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TRANSCRIPT
17 9 /V £?/c/ M>. /£ VJ
AVANT-GARDE TECHNIQUES IN THE ORGAN WORKS OF GYfiRGY LIGETI,
A LECTURE RECITAL, TOGETHER WITH THREE RECITALS OF
SELECTED WORKS OF J. ALAIN, J. S. BACH,
W. A. MOZART, M. REGER, AND OTHERS
DISSERTATION
Presented to the Graduate Council of the
North Texas State University in Partial
Fulfillment of the Requirements
For the Degree of
DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS
By
Glenda Whitman Collins, B.M., M.M.
Denton, Texas
December, 1980
• to
Collins, Glenda Whitman, Avant-Garde Techniques in
the Organ Works of Gyflrgy Ligeti, A Lecture Recital, Together
with Three Recitals of Selected Works of J. Alain, J. S. Bach,
W. A. Mozart, M. Reger, and Others. Doctor of Musical Arts
(Organ Performance), December, 1980, 74 pp., bibliography,
52 titles.
The lecture recital was given on August 13, 1980.
The Two Etudes: "Harmonies," and "Coulee" and the Volumina
of Ligeti were performed following a lecture on avant-garde
techniques in organ works of Gyflrgy Ligeti. The lecture
included a brief discussion of earlier twentieth century
antecedents of new sound materials and concepts, a bio-
graphical sketch of Ligeti and general style features of his
works. The main body of the lecture included notational
methods, specific style features, and performing scores of
Ligeti's three organ works.
In addition to the lecture recitals three other
public recitals were performed which consisted of solo com-
positions for the organ.
The first solo recital, including works of Bruhns,
Schumann, J. S. Bach, Brahms, and Kropfreiter, was performed
on August 13, 1976.
On March 30, 1979, a program was performed which
included works of Mozart, J. S. Bach, Reger, Alain, and
Vierne.
The third recital consisted of works by Buxtehude,
Hindemith, Schumann, Messiaen, and Willan, and was performed
on June 27, 1980.
The four programs were recorded on magnetic tape
and are filed with the written version of the lecture
material as a part of the dissertation.
Tape recordings of all performances submitted as dissertation
requirements are on deposit in the North Texas State Univer-
sity Library.
Ill
North Texas State University School of Music
presents
GLENDA WHITMAN COLLINS
DMA Organ Recital
August 13, 1976 8:15 p.m. Recital Hall
Program
Choral Fantasia: Nun Komm der Heiden Heiland
Sketch in F Minor Opus 58, No. 3 Canon in B Major Opus 56, No. 6
Canonic Variations: Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her
Intermission
Trio Sonata V in C Major Allegro Largo Allegro
Chorale Prelude and Fugue: 0 Traurigkeit, 0 Herzeleid
Sonata II Quasi improvisatione Sostenuto rubato Allegro brillante
Nicholas Bruhns
Robert Schumann Robert Schumann
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johannes Brahms
Augustinius Franz Kropfreiter
Presented in partial fu l f i l lment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Musical Arts
IV
North Texas State University School of Music
presents
GLENDA WHITMAN COLLINS
DMA Organ Recital
Friday, March 3 0 , 1 9 7 9 8:15 p.m.
Program
Main Auditorium
Fantasia in F Minor (K.608)
Jesus Christus, unser Heiland (BWV 688) Wir glauben all an einen Gott (BWV 680)
W. A. Mozart
J. S. Bach J. S. Bach
Choral Phantasie: "Straf' mich nicht in deinem Zorn", Opus 40, No. 2
Max Reger
Deuxieme Fantaisie Troisieme Symphonie, Opus 28
V. Final
Jehan Alain Louis Vierne
Presented in partial fu l f i l lment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Musical Ar ts
v
North Texas State University School of Music
presents
GLENDA WHITMAN COLLINS
DMA Organ Recital
Friday, June 27, 1980 8:15 p.m. Main Auditorium
Program
Praeludium und Fuga in E Minor
Sonate II Lebhaft Ruhig bewegt
Fuge: massig bewegt, heiter
Fugue on B-A-C-H, Opus 60, No. 2
Dietrich Buxtehude
Paul Hindemith
Robert Schumann
Intermission
Verset pour la fete de la Dedicace
Introduction, Passacaglia, and Fugue
Olivier Messiaen
Healey Willan
Presented in partial fu l f i l lment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Musical Ar ts
vx
North Texas State University School of Music
presents
GLENDA WHITMAN COLLINS Organist
DMA Lecture Recital
Wednesday, August 13, 1980 8:15 p.m. Concert Hall
AVANT-GARDE TECHNIQUES IN THE ORGAN WORKS OF GYORGY LIGETI
Two Etudes (1969)
1. Harmonies 2. Coulee
Volumina (1962/1966)
Assisted by Antoinette Corbet and John Gill, Registrants
Presented in partial fu l f i l lment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Musical Arts
VI1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
AVANT GARDE TECHNIQUES IN THE ORGAN WORKS 01 GYflRGY LIGETI
Chapter
I. INTRODUCTION
Page Performance Programs
FIRST SOLO RECITAL iv
SECOND SOLO RECITAL
THIRD SOLO RECITAL
LECTURE RECITAL
LIST OF EXAMPLES
LIST OF FIGURES
v
vi
vii
ix
xii
II. GY(5RGY LIGETI: BIOGRAPHY AND GENERAL
ASPECTS OF THE ORGAN MUSIC 11
III. NOTATIONAL METHODS 17
IV. SPECIFIC STYLE FEATURES . . 27
V. CONCLUSION 70
BIBLIOGRAPHY 72
Vlll
LIST OF EXAMPLES
Example Page
1. Claude Debussy, "La fille aux cheveux de lin," Preludes, Book I, measures 25-28 2
2. Claude Debussy, "La fille aux cheveux de lin," Preludes, Book I, measures 37-40 3
3. Charles E. Ives, Concord Sonata, second movement, measures 21-22 3
4. Charles E. Ives, Concord Sonata, second movement, measures 68-70 . . . . 4
5. Charles E. Ives, The Unanswered Question, measures 52-6 2 5
6. Arnold Schflnberg, Klaviersttick, Opus 33a, measures 1-2 6
7. Henry Cowell, Piano Concerto, second movement (Lento), measures 4 7-4 8 of the piano solo part 6
8. Henry Cowell, Piano Concerto, second movement (Lento), measures 25-27 of the piano solo part 6
9. Olivier Messiaen, Livre d'orgue, III, "Les Mains de 1' Abime," measure 37 7
10. John Cage, Etudes Australes, VIII, score 1 . . 8
11. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 40 9
12. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 1 18
13. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 4 18
14. GyOrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 7 19
15. Gyttrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 6 19
IX
Example Page
16. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 34 20
17. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 26 20
18. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 23 21
19. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 24 21
20. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 13 22
21. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 27 22
22. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 25 23
23. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 30 2 3
24. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 32 2 3
25. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," measures 97-100 24
26. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 2, "Coulee,"" measures 1-2 25
27. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 2, "Coulee," measures 53-54 25
28. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," measures 1-6 31
29. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," measures 219-231 33
30. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," comparison of original and performing scores, measure 1 34
31. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," performing score, movement of individual notes, measures 1-16 35
32. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," wedge outline of outer voices of each hand, measures 1-2 31 36
33. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," performing score, outline of inner voices, measures 1-2 31 38
x
Example Page
34. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," performing score, measure 25 . . 38
35. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," performing score, measure 49 39
36. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," performing score, measure 57 39
37. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," performing score, measure 97 39
38. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," performing score, measure 113 40
39. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," performing score, measure 137 40
40. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," implied tonal center, left hand, measure 1 40
41. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," implied tonal center, measure 231 41
42. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," performing score 42
43. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 2, "Coulee," measures 93-95 52
44. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 2, "Coulee," measures 1-2 53
45. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 2, "Coulee," measure 27 53
46. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 2, "Coulee," measure 35 5 3
47. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 2, "Coulee," measure 45 54
48. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 2, "Coulee," upper and lower pitches of manual figures, measures 1-182 57
49. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 2, "Coulee," performing score 59
XI
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
GyiJrgy Ligeti's three organ works, Volumina (1962/
1966), and the Two Etudes; "Harmonies," "Coulee," (1969),
are significant contributions to the contemporary organ reper-
toire, using the language of the new music of the post-1945
generation of composers. The combined effect of new sound
materials and concepts, such as tone clusters, sound mass,
micropolyphonie, fixed time segments, graphic notation and
aleatoric freedom, produces in these pieces a character which
does not seem to relate either to the compositional practices
or the aesthetic attitudes of the past.
