arhitectura si compozitie

8/13/2019 Arhitectura si compozitie

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F ir st International Conference for PhD students in Civi l Engineering

CE-PhD 2012, 4-7 November 2012,Cluj-Napoca, Romaniawww.sens-group.ro/ce2012

On Architectural Composition

COSTIN V. Alexandru

1, 2 Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Faculty of Civil Engineering. 15 C Daicoviciu Str., 400020, Cluj-

Napoca, Romania

Abstract

The present article studies the evolution of the concept of composition in relation to the visual arts,

the music and the architecture. The study is carried out at first from a historic point of view,

providing as such a diachronic image of its evolution. The second part of the study explores thecriticism addressed to the concept in specific epochs, namely in the period of Modernism and in the

contemporary practice. As we will see at the end of the study, the concept of composition faced a

strong criticism in the period of Modernism and it hasnt recovered yet. The possibility of the

reemergence of the term is related, from the point of view of our study, by the possibility of its

integration in the design process and the possibility of integration in the current critical context.

The importance of this reemergence is related to the trans-disciplinary capacity of the concept

which represents a central point in our study project, capacity that will be further explored in this

article.

Keywords:architecture and music, composition, modernism, theory, trans-disciplinary

1. IntroductionIn the current spoken language, the word compositionhas several meanings. It can mean a

piece of music, a work of art or a certain arrangement of the parts of an object so that it can convey

a specific meaning. In general, it refers to the application of rules, often in conjunction with an

academic background. In this study we will search for the evolution of the term to our days in the

field of architecture, thus revealing the theoretical value and the possible connections that it can

make between architecture and other arts, especially music. The turning point in the perception of

the term is to be found in the first decades of the XX'th century, when the modernist movement

moved the architectural practice to new basis, rendering the former theories obsolete.

As we will see later, the falling of the modernism didn't reestablish the preexisting theories,

rather than moving to new grounds that led to the present days characterized as a postmodernist era.

The evolution of the architectural domain is characterized by the tendency to interconnect with

various scientific or artistic fields in an approach that can be either multi-disciplinary, trans-

disciplinary, interdisciplinary or cross-disciplinary. The accent on the collaboration between

architecture and music resides on the one hand in the similarities of organization and, on the other

hand, on the prevalence of the term of composition in the later with the possibility of transfer of

specific concepts.

2. Towards a definition of the term Composition2.1Composition and the Visual artsThe importance of the concept of composition for the visual arts has developed throughout

the history along with the development of the arts themselves. Boththe concept and de disciplines
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it applies toare determined by the character of the epochthe so called weltanschauungand as

such they reflect this character in specific ways. We will refer for the beginning to the Greek

antiquity, for it represents a milestone for the western history and a constant model for the

following periods. It is widely recognized that the philosophy held a central place to the Greek

society and every aspect of life and of the world was subject to constant enquiry and debates. One

of the most prominent philosopher Plato considered the world as a reflection of ideas animperfect reflectionand, as a consequence, placed the arts at the lower part of the aesthetic system

that he developed, while the abstract sciences were placed at the top of this system. From this we

can easily understand the importance of the rules of composition. They were the primary mean to

develop an artifact and, as such, to become a vehicle for the expression of the good, of the truth and

of the beautiful, or, in other words, to become a faithful expression of the idea.

The rules of composition were a mathematical application and they defined the ideal

proportions of an object. As we will see later in the part concerning the composition applied in the

field of music or in that concerning architecture, the compositional rules are developed beyond the

mere empiricism, incorporating elaborate mathematical constructions or optical corrections. Thisrefinement is subordinate to the aesthetical principles and those principles and the philosophical

ideas that govern them are the primary determinants of an artifact.

Another concept related to composition in the Greek antiquity is that of chora1. Chora

represents in the platonic philosophy the place that gives birth to all the things in the world or the

place in which everything comes into being. Chorais a central concept along with the concepts of

the ideaand of the world and we can consider it as complementary to that of composition. If all the

things in the world are reflections of the idea and they take place or birth in chora, then the form of

the things is governed by the rules of composition. The concept of chorawill reissue in the world of

architectural and artistic criticism in the 20th century, along with the emergence of the

deconstructivism, marked by the works of French philosopher Jacques Derrida and the American

architect Peter Eisenman2

.The historical periods following the Greek antiquity took the concept of composition and

they applied it complying with their own weltanschauungor their own aesthetical and philosophical

environment. In the Byzantine epoch the arts were subordinates to the religious world and that

meant that they werent developed for seeking pleasure from the viewer but they were a mean to

illustrate an idea or a material expression of a philosophical, theological or religious belief. The

clearest example is that of the icons and of the rules that governed their making. A byzantine icon,

far from being an underdeveloped artistic medium, was in fact a vehicle for theology. The rules of

composition werent weakened by the theological rules, but rather reinforced by them. The colorcodes, the specific ratios, the inversed perspective are but a few among the compositional rules

followed strictly in the epoch.

