adj
1. dependent on chance
2. (Music / Classical Music) (esp of a musical composition) involving elements chosen at random by the performer
[from Latin āleātōrius, from āleātor gambler, from ālea game of chance, dice, of uncertain origin]
aleatory and aleatoric - Composition depending upon chance, random accident, or highly improvisational execution, typically hoping to attain freedom from the past, from academic formulas, and the limitations placed on imagination by the conscious mind. There is a tradition of Japanese and Chinese artists employing aleatoric methods, many influenced by Taoism and Zen Buddhism. In the west, precedents can be found among artists of ancient Greece, and later among artists of the Italian Renaissance. Leonardo da Vinci (Italian, 1452-1519) recommended looking at blotches on walls as a means of initiating artistic ideas. Aleatory was also employed by numerous twentieth century avant-garde artists. Followers of the Dada and Surrealism produced numerous examples. Jean Arp (French, 1887-1966) made collages by dropping small pieces of paper onto a larger piece, then adhering them where they landed. André Masson (French, 1896-1987) and Joan Miró (Spanish, 1893-1983) allowed their pens to wander over sheets of paper in the belief that they would discover in those doodles the ghosts of their repressed imaginations. Similarly, Tristan Tzara (Romanian, 1896-1963) created poetry by selecting sentences from newspapers entirely by chance.
In music, the major exponent of aleatory was John Cage (American, 1912-1992), who sometimes composed by using dice, and also with a randomizing computer program.
From ARTLEX
Tom Oberg, Chris Longwell and Jan Kather collaborated to bring Aleatoric Theatre to Elmira, NY as part of the Open Studio Weekend in October, 2005. The public was invited to drink coffee or cider out of Chris's ceramic cups as they viewed Tom and Jan's videos projecting silently on two screens. Audio was added when the audience chose from twelve different soundtracks prepared by Tom and Jan. Whatever coherence that came from this mixing was purely by chance, thus the title "aleatoric." The project inspired Jan to write a grant titled "Aleatoric Video" that depended on the public as collaborators to produce a traveling installation of nine videos and sounds playing simultaneously.