But, considered separately, these musical elements
all have their antecedents in works of earlier twentieth-
century musical pioneers. Also, examination of structural
and formal features in these three works reveal procedures
which are not uncommon in works from earlier periods. The
initial effect may be revolutionary, but the means are
evolutionary.
Early in the twentieth century, Eastern philoso-
phies of thought permeated the thinking of some European
composers. One result was a new concept of time which mani-
fested itself in sustaining the sound of a single harmony.
Even though the chord may be repeated or changed in position,
or a melody may be superimposed on it, the stationary chord
seems isolated in time and space. A sound-mass may be per-
ceived instead of a functional chord progression.
In his piano pieces such as the Preludes, Claude
Debussy created a sound which actually became a sound in
space. He was the first to successfully substitute another
set of values which exploited ambiguity of tonal centers by
the use of whole tone scales and unresolved dissonances. A
motionless effect (as shown in Example 1) was created by the
Example 1. Claude Debussy, "La fille aux cheveux de lin," Preludes, Book I, measures 25-28.
! M o u v * {sans l ourdcur )
jy ji '
VP* 1 ! .
'6 J 1 c
m -M
— «
m
—s
Cedez // i
use of parallel chords that allowed melody and rhythm to
become secondary to the suspension of the sound in tirne. -
Example 2 shows how Debussy notated a sound which disappears
1. Eric Salzman, Twentieth—Century Music: An Introduction, 2nd ed. (Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall, 1974), 22.
into infinity. Our later musical experiences help us hear
this effect in Debussy in a new way.
Example 2. Claude Debussy, "La fille aux cheveux de lin," Preludes, Book I, measures 37-40.
The American composer Charles Ives was an experi-
mentalist who turned away from the conventional and the
expected. He was more interested in sound for its own sake
than in traditional musical structures. In 1920 his Concord
Sonata for piano had tonal clusters (as shown in Example 3)
Example 3. Charles E. Ives, Concord Sonata, second movement, measures 21-22.
*a
- - '
i ft h
V t ' 7r -J ^
of over two octaves which were pressed down by a board 14 3/4
inches long. In addition, Example 4 shows smaller clusters
of five white notes played by the palm of the hand or a
clenched fist. Another antecedent of the sound-mass was the
Example 4. Charles E. Ives, Concord Sonata, second movement, measures 68-70.
#V(L..
J w feETa f j f (hold fpedal down to icO
jFasterand faster
use of bitonality and simultaneous but non-coordinated musical
events. Example 5 shows Ives' use of two opposing groups
using tonal sounds for strings, frequent clusters for flutes,
and melodic fragments for an off-stage trumpet. Complete
contrast exists between the three elements in tone quality,
tempo, meter, range, and harmonic, melodic, and contrapuntal
material. No rhythmic co-ordination attempts to connect the
separate sounds. It is not the progression or the coordina-
tion of details that is important, but the richness of tex-
ture .
The effect is not as revolutionary in Ives as it
might seem elsewhere because he often used familiar tonal
materials in his combinations. The final result, however,
does not have as much to do with the meaning of tonality as
it does with the meaning of sound for its own sake. In that
case, tonality can no longer be the organizing thread, but
other principles of organization, relation, and juxta-
position must be employed.
Example 5. Charles E. Ives, The Unanswered Question, measures 52-62.
Flutes
(or Oboe) ID
<pr ClarinctjIE
Trumpet (orEngliihHorii, - or Oboe, or Clarinet)
V i o l i n I
V i o l i n II
Viola
Vio lonce l lo (S va Co nt rabass)
a a,
T * A
If play by ubot and Claj-irtet.kut rieOJurr
ends
Arnold Schflnberg, in 1923, began to use serial
technique in which there was no tonal center but in which
order was supreme. Atonal events were no longer heard in
conventional tonal relationships but tended to be heard in
small fragments or even in isolated sounds. Example 6
illustrates his use of the tone row arranged vertically as
blocks of sound which are determined by plan. Serial music
resulted in the replacement of tonality, melody, and harmony
2 by a new set of rules and a new kind of aural experience.
2. Willi Apel, "Serial Music," Harvard Dictionary of Music (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1969), 766.
Example 6. Arnold Schoenberg, Opus 33a, Klaviersttick, measures 1-2.
MaRig J = i20 cantabile
The second movement of the Piano Concerto, com-
posed in 1929 by the American Henry Cowell, used both fore-
arms to perform a cluster more than three octaves in width.
The movement is entitled "Tone Cluster" and the cluster is
played as a block of sound (as shown in Example 7) and as an
arpeggiated mass (as shown in Example 8). Cowell was one of
the most prolific innovators and discoverers of new sounds of
the century.^
Example 7. Henry Cowell, Piano Concerto, 2nd movement (Lento), measures 47-48 of the piano solo part.
Lento
P a poet*
B 8>
Example 8. Henry Cowell, Piano Concerto, 2nd movement (Lento), measures 25-27 of the piano solo part.
3. Salzman, op. cit., 137.
Olivier Messiaen employed total serialization
involving pitch, rhythm, and dynamics. He emphasized spe-
cific sounds which exist as unrelated objects in the uni-
verse. Since the 1940's he has explored total serial
technique and has influenced the younger generation of
European composers to be free of the restrictions of the
tonal system and of SchSnberg's type of serial technique as
well. His music is a unity outside time but encompasses the
past, present, and future. Example 9 illustrates a favorite
device of his in which a chord that seems to have no end is
used to portray an undeveloped mood.^
Example 9. Olivier Messiaen, Livre d'orgue, III, "Les Mains de l'Abime," measure 37.
