(Ligeti) Ligeti's Chamber Concerto, Summation or Turning Point

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Ligeti's Chamber Concerto - Summation or Turning Point?

Michael Searby

Tempo, New Ser., No. 168, 50th Anniversary 1939-1989. (Mar., 1989), pp. 30-34.

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ichael Searby

Ligeti's Chamber Concerto

Summation or Turning Point?

Gyorgy Ligeti 's music of the 1970s shows a

distinct change of direction in its main pre-

occupation. U p to the middle 1970s his

dominant concern was with textural elements,

note-cluster develop ment and th e use of strict

canons to create 'Mikropolyphonie' . Mikro-

polyphonie is usually generated by a canonic

development where each entry uses the same

pitch arra y but also has a unique rhythm ic shape

an d is therefore un1ike.a norm al canon (E xam ple

1, below, is a goo d illustration). Me lody, non-

cluster harm ony , and rhythm ic clarity were not

usually significant features. Ho we ve r the opera

Le Grande Macabre (1974-77) shows a clear,

unam biguous change of approach and a greater

eclecticism; as Ligeti states: 'In Le Grande

Macabre

there is less of the static, slowly,

gradually evolving music. felt had wo rn

these types out ' . '

This change can be seen to have its roots in

the music of the late 1960s, particularly the

Chamber Concerto, a l though the evolution

toward s his total recapture of me lody an d har-

m on y in t he 1980s was gradual and fluctuating.

The Chamber Concer to has an ambiva lent

nature, because although the first three

Ex 1

st

Movement bars 1 2

bar 1 Corrente FleiDend)

movements are closely related to the processes

in late 1960s wo rks for examp le Lontano (1 7),

Lux Aetema (1966) and the Second String

Qu ar tet (1968) the comp ositional process itself

appears to evolve throughout, reaching a new

and m or e open-ended process in the last

mo vem ent. T he significant features of this n ew

process are the unravelling of the tightly-

controlled canons, which are imp ortan t in muc h

of the Cham ber Concerto and m any o f Ligeti 's

other work s; and also the rediscovery, howe ver

fleeting, o f melody .

T he C ham ber C onc erto (1969-70) is for eleven

orchestral instruments,' harpsichord doubling

Ham mon d Org an, and piano doubling celeste;

it has fou r mov ements . T h e first is an elusive,

texture-based mo vem ent containing mu ch rapid

figuration. The structural outline is simple

because, in common with Lux Aeterna

and

Lontano it consists of a slowly evolving and

expanding pitch cluster. This background

cluster stru ctur e is articulated in the fore grou nd

by canonic developm ent, a co m m on feature in

much of Ligeti 's work. (See Example 1.)

However only the resulting textural Mikro-

polyphonie can be heard, not the individual

Gyorgy Ligct~,Ligeri tn conversarlotr (Eulcnbcrg: London, Flute doubllng plccolo, obo e doubllng obo e d' am or e and

1YX3 ) ,

p.67. car anglais, clarinet, bass clarinct do ub l~ ng econd clarinet.

horn, tromb one, tw o v~o lins , iola, violoncello, and doublc

ha,,.



canons. In the first movem ent the com plexity

of the te xtu re is quite distinctive (especially, for

exam ple, ba rs 47-50 and the final six bars).

By contrast, the third movem ent o f the

Cham ber Conc erto reflects one of Ligeti s

recurrent obs bsio ns: that of mechanical objects

in general and clocks in particular also seen

in the P o h e Symphonique (1962) for 100

metronom es, the third movem ent of the Second

String Qu arte t, and

Continuum

for harpsichord

(1968). T he m ove me nt has basically tw o types

of texture. The first consists of indeterminate

fast articulation in all the instrum ents (perhaps a

grained version of the cluster developm ent);

the second contains ultimately every instrument,

iterating regularly at a different tempo. This

takes the concept ofsim ultaneous tempi, which

can also be seen in the second mov em ent, to an

extreme.

Th e second m ovem ent, nevertheless, cannot

be as easily identified as o ne of Ligeti s

compositional process types as the movements

which encompass it. What is significant is the

slowing down of Mikropolyphonie in the first

section (bars 1-35), so that the dynamically

highlighted m elodic lines in the oboe d amo re,

horn, and tro mb one can be heard. This increased

melodic elem ent can be seen in later work s like

Melodien

(1971) and the Do uble C once rto (1972)

and also in the earlier Te n Pieces or Wind Quintet

(1968). T he second section, from bar 39, shows

a distinct development of the canonic com-

positional process. The initial cluster at bar 39

expands gradually, with each note in the cluster

initiating a mobile ch romatic line (see Exam ple

2) which gradually evolves, tending towards

a stable position (at bar 73) consisting of

interlocking superimp osed fifth chords.

Ex 2 nd

Movement

bars 51 2

Ligeti s C ham ber Concerto 3

The melodic line of each instrument skips

between all the chromatic lines, disguising this

underlying mov eme nt the motion that is

created is somew hat like running on the spot .