The Renaissance saw the reemergence of the compositional rules from the Greek antiquity.Under the sign of the reemergence of the human being governed by the reason, the Renaissance

artists proposed a new aesthetic system that represented a reinterpretation of that from the antiquity.

In the visual arts that represented a resurrection of compositional rules based on the study of the

perspective and the first color theories.

The following epoch perpetuated the compositional rules of the Renaissance and, even if

they reinterpreted them in particular ways, the main concern was that of applying of geometrical

rules in the making of artefacts. This submission to the rules was often subject to criticism and there

are many voices who considered this formalism a mere dressage, in the same time seeking for more

valuable rules for the works of art. Still, in the beginning of the 20th century we find many books

dealing with the rules of composition, and very specialized ones. By this time the arts would

1Plato - Timaeus

2Jacques Derrida and Peter EisenmanChora L Works


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develop in systems covering a great number of activities, and, in certain geographic regions we will

find the decorative art for instance as important as the great painting, with compositional rules

covering even the most elementary areas.

In this context, the emergence of the modern movement is something implied. Modernism

searched for and proposed a new ground for the development of the arts, based on the findings in

the cognitive field, especially in psychology. The Gestalttheory is developed in this period and it

represents the main method for the analysis of a work of art. In this theory the mechanisms of

perception are studied thoroughly in laboratories and the rules are developed by the means of

experiments and direct observation of the human behavior. The composition acquires an input from

the psychological studies and the rules developed are moving from the analytic and associative

empiricism of the previous eras to a scientific condition.

In a few decades, the Gestaltpsychology will become a well-established method, but it will

also be criticized for the transformation of its methods in its scope itself, leading to an inflexible

system of analysis. Rudolf Arnheim will state in one of his main booksArt and visual perception

that the art is in danger of drowning in too much talking, removing the viewer from the directperception of the artistic object and putting the theory in its place. This problem will be addressedin the following decades in artistic movements such as pop-art, which will take mundane objects

and will present them as works of art.

The concept of composition remains to our days a valuable one in the artistic medium, even

if it may be found in different places, from the classes of the art schools to the pages of the books

pretending to offer the key to a successful painting or photography. If the former integrates it in a

process of learning based on academic curricula, the later picks a few concepts from the past eraspre-modernist and modernistand packs them in a doubtful form.

2.2Composition and MusicIn western music the concept of composition is a central one and it represents the

arrangement of the parts of a musical piece according to certain rules specific to musical form. It

subordinates methods concerning the development of the melodic, rhythmic, harmonic or

orchestrational aspects in a coherent piece. The discovery of the musical cords by Pythagoras set

the musical composition in relation with the mathematics, reinforcing the abstract character of

music. From an aesthetic point of view, the musical scales or modes were imbued with qualities that

made them suitable or not for listening. In The Republic, Plato considers that listening to music in

specific modes will influence people to a specific behavior, associated with it and, as such, it

suggests that soldiers should listen to the music in Dorian or Phrygian modes for that will

strengthen them, while avoiding the music in Lydian, Mixolydian and Ionian modes, that will have

a softening effect. This association of specific modes with specific psychological states is studied

by Aristotle also, who ads the influence of rhythm to the mood of the listener.The periods following that of the Greek antiquity saw the transformation of the modes in

scales and the establishment of the tonal system, with tonal functions assigned to the keys, which

means that each musical note had a specific importance in the tonal system. This transformation

influenced the composition process as well and we see that the constituent parts of the music,

namely melody, harmony and rhythm will settle in well-established forms that will continue to exist

to our days.

At the beginning of the twentieth century we will see a shifting in the direction of the

classical music, which, by this time, would have exhausted the technical and expressive capabilities

of the tonal system. The modernist period will confront with two phenomena: in the one hand, the

liberalization of the arts by means of technical advances and, on the other hand, the attempts to keep

the level of the classical music. The major shift in musical composition is brought by the

development of electro-acoustic instruments instruments for the recording and playing of sound

and instruments for generating specific synthetic sounds. If some composers will use these technical


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means in a rather classical way, exploring the technical possibilities in the generating of sounds,

there are voices who would advocate the transformation of the process of composition according to

new philosophies.