$ A-a — i ~ i": ^ ^
GPR Xfff non leg.
°o 3 nianthika lc.r 1^7 Up-
john Cage, an American who has been widely influ-
ential in the avant-garde movement since World War II, did
not attempt to write music which communicates or entertains
He has used graphic notation and fixed time segments to
4. Ibid., 148.
8
define the limits of choice available to the performer and
thereby allowed the accidental world of music to come into
being. Time and space become major ingredients of the
musical experience. In giving the performer control over the
music, he has reduced the amount of composer control and has
allowed many possibilities at the moment of performance.
Cage's music accepts life as it exists and does not attempt
to make sense of events. His studies of Indian and Zen phi-
losophy cause happenings to seek no special purpose but to
result in randomness.5 Example 10 shows his freedom from
tonal relationships, rhythmic organization, and a goal-
oriented structure.
Example 10. John Cage, Etudes Australes, VIII, score 1.
VIII ^
The tonal possibilities of the organ for the music
of the avant-garde are many. Design of the instrument is
5. Peter S. Hansen, An Introduction to Twentieth Century Music, 4th ed. (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1978), 372.
based on the contrast of flute, string, reed, principal, and
hybrid stops with pitch ranges from 32' (sounding contra CC)
to 1' (sounding c^). Mutations of the unison pitch are 2 2/3
(sounding an octave plus a fifth above the unison pitch),
1 1/3 (sounding two octaves plus a fifth above, and 1 3/5
(sounding two octaves plus a third above). Changing manuals
provides sharp differences in sound immediately according to
the registration on each manual. The organ is able to sus-
tain tone indefinitely. This capability makes the organ the
perfect sound-mass instrument. Effects may be achieved on
the organ that cannot be created any other way. The ending
of Ligeti's Volumina utilizes a cluster that is held down
while the motor is turned off. After all sound has ceased,
the cluster is still depressed for thirty seconds, which
gives the effect that the sound has returned into the organ,
then into infinity where it continues to exist, as shown in
Example 11.
Example 11. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 40
a M PEN MOTOR AUSSCHALTEM
<2 ' _
£ _
C -
Dynamic differences in the new music create many
exciting effects. Variety may be produced by use of swell
shutters, crescendo pedal, and piston changes.
10
The particular sound space provided by the room in
which an organ is located creates a unique experience in each
situation. Depending on the acoustics, the music may fill
the space densely and provide reverberations that enhance the
music. The idea that all creation is constantly in motion is
emphasized when one listens to an organ, and the entire space
is saturated with sound.
Chapter II
GY(3RGY LIGETI: BIOGRAPHY AND GENERAL ASPECTS
OF THE ORGAN MUSIC
Gyflrgy Ligeti was born May 28, 1923, in the pro-
vincial town of Dicsflsmartin, Transylvania, outside the
borders of Hungary as we know it today and included in present-
day Romania."'" The family included painters but no musicians.
His musical education was thorough, considering the geo-
graphical and ideological limitations. From 1945 until 1949,
he studied composition at the Budapest Academy with Sandor
Feress and Ferenc Farkas.2 In 1949 and 1950, he collected
folk music in much the same way as Bartok and Kodaly had when
they were young men.^ From 1950 until 1956, the year of the
Hungarian uprising, the young musician taught at the Conserva-
tory in Budapest and during that time wrote a theory textbook
which is still widely used.^
1. Theodore Baker, Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 6th ed., revised and edited by Nicholas Slonimsky (New York: Schirmer, 1978), 1015.
2. Ibid.
3. Stephen Plaistow, "Ligeti*s Recent Music," Musical Times CXV (May, 1974), 379.
4. Louis Christensen, "Ligeti1s Literature," NUMUS-WEST [1] (1972), 22.
11
12
In 1956 Ligeti left Budapest and was brought to
Cologne, Germany by Herbert Eimert and befriended by Karl-
heinz Stockhausen. Ligeti worked in the electronic music
studio of the West German Radio and composed three short
electronic pieces, but after he left in 1958, he never
returned to the electronic studio. From 1959 until 1969, he
lived in Vienna; during 1961 he served as guest professor of
composition at the Musical High School in Stockholm, where
he met the Swedish organist Karl-Erik Welin. Berlin was his
home from 1969 to 1973, and during that time he lectured in
Spain, Holland, Germany, Finland, and at Tanglewood, Massa-
chusetts. In 1972 Ligeti was composer-in-residence at Stan-
ford University. Since 1973 to the present, the composer has
taught composition at the Hochschule filr Musik in Hamburg,
Germany.
The compositions of Gyflrgy Ligeti written before 1948
are comprised of exercises in form and style. A notebook
contains chorale variations for organ in the style of Johann
7
Sebastian Bach, and later he arranged them for string orchestra.
From 1949 until 1950, Ligeti was engaged in ethno-
musicological study. His musical style at that time resembles O
that of Bartok and Kodaly. His Rumanian Concerto for
5. Plaistow, op. cit., 379. 6. Baker, op. cit., 1015.
7. Ove Nordwall, Gyflrgy Ligeti, eine Monographie (Mainz: B. Schott's SOhne, 1971), 187.
8. Simon Emmerson, "General Works of Xenakis, Ligeti, and Stockhausen," Music and Musicians XXVI (October, 1977), 48.
13
orchestra (1951) and Six Bagatelles for woodwind quintet
(1955) exemplify the influence.^ One composition for organ,
written in 1953, was entitled "Hommage to G. Frescobaldi,"
which is in the style of a ricercar. The original manuscript
is owned by Ove Nordwall.
New ideas relating to the nature of sound and the
many different ways in which a composer can act on sound
occupied Ligeti's mind from the early 1950's. He said that
he had neither the courage then nor the technique to pursue
his ideas. He composed many pieces but kept them in a bottom
drawer. Almost overnight the Hungarian uprising in 1956 made
contacts possible with foreign countries. Scores, records,
and information about new ways of musical expression flooded
Hungary. In the spring and summer of 1956, he sketched
several instrumental and vocal works in a new and radical
style, but when he left Hungary, almost all of them had to be
left behind.
After coming to the West, an orchestral piece left
in Hungary, entitled Visions, was re-written by memory after
relocation in Germany. It became part of Apparitions which
was first heard in 1 9 6 0 . T h i s composition was the result
of Ligeti's critical study of the theory and practice of
serial technique and caused him to conclude that serialism
9. Nordwall, op. cit., 197. 10. Ibid., 198.
11. Plaistow, op. cit., 379. 12. Ibid.
14
was leading to the disappearance of clear-cut intervals and
13
rhythms. He decided to concentrate exclusively on the crea-
tion of the sound itself, since it was the conclusion of
serial technique.
Ligeti's characteristic slow-moving texture was
developed in Apparitions (1959), Atmospheres (1961),
Volumina (1962), and Requiem (1965). The total sound is
built by the superimposition of many detailed solo parts.
