Perception and Receptionof Emmanuel Nunes's Musical Practice

Jaime ReisLisbon

The present text compares the study of a musical practice throughconsidering the perspectives of perception and reception. It briefly presentshow these concepts have been used in different perspectives and introducesa viewpoint on how to advantageously use them in the study of musicalpractices. 1 have used the study of Emmanuel Nunes's musical practice,particularly the study on his conceptions regarding improvisation andindeterminacy, as a paradigm to express this methodological approach,which is a common method in ethnomusicological studies, along withfieldwork and other tools.

The term Contemporary Western Art Music is generally employedto refer to a musical practice mainly developed in Western societies,generally in opposition to popular music, often having different andcontradictory meanings which have changed through time. This termdoes not refer to an enclosed reality, since one can frequently find itscharacteristics, or at least many of them, applied to other musicalpractices that are not normally designated in this way (Middleton 2002;Tagg 1982). However, studies have shown that such musical practice ismainly confined to audiences largely made up of the musicians' peers,often occurring in very particular performance spaces, requiringexpensive technical conditions, often resorting to music scores and otherways to represent music, demanding trained musicians to read suchmusic (whose behaviour generally transcends the common musicaltraining in an ordinary music Conservatory) and has generally beendependent on private (less common in Europe) or public funding(generally provided by Ministries of Culture, or Science Ministries whena structure is connected to Academia) for its sustainability anddevelopment, since its internal economic activity generally generates adirect debt (if one considers the example of a concert that cannot pay its

The Meaning of Meaning j. Reis: Perception and Reception 379

costs by selling tickets to accomplish this). Characteristics such as thesehave been considered in certain studies, such as Kingsbury (1988), Born(1995) and Bourdieu (1992).

Das Miirchen' is an opera composed by Emmanuel Nunes.' As anestablished composer, recognised by international and Portugueseaudiences, the complexity of the work, the amount of resourcesdemanded by the score, the duration (circa 4 hours, which is unusual forcontemporary opera) and, finally, the circumstances, also of a politicalnature, that anticipated its premiere, along with the extraordinaryexpectation that the event arose (Vieira de Carvalho 2011, 169), make thispiece a paradigm of such musical practice. Given these characteristics,one could ask: why does such musical practice have these qualities? Orwhy does such musical practice occur in specific social situations andwhat are their characteristics? The first question may partially beanswered through the perspective of the music-makers concerning howthis music may be perceived, while the second question may partially beanswered by studying its reception.

of the mediation of his socio-communicative system with the audience.In some literature the focus is on the study of the brain or otherbiological systems in terms of their general regulative functions, whileothers concentrate on the cognitive constraints of the perception ofspecific musical processes and many other perspectives with varyingworks cited. However, the idea of studying perception in its multiplemeanings and its relations to music seems to be an important issue,particularly when discussing Contemporary Western Art Music. Thisfocus may occur for other reasons, for an increasingly differentiatedsocio-cornrnunicative system generated by a musical practice whererupture and novelty take on an important role, often creating a gapbetween what one can perceive, pay attention to or focus on whenencountering such musical practices and what the music-makers wouldthink that should have been perceived.

The study of reception in (contemporary western art) music has alsobeen widely studied, with Adorno probably being one of the mostimportant contributors, focusing "on the complexities involved inunderstanding the ways in which music is mediated by society, by thehistorical character of its material and its traditions, and by the historyof its reception" (Paddison & Deliege 2010, 260). In Portugal receptionhas been studied by Mario Vieira de Carvalho, in studies ranging fromhis study from the 18,hcentury to the present day, including the case ofEmmanuel Nunes's musical practice (1993, 2005, 2011).4

The issue of perception of (contemporary western art) music hasbeen widely studied from many perspectives, namely in psychology,neurology and biology (Peretz & Zatorre zooja, zoojb, Schlaug 2003;Sloboda 2005; Zatorre, Chen & Penhune 2007; Zatorre & Peretz2001), musicology (Cross 2001; Howell, Cross & West 1985; Leman1999; Lerdhal iooo), sociology (Bourdieu 1992, 1999), cultural studies(Born & Hesmondhalg 2000; Born 1995), sporadically inethnomusicology (Nattiez 2004; Nett! 1985, I998), and semiotics(Nattiez 2005)1. The latter reports an interesting case involving thecomposer Pierre Boulez' perspective on perception within the relations

Dns Miirchen (2002-2007).2 Emmanuel Nunes (1941-2012). There is considerable lirerarurc on the composer,

particularly: (Amaral 2010; Borel, Bioteau & Daubrcssc 2001; Borel 2002; Monteiro2007; Nunes 201I; Rafael 2007; Szcndy 1998; Vieira de Carvalho 2011).

3 The areas presented here arc nor stricrly delimited. Furthermore, some of theliterature is not focused on perception. However, it may provide a view on howmusic is perceived and how one may methodologically approach the study of amusical practice in such ('CI'IIlS.

