ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that creative compositional activity is integral to a research agenda in electro acoustic music that sets out to investigate the musical function of the wide palette of sound and generative methodologies. The research is integral to a compositional practice that has to unfold within the realm of undefined potentials and possibilities. The chapter discusses the role of creativity in compositional practice as research. It also discusses the issues in electroacoustic music composition and a case study from the work of composer Denis Smalley in light of a model of integrated practice and theory established by Pierre Schaeffer. The role of compositional activity in practice-based musical research is not confined to making pieces of music that previously did not exist. A research-related approach to the practice of composition has a symbiotic relationship with the development of theory. The dimensions of a conceptual space are the organizing principles that unify and give structure to a given domain of thinking.
