Contemporary Composition Seminar
Fall 2012
Instructor: Prof. SIGMAN
Thursday 14:00-16:00
Lecture IX
0.0 Important Dates
• 11/29: NO CLASS
• 12/13: FINAL PRESENTATIONS
• 12/20: FINAL EXAM (시험)
0.1 Written Assignment (due
NOW)
• Write 1 paragraph (4-5 sentences) about the
Carter piece that you listened to
질문:
• What did you find interesting?
• Was there anything similar to the pieces
discussed in class?
• Anything similar to other pieces that you
know?
0.2 Final Project Proposal
• Due 11/22: in class or via email
I. Tristan Murail
A. Bio
• (b. 1947)
• Studied with Messiaen
• Also studied Arabic (아랍이) and Political
Science
• Worked at IRCAM
• Taught in at the Paris Conservatoire, IRCAM,
Columbia University (New York), and the
Salzburg Mozarteum (Salzburg)
B. Treize Couleurs du Soleil
Couchant (1978)
• Title = “13 colours of the setting sun”
• For flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and live
electronics
1. Electroacoustic Technique: Ring
Modulation
• Generating interval: 1 Carrier + 1 Modulator
• Ring modulation = Carrier (C) X Modulator
(M)
• sidebands: +/- tones produced by adding and
subtracting Carrier and Modulator
• If Carrier and/or Modulator contain partials:
pairs of partials added and subtracted, as well
as fundamental frequencies
[RM demo]
• 2 sine waves
• 2 square waves
• Voice (carrier) and sine wave (modulator)
2. Structure and Process
• 13 sections
• 1 “colour”/section
• 1 colour =1 interval (Carrier + Modulator);
pitches resulting from Ring Modulation
• Harmonicity-> Inharmonicity-> Noise (as in
Partiels)
“Tristan” Chord
3. Electronics
•
•
•
•
Reverb: (thickens ensemble sound)
Echo: (short delays on piano)
Ring modulation: (flute and clarinet)
Controlled live
4. Instrumental Techniques
• Clarinet and flute multiphonics
• Vln and Cello: bow pressure and finger
pressure changes
4. 13 Couleurs: Score/Recording
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEW6rfj7
DLk
• Durational notation (in seconds)
And now….
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRU6tQdy
YqQ
II. Brian Ferneyhough
A. Why is this Lecture Going to be
Different?
• Because I studied with Ferneyhough, and have
known him since 2002!
• Stanford, Darmstadt, Centre Acanthes,
Royaumont…
B. Bio
• (b. 1943, Coventry, UK)
• Working class background
• Studied in Birmingham (UK), London,
Amsterdam, and (most importantly) in Basel
and Freiburg with Klaus Huber
• Has taught in Freiburg (1973—86), University
of California San Diego (1986-1999), and
Stanford (1999-present)
• Has lectured at Darmstadt since 1978
Bio, cont’d
• Worked at IRCAM in the 1980s: developed
Patchwork, a computer-aided composition
software (now called Open Music)
• Also a conductor, flautist, and trumpet player
• Known as founder of “New Complexity” (he
does not like this term!)
C. Influences
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Varèse
Stockhausen
Webern
Schönberg
Henry Purcell
Thomas Tallis
Various polyphonic Medieval/Renaissance
composers
D. Collected Writings
• Collection of essays, analyses, interviews, and
original poetry (시)
• On the music of Ferneyhough, Michael
Finnissy, Webern, and other composers
• Difficult to read
E. Similarities to Composers of his
Generation (세대)
Like Lachenmann (b. 1935), Grisey (1946-1998),
and Murail (b.1947), Ferneyhough has been
interested in:
•the physicality of sound and instruments (sound as ORGANISM,
not just INFORMATION)
•performance process and energy as an expressive parameter
•a post-1950s Darmstadt approach to composition
•new sonic possibilities and resources
•Temporality (시간의)
•Microtonality
F. Differences from Lachenmann
Ferneyhough’s music is:
•Not directly political
•Does not use (obvious) historical quotations
•Uses—and transforms—conventional playing
techniques and figuration
G. Differences from Grisey + Murail
Ferneyhough’s music:
•is not concerned with natural/organic
processes
•avoids linear narrative
•uses serial procedures
•operates on many different time-scales: some
extremely fast, others quite slow
H. “New Complexity” Features
• “nested” tuplets and irrational rhythmic
divisions
• Extreme dynamic changes
• Extreme gradation of playing techniques
• Frequent meter and tempo changes
• Dense polyphony
• Many parallel actions for a single instrument
While Spectral composers view the
world through a telescope
(망원경)
…Ferneyhough views the world
through a microscope (현미경)…
…and creates musical universes in
which every element is in flux all
the time!
J. Unity Capsule (1976)
1. Flute Repertoire since 1945
•
•
•
•
(Too) many pieces for solo flute!
Why? Large expressive range and agility
Decorative, trivial, and virtuosic nonsense
Ferneyhough wanted to approach the
instrument differently
2. Ferneyhough Flute Repertoire
• Cassandra’s Dream Song (1970)
• Unity Capsule (1976)
• Carceri d’invenzione cycle (1982-86): piccolo,
C flute, alto flute, bass flute solo and concerto
pieces
• Sisyphus Redux (2011) (alto flute)
3. How is Unity Capsule Different?
• Polyphony: breath, key action, and voice
controlled independently and in parallel—
fused together into an instrumental unity
• Instability of sounding result:
• the polyphonic layers control physical actions,
which are inherently unstable
• the integration of these layers varies with
each performance
• Engages physicality of instrument and
performer
4. Pitch/Noise/Action
• Instrument de-tuned and re-tuned
• Ending: performer continues fingering actions
once out of breath
• Theatrical dimension of performance: begins
after 15” of silence, ends with abruptly
expelled breath and release of instrument
5. Unity Capsule Score and
Recording
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y71cx8Vj1
5Q