The present text intends to contribute to the study of perception inContemporary Western Art Music using Nunes's musical practice as aparadigm and to create an introduction to the composer's perspective onsuch a subject.

I became more distinctively aware of such an issue when I wasdirecting the first festival I organised' and I was rehearsing Nunes's piano

4 Mario Vieira de Carvalho has researched extensively in this field. On his70'" birthday, ] am looking forward to continuing to read and to learn fromhis research. .Dni Muzyki Portugalskiej w Krakowie, in Poland (2003, November 27-29), alongwith the conductor Julia Chmielnik.

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piece Litanies dufeu et de la mer j6 with the pianist Zuzanna Drzymala.We diverged significantly in our interpretation of the very first part ofthe piece that starts with the notes B flat and D written freely as regardsthe rhythm, with the indication that it should be irregular in this sense.The composer had an idea concerning this kind of writing related tothe conception of this and other pieces, but that raised some questions,as mentioned to me by the composer in 2003;7 at a much later stageafter the composition of Litanie du feu et de la mer I and II, Purlieu' andothers, Nunes challenged the use of free writing, indicating that hewould write these moments in different ways, in order to be moreaccurate in his usable rhythmic typologies. He explained that the way hewrote at the time was related to the conception of the work, but now (atthe time of the conversation), he would prefer to write otherwise,considering that the kind of attitude towards more free writing couldlead the musician who performs his music to compose for him - a kindof attitude which differed from Nunes. He mentioned in particular thecase of Litanie du feu et de fa mer I, for which he had held an experiencewith some performers who played, at the beginning, an ostinato,syncopation or other figures that are in fact regular (in the sense thatthey repeat) but for some performers these are a kind of regularity whichfor them is irregular enough (to the extent that they are not exactly thesame repetitions). To Nunes this problem depended on the context andculture of the individual musician but, in fact, the composer intendeda notion of irregularity in which rhythmic patterns were variable.

The composer had already presented this issue on ather occasions,including with regard to this particular piece, as in the 2001 text wherehe stated that an excellent pianist, also a composer, with whom he hadnever worked, had decided to play Litanies du feu et de fa mer I with apanoply of metronomes and chronometers. For Nunes the piece

required a lot of rhythmic improvisation where durations could never berigorous (2011, 64), as he previously had mentioned in an interview(1973) with Mario Vieira de Carvalho, who had asked for comments onthe composers' perspective concerning "indeterminacy" or "freedom ofmusical creation" for the performers. Replying, Nunes referred ro theidea of specific fields of variation and not indeterminacy in pieces suchas The Blending Season,9 Impromptu pour un voyage and Litanies du feuet de la mer, also expressing his idea that this was not related to a lack ofcreating freedom, but to a particular way of notating his music in orderto obtain an objective musical result (20Il, 355-365). For the composer,the .idea of improvisation was related to the origin of his compositionalideas and not necessarily to the idea of such elements being perceived asimprovisations or indeterminate elements. On the contrary, he intendedto maintain the character of the pieces in order to make themidentifiable, as the composer mentioned to Max Faust in 1979,explaining that he had written two "improvisations for a journey",'?pieces that included improvisation, but where the conditions for suchimprovisations were prepared in a way where there was the possibility forthe composer or performer to determine that one thing or other mightnot work within the meaning of the composition. Nunes explained thatin these pieces there was a control of the overall harmonicdevelopment and that it would always be possible to recognise themin different interpretations, even if they contained improvisations (20II,373)· The idea of improvisation as a way of obtaining the developmentof musical materials is frequent in Nunes's works, as he mentioned toFrancisco Monteiro in reporting the pieces Litanies du feu et de fa merI and II, explaining they were based on years of practice ofimprovisation using the piano, when he was living in Paris, in order toexplore the timbres of the piano, allowing the audience to listen to itssound qualities and possibilities (Monteiro 2007). It is a personal

67

Litanies dtt feu et de fa mer I (1969) and Litanies du feu et de fa mer If (1971).Informal conversation with Emmanuel Nunes on the 27<1'October 2003,Fundacao Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon, Portugal.Purlieu (1969-1970).

9 The Blending Season (composed in 1973, revised during 1976-[977; the composerremoved the piece from his catalogue).

10 Impromptu pour un voyageJ (1973) and !!(1974-[975).8

-------------------- ..--..•............••••••••••••••••••'/ 'heMeaning of Meaning I Reis: Perception and Reception

approach to a musical work and not an idea related to the wayaninterpreter may view the work, as Nunes stated in an interview withCristina Fernandes, explaining that in Das Miirchen he did not allow"undetermined" elements to enter the performers' considerations, butthat when he spoke about "improvisation" in the melodies of the voicesof the opera, he meant he was referring to his own improvisation whenwriting the voices for the singers, in the sense that there was no schema(such as a serial schema or of other nature), but rather that eachcharacter, during different moments of the opera, had peculiar musicalcharacteristics in terms of melodic and rhythmic qualities and that thesecharacteristics were based on his own reading of the text, within his ownrhythm, tempo and other elements that were created as a kind ofhandicraft to pass on his own readings of the text to musical materials(2011, 519).

