Digital music scores have the potential of being flexible, interactive, and dynamic. Raff Viglianti has created two dynamic scores influenced by the weather as a proof-of-concept.
Meteomozart is a dynamic score of Mozart’s Piano Sonata No.13 in B♭ major, K.333/315c. The score is dynamically adjusted based on the weather at your location (or at a location you set). Different slurs and dynamics are shown, taken from four sources: Mozart’s 1783 manuscript, the first printed edition (1784) and two performing editions by Bartók (1911) and Saint-Saëns (1915). Meteomozart presents a slightly unpredictable text instead of a clear one. It is obvious from audio recordings that the same work of music can be performed in more than one way; likewise, this experiment tries to make it obvious that the score may have more than just one “text” and possibly pique the interest of performers to take control of the variants as opposed to having the weather determining them.
Chance of Weather is a dynamic piano piece by composer Joseph L. Arkfeld (UMD). Chance of Weather is a modern take on a piano program piece that takes inspiration from weather conditions. Rather than focusing on a specific condition or setting, such as Debussy’s Jardins sous la pluie, Chance of Weather engages with the weather that is currently affecting the performance environment. The piece is based on a dynamic digital score that follows pre-composed patterns depending on the weather at the location where it is being performed. The piece invites the outside world into the performance space, which is usually sterile to the elements. If the audience had to walk through a windy and rainy evening to get to a windowless, temperature controlled performance space, they will find that Chance of Weather evokes the gusts and the dampness of their day. Likewise, if they came on a pleasant warm afternoon, the piece will reflect their recent experience.