The densities change slowly, although this superimposition of
blocks can produce tensions and climaxes of some m a g n i t u d e . 1 4
At the time he composed these four pieces, Ligeti said that
he was reacting against himself. At one time rhythmic
patterns, harmonies, and intervals became boring for him, so
he abandoned them and hastened to the inevitable end of
serialism as he saw it.
In 1960 the revolutionary composer wrote an article
entitled "Tendencies in Contemporary Composition" in which he
frankly said that serialism as employed by composers in the
1950's had become obsolete. He decided that clusters of
sound were nothing more than musical groups played
13. John Vinton, Dictionary of Contemporary Music (New York: E. P. Dutton, 1974), 425.
14. Emmerson, op. cit., XXV, 12.
15. Adrian Jack, "Ligeti Talks to Adrian Jack," Music and Musicians XXII (July, 1974), 25.
15
simultaneously instead of successively. The colliding inter-
vals created the tone color when enough musical cells com-
bined.
Since the mid-1960*s the work of Ligeti has shown
an increasing tendency toward greater definition and dis-
tinctive shapes. After renouncing intervals and rhythms, the
result also became boring and he has returned to clear
1 7
melodic patterns m a new way. '
General stylistic features of Ligeti's music
include a beginning and ending with a long, sustained tone
followed by a lack of caesura to give the illusion that what
is heard is only an excerpt from a larger whole that con-
tinues to flow on. Volumina begins and ends in this manner.
Harmonies illustrates his fanning out of pitches from a cen-
ter. The interweaving of coloration, density, external
volume, and internal texture of the sound, causes the shape
of the music to derive from subtle changes in tone color,
dynamics, densities, and similar elements. He was the first
composer to use the term "micropolyphonie" to describe this
1 8
process. This is a type of cluster-chord technique. He
also creates a thick texture by superimposing different
16. Louis Christensen, "Introduction to the Music of Gyflrgy Ligeti," NUMUS-WEST [1] (1972), 6.
17. Jack, op. cit., 25.
18. David Cope, New Music Composition (New York: Schirmer Books, 1977), 237.
16
rhythms, especially those which have no duple classification,
such as triplets and quintuplets.19
Ligeti describes his own music in the following
manner:
no harmony no interval no pitch no rhythm no meter long sustained nothing enters imperceptible pppppppp pochissimo crescendo to ppppppp microscopic poly-phony threads webs blurring melting some pitch some interval some harmony disturbed clockworks lunatic sewing-machines fibrous perpetuum mobiles crumble away liquidize vanish s i l e n c e . 2 0
19. Ibid., 226.
20. Gyorgy Ligeti, "Contemporary Music: Observations from Those Who Create It," Music and Artists V (June-July, 1972), 21.
Chapter III
NOTATIONAL METHODS
Cornelius Cardew defines musical notation as a
language which determines what you can say and what you want
to say determines your language.^ Ligeti has employed
graphic notation in only one of his compositions, Volumina
for organ. Since Volumina is a composition which explores
clusters in many forms, the graphic notation enables him to
move beyond the limits of conventional notation. The score
contains no notes, staff, or traditional measure of time.
Instead, extensive verbal instructions are included both in
the score and also in an accompanying insert. Volumina is
easier to write and read in graphic notation than it would
have been in conventional notation. The element of contrast
is provided by stationary or moving clusters. By placing
the symbols within octave segments (see Example 12), the
performer is able to determine the range of the clusters.
Nine types of cluster symbols are identified. A
diatonic cluster in which only the white keys are depressed
1. Cornelius Cardew, "Notation—Interpretation," Tempo LVIII (Summer, 1961), 21.
2. Adrian Jack, "Ligeti Talks to Adrian Jack," Music and Musicians XXII (July, 1974), 24.
17
18
Example 12. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 1.
m HiLhAe
SCtben rl emu. oil
Pa icil
t -
J C -
c
W t-echter Fu-5s V/ Unker F U55
is shown by a white rectangle marked "W" . (See Example
13.)
Example 13. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 4
' ' \Q &
* I p \ o
c -
A white rectangle marked "S" (for schwarz) indicates a
pentatonic cluster which is formed by pressing down only the
black keys within the given range. (See Example 14.)
19
Example 14. GySrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 7.
a -
C,M.
c" -
a.. * i c t 2
C'-i
c -
The chromatic cluster is a black rectangle. Both black and
white keys are depressed. (See Example 15.)
Example 15. Gyorgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 6.
a -
C**1 _
C" -•
c' -
c -
c -
The diatonic, pentatonic, and chromatic clusters are found
most frequently in stationary positions. If gradual con-
struction or reduction is desired, the graph is drawn to or
from the certain pitch indicated. (See Example 16.)
Depending on the range of the cluster-types, each of these
may be played with the palms, hand edges, forearms, or
elbows.
Example 16. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 34.
20
Aw.'f ecne.m eLrCi.tt>\ /*]«.»ihaJ j -rio c.w e C $er
Avc-f- tCv^ev^xr h. ^ 3 Jx t r»,"£ r t i r\cc.U IcC^er
hn trk-U-VX rK «. r- U. !v t-ln HC> iv'Hi £ t 2 £. vt.
a»« 3' 8*rPTT
c ' " -c " -
c' - ^
c -
c Three pictures advise the performer of the manner
of performing clusters which have internal movement. Those
which have staccato notes played extremely short are indi-
cated by the graph seen in Example 17. These are played by
the fingertips.
Example 17. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 26
iu Q -
C"'-
C" -
C'-
-nu.>- A ' f i % '
c —
C
Iwterne Bewe.3M.vt3 dies Clusters, st*ccatCss<'vriOj prestCssi o .
H^nAe auf dewje 1 ben Ma.nu.o.1.
A labyrinth of tone within a fixed range is executed by both
hands on the same manual. (See Example 18.) The verbal
directions dictate that no accelerando or rallentando should
exist in this movement.
21
Example 18. Gytfrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 23.
a ' " -
c
. t]nnerh«0b des Q-ngejeiench Awkctui eih. V<ontinuier-ltc.ViftS , Stir cti'chfii l«.bi(Tt»vtLScbfti Klangjevtbt e-»-'twftkeli). Ra.sc.Vit ivctt-rvit. btwew-hj de$ Clust&ri, eU\nt Mo]to Ugoic. t>ct tiKitJvit* o-peripdisch.
A moving cluster with internal movement maps the direction
and range by changing the position of the cluster between
pitch indicators. (See Example 19.)
Example 19. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 24
C -
C
Du ^ AnscM< occ-elei PrtsitiS Standi £In p. m
The clusters described in Examples 17, 18, and 19 are com-
posed of chromatic movement.
Changing contours of a cluster are indicated by a
change in shape and position on the graph. (See Example 20.)
22
Example 20. Gyfirgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 13,
a
fau.'f" (intm cxndcren
Example 21 illustrates moving staccato clusters in
irregular rhythms. The elbow, forearm, and palm may be used
to execute these according to the size and range.
