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