Video still from live performance © Tate 2005

Tautologos III

Luc Ferrari's performance of the Tautologos III 'audio score' was inspired by an older score, originally produced by Luc Ferrari in the 1970s.

Performance recording: Tautologos III by Luc Ferrari
Copyright for the content of this work remains with the original author/s ©
See below to download the script and visual scores

Luc Ferrari included the use of a pre-produced backing track for the work. During the performance Ferrari kept strict time with a stop watch and periodically joined the ensemble to play segments of piano and take photographs of both the ensemble and the audience. Detailed discussions on the structure and transformation of the instrumentation and composition are available by listening to the rehearsal.

One can tautologize with friends, either as an amateur musician, or in words, each person choosing a sentence. For example, one can organize a tautologos dinner, or a tautologos party. Sensuality is not excluded. The production does not require sounds and can be carried out in the form of gestures, because one can also tautologically move.

One can achieve this score in the form of a ballet, or in the form of theatre, each "actor" adding to the tautologizing group. One can start from an instrument that tautologizes alone, add other instruments that tautologize among themselves, add actors who speak the Tautolanguage, add dancers who move in a tautologrotesque manner, send images projections or projectors that switch like a tautologoscope, concern parts of the audience...

Luc Ferrari, 1969

The full text for the original Tautologos III score is available below in PDF format. Ferrari has also provided a visual representation of instrumentation, based on the principles of his aural score.

Script and visual score by Luc Ferrari

Instrumentation included: Bass by John Edwards, Bass Saxophone by Tony Bevan, Electronics by Andrew Morgan, Electronics and Flutes by David Toop, Harp by Rhodri Davies and Cello by Neil Heyde. The ensemble was put together by Andrew Morgan.

Produced in collaboration with Tate Modern, the Goethe Institute London and the London Consortium.