NL

Minor Music

John van Beek

The Work

In my Master’s I explored what it means to be an electronic composer. The pieces for my final exam are the result of that research. I was concerned in these pieces with questions like ‘How do I shape music?’ and ‘What do I base my creative choices on?’. During the Master’s I made the transition from learning to compose to learning to express ideas. You can hear this in the transition from minimal music to minimalism. In that transition, I get closer and closer to the essence of what I want to say with my music, both solo and in my band De Likt.

TOWARD MY MINOR MUSIC

The development that I underwent as a person and as a professional during the Master of Music Design is much broader than the objective I began the Master’s with. By asking ‘how do I compose longer pieces?’ I started the process that’s described in this piece. The problems of composing and the research that goes with it have meant that, as well as acquiring new skills, I have given new meaning to my existing skills. The process I go through in my research and projects shows how, as a professional and artist, I develop my own composition approach as a renewal of my existing practice. Thinking in terms of interactions, both within a piece of music and within my professional practice, has ultimately proved to be the key to my growth as an artist and as a professional.

The maker