Example 21. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 27.
a m -
c"-
c" -
c'-
c -
c
o -
CUsterj
L-T -
'ft?
Manual changes are directed verbally and indicated
in two different ways as shown in Examples 22 and 23.
Various tonal colors are registered on the separate manuals.
23
Example 22. GyOrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 25,
i l l a -
c -
cn-
c -poco <3u poc© "ncm
r j-ol&o. Sc>»)ressirl virtuaes M Line? ^ : ges Spn-'ftjeh v<r>v •gum ah grgn Manual.
C
I B il lily
Example 23. Gy<3rgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 30
c-. c
cl-
° "Wjiijii'i!!;^
yliili! ;;1ij!i|'i;l!i!i:ii!
I • I . . ! I . .I: . 1 . i . 1 . . J t
Rallentando is indicated by thinning the appear-
ance of the cluster indicators. (See Example 24.)
Example 24. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 32.
a'"-
C"
C"
C -
C-
e
• i i , ii iii 1
'' i1 i' i1
i h •
M i ' " 'I 1
24
In contrast to the graphic notation of Volumina,
Etude No • 1, "Harmonies," uses two treble clef staves to indi-
cate specific pitches contained in each cluster. At the end
a bass clef is added to determine one single note played by
the pedal. There is no meter signature, and no time value is
given to the notes; however the bar lines are shown. One
pitch at a time moves and is notated with a white note.
Black notes without stems indicate the sustained notes. This
manner of notation is illustrated in Example 25.
Example 25. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," mea-sures 97-100.
At the discretion of the performer, clusters may be shortened
or lengthened.^ Since melody or rhythm in the general sense
is absent, tone color or timbre becomes the most important
element in this composition.
Etude No. 2, "Coulee," also indicates exact pitches
of the moving clusters by traditional notes on two treble
clefs for the manuals and a bass clef for the pedal. Although
3. Gyflrgy Ligeti, "Spielanweisungen" of his Two Etudes for Organ (Mainz: B. Schott, 1969), 4.
25
there is no meter signature, all manual notes are indicated
as eighth notes and pedal notes as whole notes. After each
group of sixteen eighth notes, a bar line is suggested by a
vertical dotted line (as shown in Example 26). Rhythmic
Example 26. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 2, "Coulee," measures 1-2.
*) Prestissimo, sempre legato i i =3=3=3=3= E
A Man. i 1 !~
^VTrfrTffi HyrfjHVrrfr frfrfFfff fTfc
¥ Tier
clusters are created as illustrated in the following example
(Example 27):
Example 27. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 2, "Coulee," measures 53-54.
W
¥ r n
d
+ j m
whf i rrfl
i m lb#
i pf*r*
^ J 3
r w r
i # 1 h
f T
k :
26
During the course of the piece, the rhythmic clusters of two,
three, four, or five pitches are arranged in varying rhythm
groups of two, three, four, or five. Ligeti is careful not
to allow any of the rhythm groups to coincide and thereby
produces a bee-hive-like texture. Since the composer indi-
cates precise pitch and rhythmic relations, only the inter-
pretative aspect is left to the performer.
Chapter IV
SPECIFIC STYLE FEATURES
Volumina
Ligeti provides extensive written information con-
cerning the score and performance of Volumina. The score
consists of twenty-four pages, divided into forty-one sec-
tions . The average time of performing each page is approxi-
mately forty-five seconds. At the discretion of the performer,
certain pages may require longer duration while others may be
shorter. The total duration of the piece should be sixteen
minutes. The overall form is that of one single arched con-
tour with no caesuras or breaks.^
Contrast is provided by stationary clusters set
against moving ones. These two types are contrasted further
by providing chromatic, diatonic, or pentatonic patterns
within the cluster. The diatonic stationary clusters pro-
vide the maximum amount of repose. Varying degrees of
tension exist in the moving clusters, depending on whether
there is internal movement, changing contour, gradual con-
struction or reduction, or a staccato attack. The overall
arched shape of the piece may be represented as follows:
1. Gyflrgy Ligeti, "Spielanweisungen," Volumina (New York: C. F. Peters, 1967), 1.
27
28
Repose 1-19 (division numbers)
Transition 20-22
Activity 23-30
Transition 30-32
Repose 33-40
The transition refers to a gradually heightened
degree of activity as found in division 20-22 or a lessened
degree such as in division 30-32.
The playing technique of the clusters utilizes the
fingers, palms, hand edges, forearms, and elbows. When play-
ing a chromatic cluster with the forearm, the arms must be
rolled forward from the white keys in order to press down
both white and black keys. A wide chromatic cluster, such as
the one found at division 3-4, is reduced by sliding the
elbows off the black keys, then the forearms and hands. Only
the white keys remain depressed. To reduce the white key
cluster, the elbows are gradually withdrawn from the keys and
toward the body.^ Two registrants are necessary to add or
subtract stops while the performer is occupied with the
performance.
The dynamic range is full organ (sFFFF)^ to pianis-
simo (ppppp).^ Such indications as accelerando^ and
2. Ibid.
3. Gy<3rgy Ligeti, Volumina (New York: C. F. Peters, 1967), 15, No. 28.
4. Ibid., 7, No. 34. 5. Ibid., 14, No. 25.
29
rallentando6 are among the verbal directions contained in the
score. The swell box is used frequently.
Registration suggestions are located on the score,
and the registrants are frequently instructed to add or sub-
tract certain stops. Several rapid manual changes are
required, such as those indicated in division 25 (see
Chapter III, page 23, example 22). If a mechanical action
organ is available, half-drawn stops may be utilized to pro-
duce "intermediate t o n e s w i t h fluctuating intonation.
Volumina begins with the keys being depressed while the motor
is turned on and ends with the keys remaining depressed while
O
the motor is turned off.
I have charted tension and repose elements in a
large ternary form which resembles sonata form. The first
area of the exposition in divisions 1-11 uses stationary
clusters to present the idea of repose. A contrasting idea
is presented in divisions 12 and 13 by moving clusters
employing gradual construction and changing contours. Both
of these ideas are then repeated. Stationary clusters
reappear in divisions 14-15 contrasted with divisions 16-19,
where clusters with changing contour and internal movement
become predominant. The second area is developed in divisions
6. Ibid.
7. Ligeti, "Spielanweisungen," Volumina, 4.
8. Ligeti, Volumina, 24, No. 41.
30
2 3-30 by the use of clusters having internal movement, chang-
ing contours, gradual construction, and staccato strokes. A
transition occurs at the rallentando in divisions 30-32 and
the motion subsides. The recapitulation begins when sta-
tionary clusters reappear at divisions 33-34. The second
idea of tension is then recalled at divisions 35-39 by
clusters which have gradual construction, internal movement,
and changing contours. A coda is formed at division 40 with
a staionary cluster. This sonata-like form in terms of the
contrasting elements of tension or repose may be presented by
the following chart:
Stationary clusters Exposition
(repeat)
Transition
Development
Transition
Recapitulation
I 1-11
II 12-13 Moving clusters, gradual con-struction, and changing contours
I 14-15 Stationary clusters
II 16-19 Moving clusters with changing contours, and internal movement
20-22 Chromatic cluster changes to dense trill
II 2 3-30 Moving clusters with changing contours, gradual construction, and staccato strokes
30-32 Rallentando
I 33-34 Staionary clusters
II 35-39 Moving clusters with gradual construction, internal movement, and changing contours
Coda 40 Stationary cluster
31
The relaxation-tension contrast is analogous to that of
consonance-dissonance in older music and gives direction to
the music.
