Nautilus – a case study in how a digital score transforms creativity.

In this article we discuss Nautilus (2022) a composition for solo bass flute, created using machine learning techniques and a Unity game engine. We discuss our approach and how this enhanced creativity and musicianship for those involved. We reflect on Unity’s potential as a novel and flexible driver for the creation of a musical score, in which traditional elements of compositional design are presented to a performer as a co-creator for interpretation and communication inside the act of musicking. Through this, we offer insights into performer agency and the nature of decoding the media, sound, images, and AI presences within using his or her instrument, personal skills and musical aesthetic. Through the development process the notion of a music score was re-conceptualised and the activities of composition, collaboration and performance realisation were transformed. Although this is a single case study as part of a larger ERC funded research project (The Digital Score), the insights we discuss aim to be of benefit to those wishing to engage with digital scores.