This differs from the cluster movement more

com mon ly found in Ligeti s works in three

significant ways: the background chro ma tic lines

are aurally m ore important than the canons (or

possibly even the clusters); since the nu m be r o f

chromatic lines remains the same thro ugh out,

the germ clusters have a constant number of

notes; and the process of pitch-change occurs at

a greater velocity than in many other works.

T he aural effect is one of the frenetic dissipation

of potential energy until it gradually reaches an

equilibrium.

The process of gradual change of pitch

material in many of Ligeti s w orks up to the

composition of the Cha mbe r Con certo is here

transformed, so that the chromatic changes of

the background cluster (rather than within it),

have become the contrapuntal elemen t. Whereas

in the first mov eme nt the canonic construction

provides the complex counterpoint, in the

second movement the most aurally apparent

counterpoint (particularly at the outer pitch

limits) is provided b y the b ackground chroma tic

lines, which govern the content of the fore-

ground melodic lines. This is a substantial

change in compositional design, and perhaps

suggests that Ligeti was becoming dissatisfied

with the canonic constructions which dom inate

his work o f that period.

The use of chromatic lines is quite rare in

Ligeti s m usic an d, in addition t o the back-

ground chromatic counterpoint o f the second

mov eme nt, the lower instrumental parts mirror

this in a more overt manner4 (see Exam ple 3).

Backgromnd

hrosatic

Lima

Between the two main sections there is a bridging section of

This melodic chromaticism can also be sccn in thc first

stasis (bars

35-9

which is doubled augmented fourth, a movement of the Second String Quart ct but with octave

typical device in Ligeti's music to halt a process or create a

displacements.

structural division.



32 Ligeti s Chamber Concerto

Ex 3 nd Movement bars

4 0 4 3

bar 4 0

Ch rom aticism can also be seen elsewhere in the

Ch am ber C onc erto, for example in bars 12-40

in the third mov ement (see Exam ple 4) , which

can be viewe d as a simpler and clearer mode l of

the process present in the second mov em en t.

Ex 4 rd Movement bars 18 22

s i m . , p i r r . g l s s .

In the form er case (Ex.4) the process consists

of a pattern of canonic chromatic lines, rising

and falling from the initial

Ab

at bar 12. T he

process o f the third m ove men t is a simplification

o f that o f the second, because it does not involve

an audible interlocking canonic structure:

thereby continuing the gradual transformation

of the work's, and perhaps Ligeti 's, overriding

compo sitional process.

The gradual erosion of the canonic con-

struct ion in the Chamber Concerto could

perhaps suggest a dinouement in the last

mo vem ent . H ere, the canonic s t ructure which

has been weakened in the second and third

mov emen ts is only hinted at . T he actual texture

and ba ckg roun d cluster structure changes li t tle

which suggests that canonic construction is

no t essential to create Mik ropo lyph onie. Ligeti's

canonic construction is perhaps merely one

possible solution to the problem of distributing

pitches of the controlling background clusters

into a po lyph onic textu re. It operates as a pitch

regulatorS and , in conjunction with the fluid

Scc Ll gc t~ lscusslng N ono 's use of the chrom atic scalc In a

serial s t ruct urc In 'M ctaniorphoses of Musical Forn i ' , D i e

Rrlku

7 ( lY65), p 6

rhy thm , preserves the cluster and prevents a ny

pi tch having an unwanted em phasis . Ho we ver,

in the last movement, this solution has

metam orphosed into a process which gives the

composer more freedom while stil l preserving

s im

its basic regulatory func tion, as the bac kgro und

cluster develo pm ent is preserved.

A counterbalancing feature is that as the pitch

material becomes freer, the rhythm and in-

dependence of parts becomes very restricted in

places; for exam ple bars 18-23 (see Ex am ple 5 ) .

Perhaps this shows that Ligeti's apparent

movement towards freedom from construct-

ional control is only illusory: that complete

freedom is as undesirable as complete controL6

Instead he surrenders one type of control for

another, from canonic construction to parellel

contour, homophony, and also 12-note rows

(bars 24 29 ).

A

relevant observation is made b y

Harris on Birtwistle, as cited by Michael Hall:

Composition is concerned with taking decisions, but

if a composer has to take decisions about everything

that happens in music he will seize up and rapidly

come to halt.

Th e Chamb er Con cer to as a whole seems to

have as its fundamental structural tenet the

gradual evolution of the comp ositional process

L i g c t ~ pc n ds m u c h o f ' M c t a n ~ o r p h o s r sof Musica l Forni '

r c p u d ~ a t l n g n t c g r a l c r ~ a l ~ s n i

M ~ c h a c lHall. Harr~sor~inwlsr lc ( R o b s on : L o n d o n , 1984).

p.lU



Ligeti s

Chamber Concerto

E x 5

4 t h ovement

bar 19

itself. It appears that Ligeti is experimenting

with a gradually evolving compositional

approach, perhaps more often confined to a

composer s sketchpad, and maybe in the spirit

of Ligeti s criticism of mobile form:

I t seems to m e i t would m e much m ore wor thwhile to

try and achieve a compositional design o ft he process

of change.