Etude No. 1, "Harmonies"
Written in 1967, this etude, marked "Rubato, sempre
legatissimo," takes advantage of the sustaining capability of
the organ to create a virtually motionless stream of sound.
Movement is camouflaged by the intermittent change of indi-
vidual cluster tones. Although conventional notation is
used, the piece is still an etude in chord clusters produced
by all ten fingers, except toward the end where the cluster
is thinned to three notes. Stationary notes are indicated
by black note heads and the changing note with white notes
as shown in Example 28.
Example 28. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," mea-sures 1-6.
Rubato, sempre legat iss imo
bk*
Bar lines are present even though rhythm is absent. The
wandering notes shift only by one half-step away from the
preceding pitch in most instances.
32
Organ Registration
Two registrants are required to assist the organist.
Addition or subtraction of stops provides the effect of cre-
scendo or diminuendo and the swell boxes are not used. On
organs with mechanical action, half-drawn stops, slowly
pushed stops, and half-depressed keys produce a "de-natured"
sound. Reducing the wind pressure of the organ further aids
in producing the pale, strange tone colors desired. Ligeti
suggests several ways to achieve such an effect by altering
the organ in one of the following ways:
1) Using a weaker motor, such as that of a vacuum cleaner and inserting the hose into the reservoir.
2) Adjusting the valve in the chief wind-receiver so the flow of air from the fan to the reservoir is impeded.
3) Opening the wind-chest.
4) Loading the circuit so as to reduce the speed of the fan.
5) Removing some low-pitched pipes from a pedal register and holding down the pedal notes through-out the piece to allow the wind to escape.9
Both hands play on the same manual and produce a
unified sound with no registration contrast. Continuous
legato and pale registration changes involving strings,
flutes, and celestes create a veiled movement with a total
9. Gyflrgy Ligeti, "Spielanweisungen," Two Etudes for Organ (Mainz: B. Schott, 1969), 4.
33
lack of tension. The final pedal note must be 16' or 32'
without an 8' pitch. The absence of melodic character, har-
monic tension, and rhythmic momentum, together with the
restrained dynamic level and tone color, are reminiscent of
the impressionist style of Debussy. The final thirteen bars
make extensive and increasing use of fermatas numbering from
one to four, while at the same time the texture is being
thinned. This device is illustrated in Example 29.
Example 29. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," measures 219-231.
Pedal 3 32' (16')
fc- Vi/
vi/ \y
Performing Score
To alleviate the wide stretches of the hands
required in playing the clusters, I have made a performing
34
score whereby only four notes for each hand are played
instead of the original five. The top note in the left hand
and the lowest note in the right hand in the original score
are played with the pedal an octave lower than originally
written using a 4' manual to pedal coupler. The original
right hand part is notated one octave lower in the performing
score, eliminating the necessity of leger lines. Example 30
compares the first cluster of the original score with that of
the performing score.
Example 30. Gyorgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," com-parison of original and performing scores, measure 1.
i
k R.H. 8va~
mirror cl uster
ILcQUpJeji
The performing score indicates only the movement of
individual notes from the first cluster to a new cluster.
After each change, the new sonority is realized to serve the
performer as a check-point for re-orientation. A black note
in parentheses indicates the pitch of the note which is about
to be moved, and the resulting new pitch is indicated by a
35
whole note. Example 31 contains the first two scores of the
performing score showing the movement of individual notes.
Example 31. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," per-forming score, movement of individual notes, measures 1-16.
Rubato, sempre legatissimo Gyftrqv Liaet i R.H. 8va sempre (1967)
3 * 3
mirror cluster
Woo
8 ^ , CQijRleji
9 result of movement
H-white key (
mirror j cluster
i U
3 * l f e =
Vo-.gr==: I -MU-- (1? •)
„ 4' c o u p l e r _8ya _j_
S = ~ • w " - "
*This i s the tone of the cluster that is to change.
Form
Observation of the clusters on the performing score
reveals an interesting use of wedge shapes throughout the
piece. By notating only the upper and lower notes of each
cluster, the general contour of the wedges is revealed.
36
Example 32 charts the shapes encountered through the motion
of the outer voices of each hand in the original score.
Tracking only the notes played by the pedal (those originally
the inner or adjacent notes between right and left hand), the
wedge shape can be illustrated in a simplified version.
Example 32. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," wedge outline of outer voices of each hand, measures 1-231.
8va.
m i l re
l?< POz
m. 1-41
taz 5*
_a*i ? be nfl a n o
bo
m. 42-113 TV
o
Hr* If* \>o ^
r P-O- U^-J I 1 i
8va
~c~ Jfcr jjsr ^ ^ ^ f*
A 8va
m. 114
po
ffecc "V _1^ l^r
>o
m. 187-231
zj£Q5=
1
37
Example 33 shows the pitches which are indicated as the pedal
part. Three pedal points occur; they are indicated by
brackets.
Based on the type of wedge shape, four distinct
sections can be identified. Each wedge shape is represented
by a letter symbol. A denotes an expanding wedge, B
represents a contracting wedge, and [Cj shows a stationary
wedge. The form of "Harmonies" can be recognized by the
type of wedge present. Four sections are apparent and may
be understood best by referring to Example 33 on page 38.
= Measures 1-41 (expanding)
B
B
Measures 42-113 (contracting— stationary)
+ [c] = Measures 114-186 (expanding— s t a t i ona ry—con-tracting—stationary
B + = Measures 187-231 (contracting)
On the performing score, a new cluster is realized
after every eighth changing note. Six types of clusters can
be observed and are shown in Examples 34, 35, 36, 37, 38,
and 39 on pages 38-40.
"Harmonies" concludes by reducing the ten-note
clusters to a three-note cluster knot and by adding one
low-pitched pedal note. Therefore, the macroform (overall
shape) of the piece can be said to be a contracting wedge.
38
Example 33. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," perform-ing score, outline of inner voices, measures 1-231.
m. 1-41 8va
m. 42-113 8va
Paz
t| o
m. 114-186 8va m o o
O VO ^ j?0 PC
m. 187-231 8va
Example 34. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," perform-ing score, measure 25.
.25 8va
3
chromatic c l u s t e r
i 4' coupler SvaT $OZ
-}-c-
39
Example 35. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," perform-ing score, measure 49.
8va
nn rror c l u s t e r
* IpS--
4' coupler 8va
3To-
Example 36. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," perform-ing score, measure 57.
57 _8ya.
white key | enharmonic » unison 1
mirror [ - c l u s t e r l
! 0 - L
~cr!
