Contemporary Composition SeminarFall 2012

Instructor: Prof. SIGMANThursday 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=wEW6rfj7DLk

• Durational notation (in seconds)

And now….

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRU6tQdyYqQ

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=Y71cx8Vj15Q