This can be seen as a reflection of his

compositional approach, not only in terms of

Mikropolyphonic music, but also perhaps in

relation to the concept of a compositional design

which itself evolves throughout a work, as we

see in the Chamber Concerto.

In the Chamber Concerto, from a structural

and compositional process view, one can detect

a change of approach which develops over the

work as a whole. In addition, there is a

rediscovery of melody, which had previously

been obscured in Ligeti s complex textural

surfaces. This rediscovery can be considered as

a significant shift in a broader context of the

music of the 1970s. Stockhausen has also shown

this change, and enunciates the need for melody

(as a distillation of the preceding music) in a

manner which is not devalued by overuse. In

conversation with MyaTannenbaum he has said:

Th e hours that pass from daw n to dusk don t contain

mo re than a mom ent in which one has a wlsh to s ing.

In this sense there 1s in every one o f m y comp ositions

the mo me nt in which I s ing m y song too. And it s the

most beautiful, the mo st concentrated son g possible.

All the rest is just preparation for that mom ent.

Ligeti displays a similar attitude in the Chamber

Concerto s last movement, where the 12-note

R M ~ t a i r p h s sf Music11 For ni , p . 11

Myd I dnnenbaur i i . C onvronr~unsi,i th Srorkhausrr~, rm s.

I

Uutchar t (Clarcndol i Press: Ox fo rd . 19x7) . p .73 .

melodies of the horn and piccolo in bars 24-9

create such a moment . These tone-rows are

perhaps a reminiscence of the Second Viennese

School perhaps a nostalgic yearning for a time

of greater melodic freedom. It is the only clear

melodic expression in the work (the melodies in

the second movement are still rather veiled) and

must be seen as a significant feature in his

compositional development. Its result can be

heard in most of Ligeti s work from

Le Grand

Macabre

culminating in the unambiguously

melodic Horn Trio (1983). As Paul Griftiths

observes:

[The Horn Tr io] .

. .

has grown o ut of the earlier wo rks

at the end of gradual recovery with the return firs t of

harmony, then o f melody, then of harmonlc

movement .

'

Melodic activity of a more ambiguous kind

can be seen in the solo horn, trombone, and

oboe d amore parts of the Chamber Concerto s

second movement. They function in analogous

fashion to a magnifying glass, highlighting the

complex, weaving pattern in the accompanying

instruments, rhythmically augmenting and

clarifying their material (see Example

6).

This

development is taken a step further in

Melodien

(1971) in which the Mikropolyphonie becomes

macro

-

allowing much greater melodic clarity.

Ligeti himself states:

On e might say that the micropolyphony of these

pieces [Chamber Concerto and the Second String

Quartet] has become less m icro , the musical texture

being balanced on the threshold between imperceptible

musical factors and others whlch are perceptible as

shapes.

The Chamber Concerto, therefore, can be



34 L i g e t i s C h a m b e r C o n c er t o

Ex 8 nd

movement

bar 6

viewed from two standpoints: it is either a

culmination of various trends in Ligeti s music,

or it shows a considerable departure from his

highly developed compositional process.

However, neither approach gives a complete

and accurate picture of the work. The more

straightforward first and third movements can

be related directly to earlier and contempor-

aneous works, but they show a greater

sophistication in the use of the Mikropolyphonic

compositional process. In that sense, the

Chamber Concerto is culminative, as it takes an

idea to a pinnacle of complexity and subtlety.

The second and fourth movements do not

support this conclusion, as they indicate a

distinctly different and radical change to the

accepted processes that Ligeti had been using up

to that point. The second movement is con-

structed out of background chromatic lines

which are spun by the canonic foreground

threads, and the last movement moves into a

new, more varied, and apparently freer

mode. =

Thus the work can be seen to contain an

evolution of a compositional methodology.

A

comparison of the two possible orientations

of the work suggests that the Chamber Concerto

It is very d~fficulto scc a pattern in thc pitch gcncratlon of

the last rnovcmcnt - it niay have bccn generated in a similar

way to aspects o f B~rtwlstle's rnuslc which uses random

nunibcr tablcs

has a dual function within Ligeti s oeuvre. It

appears Ligeti has reached a limit of sophisti-

cation in the first movement that perhaps

motivates him to explore new procedures in the

other movements. His attitude toward ex-

perimentation in music is clearly indicated in a

conversation with Josef Hausler:

...

creating something that already exists is not

interesting for me. If something new has been tr ied

ou t and a result has emerged from it i t is not w or th

making the same experiment agains.13

What is less clear is how this significant change

directly affects his subequent work, as there is

little evidence up to the composition of

L e C r a ti d

M a c a b r e

of these new ideas being explored

further to any depth. Perhaps a possible

explanation is that in the Chamber Concerto

Ligeti had experimented to a degree which was

some distance from his mature language of the

1960s, especially in the last movement, and it

was some time before the changes in comp-

ositional process inherent in this work could be

absorbed into a more complete language. The

fruits of this greater control can perhaps be seen

in the Horn Trio and the Piano Concerto.

Li yrtl i~ Cor~vc rsntior~

94

Mus~cal xamples by klnd pcrml~a lon f

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