Cooperation

In sciences, anthropology, and history, cooperation between human beings has been seen as one of the bases of the evolution of the species. From the earliest cooperation of Homo sapiens creating the first social organizations to political and economic theories such as division of labor, cooperation is one of the most fundamental concepts in the social sciences. Accordingly, cooperation is also crucial in the musical context, in which playing together is an essential part of music making processes. Music making takes place most often through the cooperation of different individuals working together toward an original piece or an original interpretation of an existing piece. In this way, one might say that cooperation lies at the heart of most music making processes, and can be seen in action from the earliest stages in the activities of instrument makers, composers, performers, conductors, audiences, producers, and event organizers.

In many modern societies, these different roles tend to be strictly delineated, so that each individual can reach excellence in one's own position. Each position can be seen as a set of tasks, delegated by the whole group, the composer, the producer, or the performing group's leader, which played together create the piece of music intended, on the condition that the cooperation between each individual involved is happening efficiently. In fact, from the earliest stages of their musical education, children are encouraged to take on only one or a couple of instruments and to develop strong abilities and expertise exclusively on that part of the music making.

Consequently, to realize the complete intended versions of most musical pieces (excluding solos), direct and efficient cooperation between musicians is necessary. In the case of art music repertoire composed in previous eras, the cooperation between composers and musicians is always indirect, occurring only via the music score, which often conveys the composer's intentions regarding techniques and interpretations as well as the melodic and rhythmic content of the piece. Replicating the dynamics of the broader social context, the cooperation between musicians more or less formally tends to evolve toward hierarchical relationships, in which positions of varying influence may be either implied (for example, in the case of bands playing folk music) or determined through appointment (as in the section leaders of orchestral music and, above them, the conductor).

Commissioned Works

Commissioned pieces of music sometimes generate rather different dynamics of cooperation, introducing specific target venues, audiences, performance purposes, resources, and expectations, which are largely determined by the client. [Page 261]Much of the current cooperation in music is often linked to other art forms. The first and most obvious one is dance. From ballet and folk dancing to ballroom and modern jazz, close communication and coordination between musicians and dancers is fundamental to the success of a performance. In both of these art forms, music and dance have always been intrinsically linked, and these types of cooperation both in contemporary creations and in pieces from the past have been academically studied, for example, recently from the perspective of performance studies.

Lady Gaga morphs into a motorcycle with a female dancer writhing above her during the song “Heavy Metal Lover” at a concert in Victoria Station, Manchester, England, September 11, 2012. Goundbreaking forms of contemporary art music introduce complex challenges that require participants to cooperate in unprecedented ways. The effective performance of these experiences is dependent upon close cooperation between composers, performers, event organizers, technicians, and sometimes even audience members.

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