Improvisation and Collaboration in Anthony Braxton's Composition 76

This article examines Anthony Braxton's Composition 76, a landmark work for three multi-instrumentalists. The score for Composition 76 employs graphic techniques (colors, shapes, and codes) as well as traditional notation on five-line staves. Original transcriptions of two studio recordings illustrate the strategies that the performers use to realize Braxton's complex score, uncovering the structure of a composition previously thought to be resistant to analysis. The article also sheds light on the diverse influences that can be seen in the graphic score-and heard in the performances-from John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen to the Chicago-based Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians.