Aesthetic appropriation of electronic sound transformations in Ligeti’s Atmosphères
Date
2011
Authors
Davachi, Sarah
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Publisher
Musicological Explorations
Abstract
The technical and aesthetic foundations of György Ligeti's concept of micropolyphony, which he employed most prominently in his 1961 orchestral work, Atmosphères, can be credited, in part, to his post-emigration experiments with electronic composition at the studios of the NWDR in Cologne in the late 1950s. Although Ligeti had already theorized general concepts of musical texture and space prior to his emigration to the West in 1956, the nature of the micropolyphony he employs in his later work is characteristically distinct, exhibiting a greater sensitivity to density and timbre in addition to processes of aural integration and interaction. To this end, this analysis examines the way, and more importantly the extent to which, Ligeti’s often overlooked work in electronic music directly influenced his approach to the implementation of sound-mass in his later methodology. This is done through a comparison of Pièce Électronique No. 3, an electronic work begun in 1957, and Atmosphères. This comparison lends support to the contention that, despite his rejection of the electronic medium as a tool for practical implementation, Ligeti maintained several aesthetic sensibilities specific to electronic music-making practices; namely, the treatment of texture and the transformation of sound.
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Citation
Davachi, S. (2011). Aesthetic appropriation of electronic sound transformations in Ligeti’s Atmosphères. Musicological Explorations, 12, 109-149. https://journals.uvic.ca/index.php/me/article/view/9210