20th Century Musical Styles:
Electronic and Chance Music
ELECTRONIC MUSIC:
20th-century electronic music saw a radical
shift in music creation, moving beyond
traditional instruments to explore sounds
produced by electronic devices. Pioneers like
Edgard Varèse and Karlheinz Stockhausen
experimented with musique concrète and
electronic instruments, expanding the
possibilities of timbre and form. This era also
witnessed the development of the first
electronic instruments, like the Telharmonium
and the Theremin, and the rise of musique
concrète, which involved manipulating
recorded sounds.
CHANCE MUSIC:
Chance music, also known as aleatoric or
indeterminate music, is a 20th-century genre
where some aspect of the composition or
performance is left to chance. This can
involve elements like pitch, rhythm, or form,
and is often determined by a random process
or left to the performer's interpretation. John
Cage is a key figure associated with this style,
known for works like "4'33"", where the
sounds of the environment become the music.
Karl Heinz Stockhausen (1928-
2007)
Kurlheinz Stockhausen is a central figure in the
realm of electronic music. Bom in Cologne,
Germany, he had the opportunity to meet Olivier
Messiaen. Amold Schoenberg, and Anton Webern,
the principal innovators at the time. Together with
Pierre Boulez, Stockhausen drew inspiration from
these composers as he developed his style of total
serialism. Stockhatsen's music was initially met with resistance due to its
heavily atonal content with practically no clear melodic or rhythmic sense.
Still, he continued to experiment with musique concrete. Some of his works
include Gruppen (1957), a piece for three orchestras that moved music and
the epic Hymnen (1965), an ambitious two-hour work of 40 juxtaposed
songs and anthems from around the world.
WHAT DID HE COMPOSE?
STUDY II
Karlheinz Stockhausen's Studie II is a landmark piece of electronic music,
notable for being the first electronic realization score to be published. It
utilizes sine tones, and its composition relies on precise control over
frequency, amplitude, and duration, making it a prime example of early
Additive Synthesis:
Stockhausen employed additive synthesis, combining oscillators (sine waves)
to create complex sounds.
Tape Manipulation:
The piece also involved manipulating pre-recorded sounds on tape, cutting,
splicing, and looping them to achieve desired effects.
Precise Parameter Control:
The score meticulously detailed the frequency, amplitude, and duration of
each sound, reflecting the studio's focus on technical accuracy.
Published Score:
Unlike many early electronic works, Studie II was published as a score,
enabling others to realize the piece and fostering further exploration of its
structure.
Influence and Legacy:
Studie II served as a model for later electronic music compositions, including
Stockhausen's own Gesang der Jünglinge, and influenced the development
of compositional techniques in the field.
Aesthetic Considerations:
While the score emphasized technical aspects, analyses also explored the
aesthetic qualities of the piece, including its use of density, rhythm, and
timbre.
Detailed Breakdown:
Compositional Techniques:
The piece is built from sine tones generated electronically and precisely
manipulated in terms of frequency, duration, and amplitude.
Additive Synthesis:
This involves combining multiple sine waves to create more complex
timbres. By carefully controlling the frequencies and amplitudes of these
waves, Stockhausen created a wide range of sonic textures.
Tape Manipulation:
Stockhausen utilized tape manipulation techniques to further shape the
sounds. This included cutting, splicing, and looping tape segments to create
rhythmic patterns and other effects.
Score as a Tool:
The published score of Studie II served not only as a guide for technicians
realizing the piece but also as a study score for musicians to analyze its
structure and sonic qualities.
Influence on Later Works:
Studie II laid the groundwork for Stockhausen's later electronic works and
influenced the development of electronic music as a whole. For example,
Gesang der Jünglinge incorporated recorded and transformed vocal sounds
alongside the electronic sounds of Studie II.
Beyond Technical Details:
Beyond the technical aspects, analyses of Studie II have also explored its
aesthetic qualities, examining its use of density, rhythm, and timbral
variations.
electronic music's focus on parameter control. Studie II is significant not just
for its technical innovations but also for its impact on the development of
electronic music and its unique approach to musical form and structure.
Compositions of Karl Heinz
Stockhausen:
Karlheinz Stockhausen composed 376
individually performable works throughout his
career. These works span from early
electronic pieces to a large cycle of seven
operas titled Licht (Light), which took him
from 1977 to 2003 to complete. His
compositions also include works for solo
instruments, chamber music, choral, and
orchestral music
John Cage (1912-1992)
Known as one of the 20th century composers with
the widest array of sounds in his works. He was
born in Los Angeles, California, USA on September
5, 1912 and became one of the most original
composers in history of Western music. He
challenged the very idea of music by manipulating
musical instruments in order to achieve new
sounds. He experimented with what came to be
known as “chance music”.
WHAT DID HE COMPOSE?