Iannis Xenakis is one of the most prominent figures of the mid and late twentieth century

composers, bringing in the musical practice new methods of composition. As Ollivier Messiaen will

tell him when they will meet at the Conservatory in Paris, Xenakis had two great chances, namely

that of being Greek and that of mastering the mathematics. Indeed, Xenakis will build his

theoretical framework on its Greek ancestry and on the mathematical methods of statistics, group

theory, game theory, composing a music completely different in form and in intent from that

practiced in the Classical tradition. The link between form and musical intent is based on the Greek

philosophy, and Xenakis states that classical musical forms have been corrupted and they cannot

provide the purifying spiritual effect. In contrast, the exposing to a music composed by means of

mathematics will convey its purity to the souls of the listeners3. The aesthetical and compositional

system of Xenakis remains one of the most original ones and we can see the rehabilitation of the

concept of composition when combined with the clarity of the artistic intent.

2.3Composition and ArchitectureArchitecture is as tributary to composition as is music, and we can see this fact beginning

with the first signs of civilization. Architecture is, for most civilizations, the book of nations, as it

has the quality to withstand the action of time, carrying the legacy of its makers. This durability

associated architecture with the expression of power and, from the early days, we see the emergence

of the monumentsconstructions without practical intent, made to mark a specific moment in time

and in place and, as such, to make a link between the two worlds, the mortal one and the immortal

one. The development of the religious systems influenced architecture as well and we see the

transposition of theological rules on the construction of religious buildings by the means of what we

can call composition.The Greek antiquity developed further this approach to architecture, but instead of

emphasizing the symbolic characteristics of monuments it turned its attention to its formal aspects.

We can see a shift from the accent on religion to the accent on philosophy, the Greek architecture

representing the image of an aesthetic system rather than that of a religious belief. The rules of

composition employed in the construction of the temples and ensembles are meant to express the

idea of perfection. In this respect, the architects developed compositional methods as well as optical

corrections.

The Romans will take the general rules of composition from the Greeks, but they will apply

them with ornamental intent. We can see in this shift the separation of the two worlds theByzantine and the Occidental with the specific differences in the approach to composition that

appeared between them. While the oriental side will be inclined to the development and applying of

compositional systems subordinate to the philosophical and theological ideas, the western world

will see the formal part of architecture as a mean of embellishment, of providing an external beauty.

The following periods Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Classicism etc will develop thecompositional methods in the way mentioned before, although we find architects searching for a

deeper understanding of the spatial qualities of buildings than that of mere appearance. In Gothic,

we find a focus on the techniques of construction, leading to a conquest for the heights. The

composition of the cathedrals was influenced in one hand by the techniques of construction,

requiring the specific bays determined by the pillars and vaults and, on the other hand, by the

requirements of ritual nature, resulting in a specific succession of spaces.

The Renaissance revived the imperial Roman tradition with focus on the techniques ofperspective drawing, leading, as a side effect, to the simplification of the architectural mass and an

3Iannis XenakisFormalized Music


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scope on decoration. The following epoch developed further the art of decoration alternating

between two stylistic approaches: classical and baroque. Classicism represents an established part

of a style, while baroque represents the exuberant, mannerist and excessive side, a decadence of the

style.

As with other arts, Modernism changed the way of doing architecture by abandoning the old

methods that build on visual aspects of the buildings and by incorporating a series of new inputs

from various fields of science that werent till then connected to architecture. We see now theadopting of concepts from sociology, psychology, mathematics, physics, to name only a few. In this

process, the old methods of developing a design based on geometrical ratios and stylistic options

were replaced with functionalist solutions. Compositional methods, although different from the

precedent era, still existed, but, as we will see later, the term composition disappeared from the

current architectural practice. Le Corbusier proposed the regulating traces4as the compositional aid

and considered the plan as the generator of the volume. Nevertheless, as abstract, conservative and

rigid as the modernist architectural rules were, the modernist architecture in itself built a specific

aesthetics and expression which expressed its philosophy.In our days, architecture is split between the search for an expression and the quest for

strategic qualities. The search of form is based on the developing of the computational systems, the

technical advances in construction and, no less, in fashion and social medium in which it emerges.

The strategic architecture studies the long-term impact of the buildings, including the

materialization of the architectural intent and the correspondence between intent and client or social

needs. In this respect, we believe that the concept of composition can provide a support for strategic

planning, based on appropriate input methodologies.

