Ligeti's Recent Music

Author(s): Stephen Plaistow

Source: The Musical Times, Vol. 115, No. 1575 (May, 1974), pp. 379-381
Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd.
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/959044
Accessed: 18-03-2018 17:36 UTC

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Ligeti's recent music
Stephen Plaistow

Gyorgy Ligeti was 50 last year. Like several Hun-
garian musicians, writers and artists of this century
-one thinks in particular of Bart6k-he was born
outside the borders of Hungary as we know it today:
in Dicsoszentmarton, a provincial Transylvanian
town now in Romania. Apart from a brother who
died at the age of 16, there were painters in his
family but no musicians. His musical education was
thorough, given the geographical and ideological
limitations imposed behind the Iron Curtain: he
began his studies in composition during World War
sound, at least since the early 1950s, which is when
his best known orchestral work, Atmospheres, was
first planned. In Hungary he had already made
experiments with static types of form, shaped by a
music in which traditional rhythmic and motivic
or thematic working had no place. He is also said to
have acquainted himself with serial methods of
composition. The tendencies towards a new orien-
tation of his technique and expression were already
present before the decisive change in his environ-
ment.

II at the conservatory in Kolozsvar (now Romanian And decisive it certainly was. A refugee in
Cluj) and completed them after the war at the Vienna, ill, penniless, exhausted, he was eventually
Liszt Academy in Budapest. Ferenc Farkas and rescued and brought to Cologne by Herbert
Sandor Veress were his principal teachers. In 1950 Eimert; Stockhausen, who was then working on
he became a professor at the Liszt Academy, taking Gruppen, gave him hospitality, and Eimert allowed
classes in harmony, counterpoint and analysis (he is him to work in the electronic studio of West
the author of a couple of textbooks, dating from German Radio. The change of environment could
those years, and by all accounts an exceptional hardly have been more radical. For two years
teacher still). In 1949 and 1950 he had been back in Ligeti produced nothing except three short pieces
Romania collecting folk music, in much the same electroniques. He was satisfied with only one of
way as Bart6k and Kodaly had done when they them-Artikulation, on which he worked with the
were young men nearly 50 years before. For a assistance of Gottfried Michael Koenig and
composer from that part of Europe, the pattern was Cornelius Cardew. Those years in the Cologne
conventional. studio left a mark on his work, and Apparitions and
Ligeti has said that the decisive change in his Atmospheres, the two orchestral pieces which
development came in 1956, the year of the Hun- immediately followed, are unthinkable without the
garian uprising and the year he left Hungary. He experience of electronic music; but since 1958
has described what happened when, almost over- Ligeti has never returned to the electronic studio.
night, contacts with foreign countries were suddenly Confronted by so many impressions and new
made possible: scores, records, information about ideas during the 1950s, Ligeti saw before him a
new ways of musical thinking were drawn intosituation so critical for the composer that it seems
Hungary like a torrent of air into a vacuum. Even he felt obliged to destroy, or at least to level the
before this, however, as an already assured crafts- ground, before attempting a way forward. He re-
man, he had been thinking about a very different jected the dullness, the sheer monotony of multi-
kind of music from the Bart6k-and-water expected serial music, in which the extension of serial tech-
of him, though he hadn't the courage then (he says) nique to other dimensions of music besides pitch
or the technique to pursue it. He had been com-appeared to him to be leading to a complete
posing prolifically, but apparently most of the more levelling-down of harmony and to an annihilation
ambitious pieces never got further than his bottom of the character of individual intervals. It was a
drawer. In the spring and summer of 1956 he time, one remembers, when certain gentlemen were
sketched several instrumental and vocal works in a serializing anything that moved; and in huddling
new and decidedly radical style; when he left pre-determinedly round their little tables they were
Hungary almost all of them had to be left behind, perhaps getting obsessed by the rules of the game.
but he did complete an orchestral piece, Visions. Ligeti helped to upset some of those tables and set
After coming to the West he re-wrote it from about a clearing-out of rooms. Rejecting the
memory and it became part of Apparitions, which attractions of a completely rational view of musical
was first heard at the Cologne ISCM Festival in order on the one hand, and the beckonings of the
1960. goddess Alea on the other, he chose to pursue the
At this point we come to the music of Ligeti's levelling-down of harmony to a logical conclusion
maturity, which is his music of the last 15 years and and to destroy it, arguing that destruction need not
for almost all of us in the West the only music of his be entirely negative and that, with the ground
we know. Yet we ought to beware of the assump- cleared, it might be possible to cultivate something
tion that before 1957 he was hardly a composer at new.
all, and that in some miraculous way his flight to the His music of the last 15 years has continued t
West caused the scales to fall from his eyes. It is an interest me not least for the way it has brought
assumption as glib as it is patronizing. All the to new music something of the world of mag
evidence is that his mind had been occupied with and, one might say, not a moment too soon. I
new ideas, with the nature of sound and with the lack of ideological clutter has also been refresh
many different ways in which a composer can act on I particularly admire it too for the way it h
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continually asked us to sharpen our ears, to develop
our faculty for distinguishing minute differences
between sounds. It is music demanding acute
attention; no good giving it half an ear, and the ear
which tolerates Muzak in restaurants and aero-
planes isn't really going to be aware of it at all.
The Cello Concerto of 1966 is typical of the way
many of Ligeti's works begin and end. It starts with
a long note which the solo cello has to sustain for
11 very slow bars, during which detailed instructions
have to be followed about how the quality of the
note is to be'inflected. Moreover, the player is asked
to attack the note inaudibly, as if conjuring the
music out of nothing. I think Ligeti wants to
suggest to the listener that the music has always
been there, even before one began to perceive it.
Similarly, in the 'whispering cadenza' for the
soloist at the end, the concerto seems to slip away
until the point of absolute silence has been reached:
the music flowing back into the cello, as it were,
and perhaps even continuing in some way, at the
'end', after it has retreated beyond the threshold
of our hearing. This is not just fanciful. Common to
many Ligeti pieces is a lack of caesura, the music
simply flowing on, and I think Ligeti would like us
to sense that what we are hearing is no more than
an excerpt from something.
Another kind of ending he favours is a loud one
in which the music stops very suddenly 'as though(1971) one can sense an underlying harmonic
torn off'. The effect is much the same: the ending isframework: a series of harmonic outlines, blurred
arbitrary and one imagines the music continuing.though they may be, which support the 25 different
Evidently the ending of the Ten Pieces for wind types of melody. The invention and elaboration of
those melodies is the point of the piece: that, and an
quintet, composed in 1968, is something of a locus
attempt to achieve a new kind of balance between
classicus for him in that way, prompting him to add
a quotation from one of his favourite books: the demands of melodic line and rhythmic move-
ment.
'... but-.' There was a long pause. 'Is that all?'Clearly it is no longer so easy to label and to
Alice timidly asked. 'That's all', said Humpty generalize about Ligeti's music. It is becoming too
Dumpty. 'Good-bye'.
rich for that. At one time it might have been allow-
The premieres of Apparitions in Cologne in 1960 able to describe his works as projections of acoustic
and of Atmospheres in Donaueschingen a year later motionlessness, or-better perhaps-as examples of
were both sensational. They were remarkable above continuous movement arrested in stillness; or some
all for the way they drew such a positive and such. In the past he himself has suggested such ana-
immediate response from the public. But to some logies as a sequence of kaleidoscopic images (the
extent the public has remained with them. MelodienTen Pieces); or the kind of landscape one may some-
was composed exactly ten years after Atmospheres. times experience in a dream, on to which windows
They are recognizably the work of the same com- open from time to time to reveal features of the
poser but their differences show us something of the
landscape which are constantly changing in outline
way his music has developed. In Atmospheres he and character and yet which somehow remain
created one of those extraordinary motionlessalways the same (the Cello Concerto); or even the
forms-a sort of static and two-dimensional phenomenon of Roquefort when examined under a
'suspended background'-which have been held to
microscope ... Clocks and Clouds, a recent work for
be typical of him; but in fact for some time now he
small female chorus and an ensemble of some 40
has been moving away from Klangkomposition of players, attempts to explore and chart a harmonic
that kind, and in recent years melody, rhythm andsystem which permits chameleon-like alterations
harmony have regained an important place in hisbetween tempered and non-tempered intervals and
work. Previously, Ligeti's achievement had been to harmony. Concerning his Double Concerto for
make us acutely conscious of the space they used toflute and oboe, performed in Glasgow last year,
occupy. One entered one of his 'rooms' and was Ligeti has commented on a system of harmoni-
gradually made aware of its mass and dimensions zation attaining to a state of 'perpetual disinte-
and the quality of light illuminating it; more gration'-a system which threatens to burst in the
recently, a certain amount of furniture has been onair like soap bubbles; I suspect that in Clocks and
view as well. To be less fanciful: the intertwiningClouds he may have tried to develop it.
lines of instruments and voices have tended to If anything were predictable about him, it might
retain more individual identity than they did before,have been his delight in finding such a title. It
and his forms have been articulated by a more refers to an essay by Sir Karl Popper-'On Clocks
clearly defined harmonic structure. In Melodien and Clouds'-which deals with the precisely
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measurable
measurableincidents
incidentsinin nature
nature(clocks)
(clocks)as opposed
as opposed hashas produced
producedsince
sincethe
the
mid-1960s
mid-1960sapart
apart
from from
the the
to
to imprecise
impreciseand andonly
only statistically
statistically measurable
measurable onesones Requiem and the Chamber Concerto. There is
(clouds).
(clouds). The
Themusic
musichashasnono direct
direct
connection
connection withwith catching up to do. We need to modify an inaccurate
the
the essay's
essay'scontent;
content;itsits title
title
simply
simply prompted
prompted in in and perhaps generally held view that Ligeti is a
Ligeti
Ligeti aa series
seriesofofmusical
musical associations
associations andand drewdrew
his his brilliant but insubstantial composer who has been
attention
attentionto tothe
theway
wayinin which
which musical
musicalshapes
shapes
whichwhich content merely to work the rich vein he discovered
are
are precise
preciseinintheir
theirrhythm
rhythm andand
harmony
harmony maymay 15 years ago. Inaccurate because he has had many
gradually
graduallyturnturninto
intodiffuse
diffuse textures
texturesof sound,
of sound,and and imitators and it is they who have been exploiting
vice
vice versa.
versa.But,
But,asassosooften
often with
withhim,him,things
things
are are the manner; he has moved on. One is reminded of a
never
never quite
quitewhat
whattheythey seem.
seem. TheThemusical
musical processes
processes comment of Stravinsky's: 'What my followers
here
here are
arecertainly
certainlynot notlinear
linearin in
thethe
traditional
traditional
sense.
sense. imitated was not my music but my person in my
We
We can
can be
besure
surethat
thathehehas
hasexplored
explored thethe possibility music'.
possibility
of
of clocks
clocksticking
tickingwithin
within clouds
cloudsandand
clouds
cloudshollowing
hollowing
out
out and
and dissolving
dissolvingclocks.
clocks. These
Theseareare
justjust kindkind A concert of music by Ligeti, to include the Ten Pieces
the the
of
of phenomena
phenomenaone onemight
might expect
expectto to
find find
in ain a world for wind quintet, Cello Concerto, 'Melodien' and the
world
British premiere of 'Clocks and Clouds' (two per-
beyond
beyond the thelooking-glass.
looking-glass.
formances) is to be given as part of the English Bach
British
British audiences
audienceshave have had
hadfewfewopportunities
opportunities to to Festival at the Elizabeth Hall on May 7, Ligeti is to
acquaint themselves with his recent scores-or speak on 'Clocks and Clouds' the same day in the
indeed with any of the more ambitious pieces Ligeti Purcell Room at 5.05.

Jacques
Jacques Le Le
Fevre
Fevre
and his
and'Meslanges
his 'Meslanges
de Musique'
de Musiqu
David Tunley

The
The music
music of
of Jacques
JacquesLeLeFevre
Fevre(or(orLefebvre)
Lefebvre)
waswas (Now isis the
the time,
time, LeLeFevre,
Fevre,totofree
freeyour
yourchildren;
children;
written
written towards
towardsthe
theend
endofofa along
longtradition
traditionof of
vocal
vocal already
already they
they are
are too
tooold
oldtotoremain
remainininyour
yourpower,
power,
music
music in
in France
Franceand
andthe
thebeginning
beginningofof a new
a newone.
one. held in
in your
your house.)
house.)
The
The new
new trends
trendsmay
maybebeseen
seenininhishisairs
airsdede
cour
courforfor Yet another
another sonnet
sonnet(by (byHodey)
Hodey)contains
containssome
somelines
lines
solo
solo voice
voice and
andaccompaniment
accompaniment(lute (luteoror
harpsichord)
harpsichord) which
which leave
leave the
the stylized,
stylized,eulogistic
eulogisticimagery
imageryfor fora a
in anthologies
anthologiesissued
issuedby
byBataille
Bataille(1615)
(1615)
and
and
Pierre
Pierre direct
direct comment
comment that thatmaymaywell
wellhave
havebiographical
biographical
Ballard
Ballard (1628),
(1628),and
andinina aprecious
preciousMS
MScollection
collection
of of
airsairs significance
significance in in this
thiscourt
courtcomposer's
composer'scareer:
career:
by various
various 17th-century
17th-centuryFrench
Frenchcomposers
composersin in
thethe 11 est
est certain,
certain, LE
LE FEVRE,
FEVRE,que
quejejevoy
voy
Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris (Res. Vma. 854). Les medisans
medisans murmurer
murmurercontre
contretoy,
toy,
The earlier tradition, that of the Renaissance poly- Bien qu'en
qu'en merite
merite aucun
aucunneneteteressemble.
ressemble.
phonic chanson, is represented in Meslanges de Le nombre
nombre est
est graid
graiddedeces
cesesprits
espritstortus:
tortus:
musique de Jacques Le Fevre, which exists only in a (It is certain, Le Fevre, that I see slanderers
very incomplete set of partbooks in the Bibliotheque whispering against you, although none have your
Nationale (R&s. VM7 255). talent. There are many of these deceitful types ...)
Nothing is known about the composer beyond As its title suggests, Le Fevre's Meslanges is a
that he was Compositeur de la musique de la chambre mixed collection and, as sometimes found in works
du roy until 1619. When his Meslanges was published grouped under this heading, the style of both words
by Pierre Ballard in 1613 he was in the service of the and music is largely lighthearted. Indeed when
12-year old Louis XIII, to whom he dedicated the Claude Le Jeune published his Meslanges in 1585 he
work. In the dedication Le Fevre remarks that declared that only the pleading of his friends had
'several people of merit and learning and well-versed dissuaded him from 'doing away with and burying
in music' had persuaded him to publish this collection these vain and frivolous things'. The Meslanges
of vocal music; perhaps they were the samecontains men 36 works (or 48 if one counts as separate
who contributed the odes and sonnets extolling items the
the second and third parts of the longer
Meslanges and its composer which stand at pieces) scored from two to eight voices, and classified
the head
of the partbooks. Such poetic tributes were in the table of contents as either chansons, airs or
common
in the handsomely engraved musical publications dialogues. This distinction is drawn not upon the
of the time, and those contributed in thisbasis caseofby
the number of voices involved or upon that
G. Bataille, Durand, Hodey, L. de la Hyre and the of polyphonic intricacy versus a simpler style with a
anonymous L.S. are quite typical. Durand's Sonnet predominant top line, but upon structure: through-
begins: composed works are classified as chansons, strophic
works with refrain as airs and dialogues. This is not
Laisse sortir, LE FEVRE, en si belle saison
Ces enfans qui de toy recoyuent leur naissance: surprising, for the term 'air' had been introduced in
Ils sont desja trop grands pour estre en ta the second half of the previous century as a substitute
puissance for voix de ville (or vau de ville), a lightweight
De les plus retenir cachez en ta maison. strophic chanson which had its roots (although not
381

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