La sonification versus la composition biotique des icônes du cerveau. La musique: de la neuroscience à la performance

The present contribution redraws the theoretical foundations, essential results, and perspectives, of my research on the relations between the structure and functions of the brain and the processes of musical composition. The first part illustrates data and views to clarify why music cannot be represented in terms of specific universals ; music is not the exclusive privilege of mankind and its perception is a process constructed very early and broadly shared. Besides, for perception and production of music, we use complex and huge cerebral networks, which are largely mixed. The second part illustrates the process of composition by concentrating on sonification and biotic music procedures that derive information from neurosciences and link it to musical parameters. Sonification is the use of a sound structure devoid of linguistic elements to transmit an informative content originated by biological data. Conversely, biotic music can be considered as a musical production where the data of origin are biological. Theoretical stakes and examples of strategies to convert brain data into sound objects are presented. The biotic method here described can contribute to a unitary view of the different sound parameters and of the micro- and macro-formal aspects of music composition.