ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the diverse ways contemporary musical works are understood, taking into account the approaches adopted by the musician, the composer, the scholar-analyst and the scholar-musician. It aims to discuss readers to take a fresh look at the functions of the score within the general context of non-tonal works in post-1945 Europe. Many works post-1945 have ‘grey areas’ in their notation that are sometimes difficult to interpret. In the instrumental and chamber music repertoires for example, there are also very complex notations that are difficult for musicians to understand, and sometimes they are very schematic. The many forms of hybridisation in music and the arts today call for an in-depth reflection on the vital role played by the notion of ‘music as act’. The idea of ‘workshops’ with conductors and musicians should be developed to open up other paths of research.
