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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

© 1981

GLENDA WHITMAN COLLINS

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

• 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


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


presents


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


presents


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


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



14. GyOrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 7 19

15. Gyttrgy Ligeti, Volumina, division 6 19

IX

Example Page








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



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





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



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

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Page

1. Binary Form of "Coulee" 56

XII

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.)


' ' \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.


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.


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.)


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.


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.)


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):


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


8va

nn rror c l u s t e r

* IpS--

4' coupler 8va

3To-


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


113 8va

mir ror c lus ter white keys

I ¥-«• i

jp]<

S i 4' coupler

pedal point


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

51

4 coupler

218 8v a

nromatic c l u s t e r

4' coupler ' 8va

4' coupler '

32' (16 ' )

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


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


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.


54

Finally, a maximum width of clusters with five pitches is

reached in measure 45, as shown in Example 47.


% 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 -

60

£ r ~W^~

p

m

f~000T*~f~ ..... .„.. .

m

WW? & -

w £. fr* £

m

m

61

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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

Apel, Willi. Harvard Dictionary of Music. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1969.

Baker, Theodore. Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 6th ed., revised and edited by Nicholas Slonimsky. New York: Schirmer Books, 1978.

Cope, David. New Directions in Music. Dubuque: William C. Brown. 1971.

New Music Composition. New York: Schirmer Books, 1977.

Eggebrecht, Hans Heinrich. Orgel und Orgelmusik Heute. Stuttgart: Musikwissenchaftliche Verlags-Gesellschaft, 1968.

Hansen, Peter S. An Introduction to Twentieth Century Music, 4th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1978.

Karkoschka, Erhard. Notation in New Music, trans. Ruth Koenig. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1972.

Ligeti, Gyflrgy. "Ueber neue Wege im Kompositionunterricht," in Three Aspects of New Music. Stockholm: Nordiska MusikfOrlaget, 1968*

Machlis, Joseph. Introduction to Contemporary Music. New York: W. W. Norton, 1961.

Nordwall, Ove. Gyfirgy Ligeti, eine Monographie. Mainz: B. Schott's Sbhne, 1971.

Read, Gardner. Contemporary Instrumental Techniques. New York: Macmillan, 1976.

Salzman, Eric. Twentieth-Century Music: An Introduction, 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall, 1974.

Sturzbecher, Ursula. Werkstattqesprache mit Komponisten. Kflln: Musikverlage Hans Gerig, 1971.

71

72

Vinton, John. Dictionary of Contemporary Music. New York: E. P. Dutton, 1974.

Yates, Peter. Twentieth Century Music. New York: Random House, 196 7.

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.

Cardew, Cornelius. "Notation—Interpretation," Tempo LVIII (Summer, 1961), 21-33.

Christensen, Louis. "Conversation with Ligeti at Stanford," NUMUS-WEST [I] (1972), 17-20.

"Introduction to the Music of Gyflrgy Ligeti," NUMUS-WEST [1] (1972), 6-16.

"Ligeti's Literature," NUMUS-WEST [1] (1972), 21-22

Dibelius, Ulrich. "Reflexion und Reaktion fiber den Kom-ponisten Gyttrgy Ligeti," Melos XXXVII/3 (March, 1970), 89-96.

Drew, David. "Messiaen—A Provisional Study," The Score X (December, 1954), 33-49; XIII (September, 1955), 59-73; XIV (December, 1955), 41-61.

Emmerson, Simon. "General Works of Xenakis, Ligeti, and Stockhausen," Music and Musicians XXVI (October, 1977), 48-49.

"Ligeti in London," Music and Musicians XXV (May, 1977), 12-14.

Griffiths, Paul. "New Music," Musical Times CXVIII (July, 1977), 575.

Helbreich, Harry. "Melodien," Music and Musicians XXI (October, 1972), 66.

73

Hupfer, Konrad. "Gemeinsame Kompositionsaspekte bei Stock-hausen, Pousseur und Ligeti," Melos XXXVII/6 (June, 1970), 236-237.

Jack, Adrian. "Ligeti Talks to Adrian Jack," Music and Musicians XXII (July, 1974), 24-30.

Ligeti, GydJrgy. "Contemporary Music: Observations from Those Who Create It," Music and Artists V (June-July, 1972), 21.

Mann, William. "Ligeti's Success," Opera (England) XXIX (July, 1978), 678-680.

Northcott, Bayan. "Ligeti"s General Works," Tempo CXIX (December, 1976), 32-33.

Oehlschlagel, Reinhard. "Debussy und die neue Musik," Musica XXV (July-August, 1971), 353-355.

Owen, Barbara. "Recitals and Concerts," American Organist LII/4 (April, 1969), 7.

Plaistow, Stephen. "Ligeti's Recent Music," Musical Times CXV (May, 1974), 379-381.

Raver, Leonard. "Organism," Music Journal XXXIV (February, 1976), 22-23 and 50-51.

Read, Gardner. "New Language of Modern Music," Music Journal XXXVI (February, 1978), 10-13.

Urban, Uve. "Serielle Technik und barocker Geist in Ligetis Cembalo-Stuck 'Continuum,'" Musik Bildung V/2 (1973), 6-70.

Webber, Nicholas. "Organ," (Review) Music and Musicians XXII (July, 1974), 56.

Williamson, Beth Loeber. "Performing New Music: Ligeti's 'Volumina,'" American Organist XIII/10 (October, 1979), 32-36.

Music

Cage, John. Etudes Australes. New York: C. F. Peters, 1974.

74

Cowell, Henry. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra. Phila-delphia: Elkan-Vogel, 1931.

Debussy, Claude. Preludes, Book I. Paris: Durand, 1910.

Ives, Charles E. Second Piano Sonata. New York: Knicker-bocker Press, 1920.

The Unanswered Question. New York: Southern Music Publishing Co., 1953.

Ligeti, Gyflrgy. Two Etudes for Organ. Mainz: B. Schott, 1969.

Volumina. New York: C. F. Peters, 1967.

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.

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