, University of Nottingham Research Data Repository, 2024, http://doi.org/10.17639/nott.7380.

31 Solomiya Moroz and Craig Vear, ‘Exercices d’étrangeté III Mycorrhizia by Sandeep Bhagwati’, dataset, University of Nottingham Research Data Repository, 2024, http://doi.org/10.17639/nott.7445.

32 Andrew Hugill, ‘Semi-structured interview’ as part of Digital Syzygies dataset, De Montfort University, https://doi.org/10.21253/DMU.21429138.v1.

33 Participants, ‘Semi-structured Interview’, as part of Digital Syzygies dataset, De Montfort University, https://doi.org/10.21253/DMU.21429138.v1.