Clearnessism

I introduced Clearnessism through The Manifest published on July 21, 2014, after several years of practical exploration of this compositional approach. In the original manifest, Clearnessism was presented as a way of strengthening communication between artistic music and listeners by revealing the fundamental elements and processes behind a musical work. The concept was based on the idea that listeners can engage more deeply with music when the relationships between sounds, silences, materials, and compositional decisions become perceptible. The present text develops this initial idea further by placing Clearnessism within a broader framework of artistic research, considering composition as a process in which musical materials, technologies, performance conditions, and perceptual experiences interact with one another.

Clearnessism refers to making the internal logic of a musical work perceptible. Through this approach, the listener can gradually understand how musical elements are selected, transformed, repeated, and connected throughout the process of composition. It does not equate clarity with simplicity. The important point is not reducing complexity, but creating meaningful relationships within it. Just as a complex natural phenomenon can be experienced as a coherent and understandable whole, a musical composition can contain numerous layers of sound while maintaining a perceptible identity. Therefore, Clearnessism seeks a balance between complexity and perception, where musical richness does not prevent the listener from engaging with the structure and development of the work.

Within this perspective, the central element of composition is the identity of the musical idea. An idea is not limited to traditional melodic themes or motifs; it may appear as rhythm, timbre, texture, silence, spatial organization, or even a process through which sound is produced. The composer’s task is to recognize the potential of these materials and reveal their transformations over time. Repetition, variation, interaction, and development become ways of exposing the identity of musical materials and allowing the listener to follow their evolution.

Clearnessism also considers composition as the design of relationships rather than only the creation of a fixed musical object. A musical work emerges through the interaction between the composer’s intention, the instrument, the performer, technology, and the environment of realization. In this sense, performance conditions are not external limitations but active elements in the formation of musical ideas. Contemporary technologies such as Pure Data expand this perspective by allowing composers to create systems in which sound processes can interact, evolve, and generate new possibilities.

Within these systems, concepts such as Controlled Random Event demonstrate that uncertainty and clarity are not opposing principles. Random processes can become meaningful when they operate within a carefully designed framework of relationships and limitations. The role of the composer is therefore not necessarily to determine every sonic event directly, but to create conditions in which musical events can emerge while remaining connected to an identifiable compositional logic.

Ultimately, Clearnessism proposes a continuous exploration of the relationship between creation and perception. It does not define music through fixed boundaries, because musical concepts themselves are constantly transformed through new artistic, cultural, and technological conditions. Instead, Clearnessism seeks to make these transformations perceptible by revealing the connections between musical ideas, materials, processes, and experiences. Through greater clearness, musical complexity can become more communicative, engaging, and meaningful.

Clearnessism has also been developed through a series of published musical works that demonstrate its practical and artistic dimensions. The Quadruplet Album under Clearnessism, published by Cheshmandaz-e Farda Institute of Art and Culture in 2015, represents one of the earliest comprehensive presentations of this approach. The album includes compositions for string quartet, classical guitar, string orchestra, and computer-based works created through software environments such as Pure Data and Reason. By bringing together acoustic performance, electronic composition, algorithmic processes, and improvisational practices, the album reflects the broader idea of Clearnessism as an exploration of relationships between musical materials, compositional procedures, and listening experiences.

Later releases, including Depth (2024) and Foggy Path (2025), continued this compositional research through new collaborations and performance contexts. These albums present works for classical guitar and various instrumental combinations, performed by musicians who engaged closely with the technical and expressive requirements of the compositions. In Depth, the collaboration with guitarist Neda Hemmati demonstrates another aspect of Clearnessism: the importance of communication between composer, performer, and listener. The album explores different musical materials, from childhood-inspired Iranian landscapes and historical references to variations and expressive studies, while maintaining a focus on making the relationships between ideas, transformations, and sonic results perceptible.

Similarly, Foggy Path extends this approach through compositions for different instruments and electronic sound resources. The participation of performers on violin, flute, oboe, clarinet, and the use of digital sound programs illustrates the interaction between traditional instrumental practices and technological possibilities. These works show that Clearnessism is not limited to a specific musical style or medium; rather, it functions as an ongoing compositional approach in which the selection of materials, the processes applied to them, and the final sonic experience remain connected and perceptible.