CONCERT FOR PIANO AND ORCHESTRA, 1958
John Cage's Concert for Piano and Orchestra (1958) is a groundbreaking and
experimental piece that challenges traditional notions of musical
composition and performance. It's characterized by its use of chance
procedures, indeterminate notation, and a focus on individual instrumental
parts rather than a unified score.
Chance Procedures:
Cage famously employed the I Ching to determine various musical
parameters, such as the number of notes, dynamics, and articulation within
each instrumental part.
Indeterminate Notation: The work is not
presented as a conventional score. Instead, each instrumentalist receives a
set of individual parts with unique, often graphic, notations.
Individual Instrumental Parts:
The Concert features 13 instrumental parts, including a complex and
extensive part for the solo piano
Performance Freedom:
Performers are given considerable freedom to choose which parts to play, in
what order, and with what techniques, emphasizing improvisation and
individual interpretation.
Absence of Traditional
Conductor:
The piece can be performed without a conductor, or with a conductor who
has their own separate part, essentially acting as a timekeeper.
Focus on Sound:
The Concert explores a wide range of instrumental sounds and extended
techniques, often resulting in unconventional and experimental timbres.
Reception:
The premiere of the Concert for Piano and Orchestra was met with a mix of
reactions, including audience confusion, heckling, and even attempts to end
the performance prematurely, reflecting its radical departure from
traditional concert music.
Influence:
This work is considered a seminal piece in Cage's oeuvre and a significant
contribution to experimental music in the 20th century.
Compositions of John Cage:
John Cage composed over 250 musical pieces
during his career. His compositions range
from early works in the 12-tone method to
experimental pieces using chance operations
and prepared piano. He also wrote pieces for
a wide variety of instruments and ensembles,
including percussion, prepared piano, radios,
and even composed a famous
silent piece titled "4'33"".
Edgard Varese (1883-1965)
Born on December 22, 188, Varèse's use of new
instruments and electronic resources eamed him
the title "Father of Electronic Music." Also
described as "The Stratospheric Colossus of Sound," his musical
compositions total around 50, with his advances in tape-based sound
proving revolutionary during his time. He died on November 6,1965. He was
a French and American composer who spent the greater part of his career in
the United States. Varèse's music emphasizes timbre and rhythm; he coined
the term "organized sound" in reference to his own musical aesthetic.
Varèse's conception of music reflected his vision of "sound as living matter"
and of "musical space as open rather than bounded" He conceived the
elements of his music in terms of "sound-masses", likening their
organization to the natural phenomenon of crystallization. Varèse thought
that "to stubbornly conditioned ears, anything new in music has always
been called noise", and he posed the question, "what is music but organized
noises?"
WHAT DID HE COMPOSE?
POEME ELECTRIBIQUE
(English Translation: "Electronic Poem") is an 8-minute piece of electronic
music, written for the Philips Pavilion at the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. The
Philips corporation commissioned Le Corbusier to design the pavilion, which
was intended as a showcase of their engineering progress. Le Corbusier
came up with the title Poème électronique, saying he wanted to create a
"poem in a bottle". Varèse composed the piece with the intention of
creating a liberation between sounds and as a result uses noises not usually
considered “musical” throughout the piece. It was a multimedia experience,
synchronized with a film designed by Le Corbusier and presented in a space
with a complex spatialization scheme using 425 speakers.
"Organized Sound":
Varèse's concept of "organized sound" emphasized timbre, rhythm, and
spatialization over traditional melodic and harmonic structures.
Musique Concrète and Synthesis:
The piece utilizes both pre-recorded sounds (like sirens, human cries, and
machine noises) and synthesized sounds, showcasing Varèse's exploration of
diverse sonic textures.
Spatialization: The spatial arrangement of sounds within the
Philips Pavilion was crucial, with sounds moving throughout the space via a
complex system of speakers, creating an immersive experience.
Multimedia Integration:
Poème électronique was not just a musical composition; it was a carefully
integrated multimedia artwork, with the music synchronized to a film and
the architecture of the pavilion itself.
Architectural Context:
The Philips Pavilion, designed by Le Corbusier, was integral to the work's
presentation. Its unique structure and spatial design were specifically
designed to complement and enhance the sound.
Technical Innovation:
The piece was created using a complex system of tape recorders and a
specialized three-channel perforated 35-mm tape for synchronization with
the film.
Themes:
The film, curated by Le Corbusier, explored themes of human existence,
civilization, and the impact of technology on society.
Influence:
Poème électronique is considered a landmark work in the history of
electronic music and continues to be studied for its innovative techniques
and its impact on the development of electronic music.
Compositions of Edgard
Varese:
Edgard Varèse composed a relatively small
number of pieces, with only twelve self-
sufficient compositions considered major
works. However, despite the limited output,
his influence on 20th-century music is
profound, particularly in his exploration of
"organized sound" and experimentation with
form and texture. His works, though few, are
highly regarded and have significantly
impacted the development of modern music.