8va
2
4' couple)*
Example 37. GyiJrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," perform-ing score, measure 97.
97 8va
v i io7 + V7
irv
4' coupler
/•-.-g
pedal point
40
Example 38. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," perform-ing score, measure 113.
113 8va
mir ror c lus ter white keys
I ¥-«• i
jp]<
S i 4' coupler
pedal point
Example 39. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," perform-ing score, measure 137.
137 * 8va
rt*g
ennarmomc uni son black key c lus te r
4' coupler ' 8Ya_. L
peaai point
A tonal center of C is implied by the bottom note
or root of the left hand cluster shown in Example 40.
Example 40. Gy<3rgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," implied tonal center, measure 1, left hand.
41
The low pedal note of C in Example 41 is doubled by the C in
the center of the manual cluster at the conclusion.
Example 41. Gyorgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," implied tonal center, measure 231.
The length of the entire composition is six minutes
and nine seconds, while the length of individual clusters is
left to the discretion of the performer 10 The entire per-
forming score is shown in Example 42 on pages 42-51.
Etude No. 2, "Coulee"
The indication "Prestissimo, sempre legato" sig-
nifies that this etude is to be played in a manner resembling
a tone-painting of the title "Coulee." The word is derived
from a French verb meaning to rush or to flow (e.g., a
person's hands flow over the keyboard).
10. Gyflrgy Ligeti, "Spielanweisungen," Two Etudes for Organ (Mainz: B. Schott, 1969), 4.
42
Example 42. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 1, "Harmonies," perform-ing score.
ETUDE NO. I
"HARMONIES"
Rubato, sempre legatissimo Gyttrqy L iae t i R.H. 8va sempre (1967) k K.H. bva sempre
>jj|P
mirror * c lus ter
coupler
J : = $ $ = Z ' = £ ^ O z = r ^
9 . resu l t of movement
white key j mir ror j c lus ter
^ ^ bo-®1"'-
_ 4' coupler 8va
/ : •- i ; — " - =
*This is the tone of the c l u s t e r tha t is to change.
43
17 ova
s B mirror c luster
'VX'-ai
4 l coupler
iro:
P P 5 !
1 3 3 * i f c a :
»25 8va
chromatic c luster
5 : 5
4 coupler
mirror c luster
- b /
4 couplen •—8va—/- f
i / \)
44
41 i &/a_
Q ~ r
Sr-8-(#^
4' coupler . _aya_A. 1
mir ror , c lus te r i
4' coupler 8va
- ^ b o — H — : / , 0 o -
s ^vfz+L
white key enharmonic uni son mir ror c lus te r
4' couple
45
1111 r ru r c lus ter
4' coupler
J3 8va J
I - f e w enharmonic spe l l i ng -sound of v i id7
4' coupler
w - (W) I p r
v n o 7 + V7
4' coupler i-£va
46
39 8va
s g i
4* coupler
( b ^ - ~ R ~
97
pedal point
8va
vi i o 7 + V7
4' coupler t—8va-
pedal point
4 coupler
pedal point
47
113
W-
mir ror | c lus ter white keys I
$i 4' coupler t
p-^-r-Sva-
C£*5~
g ^ g " * • * ' - w r pedal point
mir ror c lus ter white keys
8 coupler 8va
mir ror c lus te r I
" ^ g r i
[-21 4' coupler \
h
48
£ E 0 # V = £ > ennarmomc uni son black key c lus ter
4 coupler &va_
peaal point
white key mi r ro r c lus ter
4 coupler 8va
pedal point
8va - % ,
E^g-g^lf 0 borzffijljg
4 coupler 3va
49
4' coupler 8va |
170 8va
g = £ h y . j j f h a — 0 -
-6- hjt-) i
4' coupler) 8va [
4' coupler , 8va 1
50
.186
N P 3 P
^ 8 = £
4 ' c o u p l e r 8va
S j - E
i'-: f , 1 ^ « pedal p o i n t
w s ennarmomc uni son
ty')=>xc
4 c o u p l e r Bva
w h i t e key i c l u s t e r
4 c o u p l e r I 8va
52
The continuous motion of this etude is in sharp
contrast to the suspended chord clusters of "Harmonies." At
first glance, "Coulee" does not appear to be a cluster com-
position. Each hand is involved with playing arpeggiated
two-, three-, four-, or five-pitch groups. No true bar lines
exist; instead, dotted lines are marked for orientation. The
clusters continue until measure 100, where they are reduced
to a single pitch—A-flat—implying, perhaps, that this is
the tonal center. The cluster motion consists of rapid pitch
alternations and repetitions between the hands, resulting in
an effect not unlike a string tremolo. Example 43 illustrates
Example 43. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 2, "Coulee," measures 93-95.
the employment of this device. Example 44 shows the beginning
of the piece where two pitches are played. Arpeggiated chord-
like figures appear with three pitches in the right hand,
53
Example 44. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 2, "Coulee," measures 1-2.
j - j , i i
— ii J- J J J J 1 A Man. i
m 4 V -
ffiTrTr Tffi ~r . —
•rVTrTrfi rfrffffTfr'1
Ped.
as shown in Example 45. In measure 35, the cluster expands
Example 45. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 2, "Coulee," measure 27.
i ^ J wj JJj'
1 ^ frjr-r-rd'- : r r r '
—
to four pitches, as illustrated in Example 46.
Example 46. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 2, "Coulee," measure 35.
54
Finally, a maximum width of clusters with five pitches is
reached in measure 45, as shown in Example 47.
Example 47. Gyflrgy Ligeti, Etude No. 2, "Coulee," measure 45.
% w Pf
#r L
The left hand also increases the number of pitches in the
cluster one at a time, until the five-note cluster is formed.
The manner of note grouping between right hand and left hand
does not coincide, creating another effect—a rhythmic clus-
ter, such as the one shown in Example 47."*"
The continuity of activity must be maintained
evenly, with legato. The "correct tempo" can be measured if
the composition is played within the duration of three and
one-half minutes. The continuous motion stops abruptly at
the end, suggesting that although the sound is being torn
off, the effect still continues. Dynamic level remains
unchanged until toward the end, when a gradual diminuendo is
caused by the registrants cancelling stops—from the lowest
pitches upward. The pedal is not present at the beginning of
11. David Cope, New Directions in Music (Dubuque: William C. Brown, 1971), 18.
55
the piece; it becomes audible only gradually from measure 14
and then only in the background. Mid-way through the piece,
the pedal notes become equal in volume to the manual sound,
only to diminish again by the subtraction of stops and then
cease to exist altogether at the end.
The elements of repose and tension are evident;
these in turn dictate the form of the piece. Repose is
implied by a lack of varying pitches and rhythmic activity.
Tension is created by the addition of varying pitches and by
rhythmic density, resulting from the superimposition of dif-
fering rhythmic groups. Since the note grouping does not
coincide, rhythmic clusters cause a continuous non-metric
flow. The listener is still able to discern the constant
shift of pitch.