Getting back to the initial example of my experience with thepianist Zuzanna Drzymala, in fact 1 realised in the rehearsals with herthat everything the composer had told me might happen, actuallyhappened, She had her own idea of irregularity, that in my opinion wasnot that of the composer's. However, after our conversation and tryingout different hypotheses, the pianist rapidly adapted and played what 1considered to be an absolutely exceptional interpretation of the piece.

Improvisation is present in different ways in most musical practices.For me, it is interesting to understand how a composer, or group ofcomposers, or other music-makers create their music, focusing on theprocess involved in the creation of the work, rather than on the workitself. This case was intended to be a mere example of how the ideaof perception (in this case, the idea of the perception of typologies ofimprovisation) may vary so much even between peers in a musicalpractice that one sometimes tends to observe as a crystalised practice thecodes which are common and have been mastered by their peers. Thiscould also provide an insight to complement the studies on reception, inthe sense I believe one should start from the study of musical processes,instead of focusing the study on an object such as a musical work

One very interesting analysis that contains such a perspective isexpressed in Mario Vieira de Carvalho's article (2011), where several

issues concerning the perspective of the criticism about the opera wereanalysed as a counterpoint to the production's perception (the composerand the opera production team) and the perception of others (critics),providing examples such as a critic who stated that for logistic reasonsthe percussion was in a different room (which was true), and that it wasbarely audible (which was absolutely incorrect, since the percussionistsand other musicians, including the choir, were, in fact, in differentrooms that were not the main hall, but they were amplified andsometimes electroacoustical1y processed, and transmitted to the room,"as I could personally observe on the occasions I attended the opera).

The, understanding of what a composer (and even other music-makers involved in musical production) intends to be perceived (interms of what the relevant music materials or processes that thecomposer intends to make clear at a specific musical moment can be)may provide an interesting starting point to infer and compare withwhat an audience (either a general one, or one of peers, critics or anothertypology) may have perceived (which can be very different), and thus toprovide new insights into the study of musical processes in their multiplecontextual dynamics,

11 Through an IReAM (Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique)team led by Eric Daubressc.

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FCTCENTRO DE ESTUDOS DESOCIOLOGIA E ESTETICA

Fundacao P,U;\ a Ciencia c a TccnologlaMlNIS'CEP.lO DA t]mc',\('Al) f.f.1{~f'('"

This book is published with support Irom FC'!' through the CI':SEM strategicproject (PEst-OE/EAT/U 10693/20 II).

Tille: "Estes sons, esta linguagcm". Essays on Music, Meaning and Societyin I-Ionour of Mario Vieira de Carvalho

Editors: Gilbert Stock, Paulo Ferreira de Castro, Katrin Sliick

Cover: Pedro Serpa

Layout: Vasco Rosa, Zuelma Chaves, Rui Aralljo

Linguistic revision: David Hardisty, Hilmar I lcistcr, Maria l lcync,Christiane Rhode, Emily Rubis

Gudrun Schroder VerlagLeipzig 2015ISBN: 978-3-926196-67-5

Bibliografische lrformotion del' Deutschen Nationalbibliothek:Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothck vcrzcichnct diose Publikation in dcrDeutschcn Nationalbibliografie; dctaillicrtc bibliografischc Daten sind imInternet libel' hup:lldnb.d-nb.de abrufbar,

© 20 15 Gudrun Schroder Verlag, LeipzigKoopcration: Rhytmos, ul. Grochmalickicgo 35/1,61-606 Poznan, PolenAile Rechtc vorbchalten.Printed in Poland.

INDEX

I Preface XIII

II Tabula Gratulatoria XIX

III Laudatio

Christian KadenMario. Memories and Commentaries 3

IVMethodological Discourse, or: Musicology Reconsidered

Manuel Pedro FerreiraThe Periphery Effiu:ed: The Musicologicrzl Pllteof the Cantigas 23

Paula Gomes Ribeiro/?e1JiewingMusic Sociology in the Light of Its RecentEpistemological Chflffenges 41

Tatjana Bohrne-Mehner and Klaus MehnerAnniuersary Celebrations in the Worft! (~(Music tIS an InitialMoment ofSe!/~Constructiort 65

Cerd RienackerA Lesson - tv Learn .from? 79

Diosnio Machado NeroThe Role of Mario Vieira de Carvalho in the Renewal ofLusopbone Musicology: .from Ideological Action to the Legacyof Resistance through the Analysis of the Social Functiono.fMusic 93