The Musician as Compositional Material

This article examines comprovisation – an interweaving of composition and improvisation – through the string trio Landstrykere (Kari Rønnekleiv, Ole Henrik Moe and Tanja Orning). Operating within genre-free improvisation, the trio blends classical, contemporary and experimental influences, moving beyond traditional stylistic boundaries. Their music is shaped by recurring parameters such as harmonic transitions, extended techniques, and shared timbral gestures. This highlights the musician as compositional material, where performers' embodied histories and idiosyncratic musicianship shape the creative process. Building on Sandeep Bhagwati's concept of comprovisation (‘Comprovisation – concepts and techniques’, in Henrik Frisk and Stefan Östersjö (eds) <i>(Re)thinking Improvisation</i>, Lund University Press, 2013, pp. 99–104), this article expands the term by addressing its inherent composer-performer hierarchies. While the literature often presents comprovisation as a balance between structure and performer agency, it frequently retains a composer-centered perspective where the composer ultimately controls the final work. In contrast, Landstrykere embraces an egalitarian, collaborative model, where real-time interplay balances premeditation and spontaneity, creating a dynamic continuum between composition and improvisation. Using artistic research methodologies (Henrik Borgdorff, 2010), the study integrates theoretical reflection with embodied practice to explore how musical material emerges from performers' physical and historical connections to their instruments. Theoretical frameworks include Derek Bailey's idiomatic/non-idiomatic improvisation, George Lewis's notions of personal voice and narrative, and Jeff Pressing's ‘referent’ as an underlying structure in improvisation. The article argues that genre-free improvisation is never truly ‘free’, as it is shaped by internalized traditions and shared aesthetics. Challenging the dichotomy between composition and improvisation, it reframes comprovisation as a collective, intersubjective practice where musicians, as embodied agents, shape the music itself. The concept of material is expanded to include not only sounds and structures but also the musicians themselves – through their physicality, histories, and personal artistry – becoming both the source and site of musical creation. Landstrykere's approach dissolves traditional boundaries between composer, performer, and material, offering new insights into collective authorship and innovation in contemporary creative practices.