The general binary form of the piece is shown in
the chart of Figure 1. A curious pattern, indicated by the
numbers in boxes, exists in the sequence of rhythmic groups
repeated in the two [BJ sections. The pattern of the
rhythmic groups of the second |_BJ section is almost a retro-
grade of the first [BJsection. (See Figure 1.) The last
two numbers are shown in parentheses because the piece was
"torn off," but if the pattern were to continue, the final
numbers would complete a logical sequence within the overall
structure.
56
Figure 1. Binary Form of "Coulee."
Section Mood Total No, Measures
Measure numbers
Number of pitch
changes*
Rhythmic group
combinations**
B
Repose
Repose
26
Rhythmic 61 tension
29
Pitch and 64 Rhythmic tension
1-26
27-90
91-117
118-182
* = See Example 48 on page 57 ** = Repeated rhythm clusters in boxes
41
RH LH 2 x 2
3x2, 3x3^] 3x4,
4x4, 4x5, 5x5,
| 5x4, 5x5, 4x5,
4x4, 3x4, 4x4,
| 4x3, 3x3, 3x2
2 x 2
3x2, 3x3, 2x3,
3x3, 3x4, 4x4,
5x4v, 5x5, 4x5,
5x4, 4x5, 4x4,
4x3, 3x3, (3x2)
"Micropolyphonie," a term invented by Ligeti, is
especially evident in this composition where the movement of
individual clusters is specifically dictated by individual
pitch. The resulting cluster counterpoint is easier to
determine visually than by representation of a graph or a
vertical arrangement of pitches. Example 48 indicates the
57
Example 48. Gyfirgy Ligeti, Etude No. 2, "Coulee," upper and lower pitches of manual figures, measures 1-182.
* I" tj* 1 U * It-*- 1?-#- b-*- l^*- $r*~
-j>* b * i>-+— 4-• 0 0 3P K '
i{j» f i > — — f — j * t' f .* .
fifl f t •t'' f—it iit I- I/' I/' ij' 3f
k k
upper and lower pitches of the manual trill chains and
arpeggiated chord figures. The second QU section involves
more pitch changes than the other three sections combined.
This provides frequent changes in the texture of the result-
ing clusters, which become increasingly higher as the piece
appears to run off the keyboard at the end.
58
The piece is to be played on two different manuals
with contrasting registration. The choice of the registra-
tion is left to the performer, varying from quiet to 3iarp and
powerful. Several successful registrations used by acquain-
12
tances of Ligeti are included with the remarks. My per-
forming score shown in Example 49 makes clear the relationship
of pitch and rhythm groups.
12. Gyfirgy Ligeti, "Spielanweisungen," Two Etudes for Organ (Mainz: B. Schott, 1969), 5.
59
Example 49. Gyfirgy Ligeti, Etude No. 2, performing score.
Etude No. 2 " Coulee "
i = 1
m
7 = :
m m
H —J H -J IN
m -
63
' 0 :
w
>-L
> ' b»
I • 1 I—7=—1
— N | -~^r~~
- j ^
4 - .
fl ^W-
E 5 ^
| r
-?F- -OF*
m f *
% r#JE w*-
:M:
65
r
f - j f M T T j ^ — -1 r f R t t = = T F = l 3 = F f = S = f —
f £ = -
y j |
- i — . [ T P = r X E ] : = r - T " T l r n r t ^ [ T r h - r r F T
= j —
¥ —
i r i —
W Y ° -—
— » "tJ~ '
^ P = 5 j a c ^ f # * -
1"/ t " * ..
J"
b = E E S E S i-, rt - Jaj .,,. .: p f U 8 H -
= £ = --,J J ] ,-L 1,J J i IL4kJJJ_ !~TkJ p# 1Lr J L , & j -i-— — • Rj , . ' ^ - , -
— £ 3 I I &
66 |
1
1 — r f a - tin- ttrlJtffZ-Jl - V r ? - V - W r - i t s
M M ± % -
A f ' fy
i
m = =
' bjlrj#* 55JP nfJTP n $ = = zf+Jv'tj+r _ T| # p # " f*-Y9-l ^ - f f '
- ~ i i J — - — r i j g L e i — ^ (,. b-r-Jtr—t : i — r l r ^ r d i * - r ^ xj 'u .
f g flspg
67
i
i n
f r — %
i §
if^—fTrtrf ¥ F P P #_ — f r f r—# •-—~f~ f fe»— • I f f n-—* «L~| fr^
: frf"^ *
~ ^ =
a & «
« tk,
WMm
Chapter V
CONCLUSION
The organ works of Gyflrgy Ligeti utilize the per-
fect instrument for exploitation of the sound-mass (as
explained on page 9). The effect heard is one result of the
evolution of sound exploration by twentieth-century com-
posers and is not revolutionary in nature. The graphic
notation used in Volumina produces aleatoric clusters, but
the conventional notation used in the Two Etudes produces a
similar aural effect. Graphic notation is an alternate way
of indicating movement and direction found in conventional
notation. A selective tonal band results from use of the
conventional style and does not utilize every note in the
spectrum of sound.
Opposite extremes of motion are produced by the
Two Etudes. "Harmonies" presents a sustained, motionless
idea which contrasts with the animation of all details in
"Coulee." New material (e.g., clusters) in these three
compositions is handled in traditional ways (e.g., sonata-
like form). There are no musical themes, but there are
elemental ideas of repetition and of increasing or decreas-
ing activity.
69
70
GySrgy Ligeti has succeeded in challenging young
composers for the organ to explore the full capabilities of
the instrument in a new and exciting manner. The stage has
been set for the twenty-first century of new techniques.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books
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Machlis, Joseph. Introduction to Contemporary Music. New York: W. W. Norton, 1961.
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71
72
Vinton, John. Dictionary of Contemporary Music. New York: E. P. Dutton, 1974.
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Articles
Bachauer, Walter. "Blick in der Zeit," Melos XXXVIII/5 (May, 1971), 213-214.
Behrman, David. "What Indeterminate Notation Determines," Perspectives of New Music III (Spring-Summer, 1965). 58-73.
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73
Hupfer, Konrad. "Gemeinsame Kompositionsaspekte bei Stock-hausen, Pousseur und Ligeti," Melos XXXVII/6 (June, 1970), 236-237.
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Music
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74
Cowell, Henry. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra. Phila-delphia: Elkan-Vogel, 1931.
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Messiaen, Olivier. Livre d'orgue. Paris: Leduc, 1953,
Schflnberg, Arnold, Klaviersttick, Opus 33a. Vienna: Universal, 1929.
Unpublished Dissertations
Beyer, William Huntley. "Compositional Principles in Three Works of GyiSrgy Ligeti." Unpublished DMA dissertation, University of Washington, 1975.
Rudd, Robert Michael. "Stylistic Trends in Contemporary Organ Music," 2 vols. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Louisiana State University, 1967.
Yannay, Yehuda. "Toward an Open-Ended Method of Analysis of Contemporary Music." Unpublished DMA dissertation, University of Illinois, 1976.