Publication 848

In this paper, I will focus on the musical work as a self-organising entity within a systemic framework. In particular, two significant and inter-related systemic concepts will be mentioned: self-organisation and open system. Firstly, I shall explain the two concepts within the context of systems thinking with reference to a graphical model of second-order cybernetics. This section will conclude with a discussion of the difference between natural and artificial self-organising systems. I will then extend the systemic perspective, describing what I call self-organising music, and discussing my algorithmic composition Ephemeron as a case study. Relevance: It focuses on the musical work as a self-organising entity within a systemic framework, mainly using the systemic concepts of self-organisation and open system. It firstly discusses the two concepts within the context of systems thinking with reference to second-order cybernetics, then extends the systemic perspective, describing self-organising music.