Contemporary Composition Seminar Fall 2012

1. Contemporary Composition SeminarFall 2012 Instructor: Prof. SIGMAN Thursday 14:00-16:00 Lecture IX

2. 0.0 Important Dates • 11/29: NO CLASS • 12/13: FINAL PRESENTATIONS • 12/20: FINAL EXAM (시험)

3. 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?

4. 0.2 Final Project Proposal • Due 11/22: in class or via email

5. I. Tristan Murail

6. 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)

7. B. Treize Couleurs du Soleil Couchant (1978) • Title = “13 colours of the setting sun” • For flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and live electronics

8. 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

9. [RM demo] • 2 sine waves • 2 square waves • Voice (carrier) and sine wave (modulator)

10. 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)

11. “Tristan” Chord

12. 3. Electronics • Reverb: (thickens ensemble sound) • Echo: (short delays on piano) • Ring modulation: (flute and clarinet) • Controlled live

13. 4. Instrumental Techniques • Clarinet and flute multiphonics • Vln and Cello: bow pressure and finger pressure changes

14. 4. 13 Couleurs: Score/Recording • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEW6rfj7DLk • Durational notation (in seconds)

15. And now…. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRU6tQdyYqQ

16. II. Brian Ferneyhough

17. 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…

18. 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

19. 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!)

20. C. Influences • Varèse • Stockhausen • Webern • Schönberg • Henry Purcell • Thomas Tallis • Various polyphonic Medieval/Renaissance composers

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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

26. While Spectral composers view the world through a telescope (망원경)

27. …Ferneyhough views the world through a microscope (현미경)…

28. …and creates musical universes in which every element is in flux all the time!

29. J. Unity Capsule (1976)

30. 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

31. 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)

32. 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

33. 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

34. 5. Unity Capsule Score and Recording • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y71cx8Vj15Q