3. Modern and contemporary criticismThe concept of composition emerged in the seventieth century in the architectural practice

and it was concerning the gathering of the formal rules for acquiring beauty in architecture. Itevolved through the next centuries leading to well-formed compositional systems that appeared in

manuals concerning the architectural practice. By the beginning of the twentieth century, the

number of the manuals or book increased as such as they became common practice. In this context,

the reaction of the modernism can be seen as a natural way of imposing a new current over a

practice that have fallen in mannerism and decadence characterized by mere formalism. The

modernist theory appeared, as opposed to the manuals of composition, in the so-called manifests,

and, as other authors have noted5 they differed greatly in content as in the temperature of the

writing. The modernist manifests condemned the old practices and, with them, the concept of

composition, seen as a manner of putting together various formal aspects in an ensemble that

wouldnt have anything to do with the particular needs of the people living in it.

While the modernist movement failed to provide a complete answer to the social problems

of the time, the followingperiods didnt see an explicit resurrection of the concept of composition.

Even today we find articles dealing with the concept that are studying the causes of the

disappearing but dont find or dont look for way for reestablishing it. The motives resides in thegeneral orientation of the field, which was dealing with the problems of ecology and now searches

for solutions of strategic nature, answering to the questions of new social and economic problems.

In this context, the presence of the term is something insignificant and it is hardly to see a

reemergence to the scale it was a century ago.

4Traces regulatoiresAs described in this early work of Le CorbusierVers une architecture nouvelle, the regulating

traces represent, along with the plan, the main compositional means for the developing of the shape of the building andof its elements: the volume, the windows and the doors etc.5Collin RoweCharacter and Composition; or Some Vicissitudes of Architectural Vocabulary in the Nineteenth

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4. A possible rehabilitation of the termThe scope on architectural composition of the present article resides, as we stated in the

beginning, in the possibility of transfer of concepts between the musical practice and the

architectural one. The approach isnt new and we can find several examples of successful

collaboration between different artistic domains. If some are established as common practices ballet or film for instancesome artistic practices are relatively new to the cultural scene. We can

begin by mentioning the Philips Pavilion at the World Fair Expo 58 in Brussels, wherearchitecture, music and image film represented a holistic experience under the guidance of Le

Corbusier, Iannis Xenakis and Edgar Varese. Xenakis explored further the relation between spatial,

visual and acoustical medium in its Politopes, complex compositions of sound and light relying

heavily on technology. Today we can see the emergence of cultural practices under the name of

happenings, which usually combine a few artistic practices. The study of the relation between

architecture and music or between space and sound can be developed in many directions as it can be

easily sensed. The juxtaposition of the three elements architecture, music and composition

conducts in our case to the study of the nature and relevance of compositional practices during thedesign phases of the project. In this approach we study the relevance of several theories, beginning

with Gestalt theories and continuing with the generative theories or grammars based on the

linguistic theories of Noam Chomsky.A Generative Theory of Tonal Musicprovides an example of

musical theoretical framework that analyses music from a different point of view, providing a better

structure for the understanding of musical intent.

The scope of the reemergence of the concept of compositionis to provide a valid instrument

for the process of design. By the validity of the concept we understand the close integration in the

creative process and, by that, an adequacy to the field of the design. In other words, we study the

possibility that the concept of composition is intrinsic to the design process and by this it integrates

thoroughly in it. The trans-disciplinary approach seeks to establish appropriate concepts inside the

music theory and to integrate them in an appropriate way.

5. ConclusionsIn this short study we have shown the evolution of the relation that compositionholds with

several arts and by that to establish a possible reuse of the term in contemporary practice, in the

context of our doctoral study. The importance of this terminological clarification resides in its

capacity to narrow the semantic field of the concept and, by that, to conduct the research in the

desired direction. The study can be carried further and can become a scope in itself, but we feel that

the main use of it is that of bringing in the discussion the several valences of the term and to choose

those that are most appropriate, while in the same time clarifying the context in which the concept

will operate. We are certain that the further study of the theoretical framework of the doctoral study

will bring new data to this demarche and, presumably, it will alter its present meaning, but we hope

that this alteration will mean a further narrowing of the field of the concept and, as such, an

increased precision of the theory.

6. References[1] Arnheim, Rudolf.Artai Percepia Vizual. 2nd ed. Iai: Polirom, 2011.[2] Lerdahl, Fred, Ray Jackendoff. O teorie generativ a muzicii tonale.Cluj-Napoca: Arpeggione, 2011.[3] Rowe, Collin. The Mathematics of the Ideal Villa and Other Essays. Cambridge, Massachusetts and

London, England: The MIT Press, 1982[4] Van Pelt, John Vredenburgh. A Discussion of Composition Especially as Applied to Architecture.New

York: The Macmillan Company, 1902[5] Xenakis, Iannis.Formalized Music. Stuyvesant NY: Pendragon Press, 1992.

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