Phenomenology as Tool Musical Analysis

8/11/2019 Phenomenology as Tool Musical Analysis

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Phenomenology as a Tool for Musical AnalysisAuthor(s): Lawrence FerraraReviewed work(s):Source: The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 70, No. 3 (Summer, 1984), pp. 355-373Published by: Oxford University Press

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2/20

Phenomenology

s

a

Tool

forMusical

nalysis

LAWRENCE

FERRARA

UNDERLYING

musical

analysis

s a

fundamental

et

obscured

premise.

This is the

implicit

belief

that the

knowledge

hat s

acquired

as a result

f

analytical

methods

s and

ought

to

be

objec-

tive.

The

"ought

to be" half

of

thatbelief s rooted n

generations

f

scientific

methodology

n

whichthe a

priori eparation

etween ub-

ject

and

object

was a tacit

axiom.

The methodutilized

by

scientists

(and by

musical

analysts)

s

tacitly hought

o

cleanse

the

experi-ment

or

analysis)

of the

confounding

ariables hata too involved

subject

might

ause.

That

knowledge

s

objective

s of course

myth,

whether

t refers o

music,

he

other

rts,

r the

sciences.

he

noted

physical

chemist and

philosopher,

Michael

Polanyi,

demonstrated

that

the

scientist's

"personal" participation

s an

indispensable

characteristic f

scientific

knowledge.1

The

scientist s not

only

involved

n

scientific

onclusions ut

in

"personal"

decisions.

There

is

an

implicit

belief

by

the

scientist hat his view

of the

context

at handor broadly peaking f theworld s themostcogent. olanyi

points

out

that

the

dogma

which

attempts

o

make

knowledge

m-

personal

n our culture

has

split

science from

humanity.

Marjorie

Grene,

with an overtdebt to

Polanyi's

formulation,

otes that ince

the time of Plato Westernman has

endeavored o

acquire

objective,

certain,

nd

impersonal nowledge.2

n

Western

man's zeal to

obtain

objective

knowledge,

he "knower"has been

ost.

Polanyi

nd

Grene

1

Personal

Knowledge:

Towards

a

Post

Critical

hilosophy

Chicago,

1962).

Also

see

Karl R. Popper, Objective Knowledge: An EvolutionaryApproach (Oxford, 1972); and

Jacob

Bronowski,

he

dentity f

Man,

rev. ed.

(New

York,

1966).

2

The

Knower

nd the Known

(Berkeley, 974).

355

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3/20

356

The

Musical

Quarterly

bring

import

to the consideration of the

personal (experiential)

involvement

of a

"knower" in

all

acts of

understanding.

Hence,

for Polanyi and Grene-who are in this context representativeof

current

philosophers

of science-all

knowledge

is

"personal."'

Similarly,

the

use

of traditional methods

of

analysis

in

applied

theory

does not

objectify

the conclusions drawn

by

the

analyst.

Value

assumptions

and

personal

decisions are

embedded

(and

obscured)

in the constitution and use

of

the

methods

employed.

Standard theoretical

designs

in

music

theory

tend to result

in

a dominant

position

of the method

in

relation to the work.

The

method dominates the

work

by forcing

what one can know and

report

about that work into the matrixof

categorial

characteristics

that

constitute

the

method. The

analyst

cannot

remain

"open"

to

all

of

the

potential

dimensions

of

meaning

that

mightemerge

n

a

work;

the

method

forms a

conceptual

obstacle between the

analyst

and the

music.

The method decides what

musical data

should and

can

be

collected and

how that data can

be treated.

Implicitly,

there is no

experiential person,

no "knower."

Phenomenologists presume

that what

one

hears is affected

by

how one hears.4 The analyst's modes of orientationto a work must

be

considered

and

articulated.

One

can close

or

open

many

potential

meanings

of

a work

given

a

particular

mode of orientation.

A

distinc-

tive

phenomenological

tactic is

that,

rather than

manipulate

a work

through

a

formal

grid

of

analytical

questions

or

positions,

one

responds

to

questions posed

by

the

work.

The

interpreter

iscovers

that,

in the traditional

sense

of

the terms

"subject"

and

"object,"

he is now

object;

the

music,

as

subject,

questions

the

analyst.s

Some

phenomenologists

accept

that at the least there

may

be

syntactical and "depth" (i.e., referential)meanings in a work that

-

Bas C. Van

Fraassan

presents

convincing

iscussion

f

the scientist's

commitment"

to a

particular

esearch

method rather

than to another.

The

scientist's

commitment"

s

generated

y

criteria

uch

as

coherence

nd

parsimony

xemplified y

a

particular

method

as

well

as

his

own

abilities

nd

training

o

utilize

various

research

designs.

Thus

"commit-

ment"

s

"personal."

See

The

Scientific

mage

(Oxford,1980).

4

The

presentation

f

phenomenology

elow

is

by

no means an

exhaustive

discussion

of

this

philosophical

movement.

Phenomenology

has multifarious

iverge'ncies

ithin

he

field nd has

served s

a

tool

for

analysis

n

disciplines

s

varied as art

criticism,

heology,

psychotherapy

nd

sociology.

The

particular

brand"

of

phenomenology

resented

n this

essay is more Germanthan French n its rootsand within heGermanphenomenological

tradition,

more

Heideggerian

han

Husserlian.

s

Hans-Georg

Gadamer,

Truth

nd

Method,

trans. and ed.

Garrett

Barden

and

John

Cumming New

York,

1975),

pp.

325-44.




4/20


5/20

358

The

Musical

Quarterly

setting.

n

experiencing

he

ontological

worldof

Bach

we do not

step

out of our own world

but become more

knowingly resent.

The

work of artcalls ntoquestion ur own modeofexistence. current

musical

analysis

takes

place

in the

unity

and

continuity

f

late

twentieth-century

ife

experience.

Whenwe move

nto

the world

of

the

composer,

we do not

discontinue

welling

n

our own

world;

we

come home

to it

with

a

renewed ense

of

curiosity

nd interest.

For in

"bringing

o

a

stand"

in

sound,

his

world,

composer

does

not create some chimerical

place.

The

great

composer

injects,

through

his

manipulation

f

sound,

the

factical

day-to-day

orld

in

whichhe exists n

a

new

form. n

remaining pen

to

that

world,

theanalystdoes not respond o it purely ndobjectivelyutwithin

the

boundaries

and

limitations

f his own world and

culture.11

Many

if not

most theoretical

ystems

f

musical

nalysis

reak

down

when an

attempt

s

made

to

apply

them o

atonal and

elec-

tronic

music.

The

purpose

of this

essay

is to

present systematic

and

cogent

method

for

doing

musical

analysis

of

these works.

Phenomenological

nalysis

s not limited o these

works;

t

works

well in

all

styles,

onal

or

atonal.

However,

ince there s a

plethora

of fruitfulmethods ormusical nalysis f tonalmusic, tmight e

a

more

propitious

acticalmove

to

bringphenomenology

nto the

field of musical

analysis through

he "back door." This does not

diminish

he

impressive ower

and

worth

of traditional

esigns.

The

point

being

suggested

s that

applied

music

theory

can

be

broadened

o include he

mplementation

f

philosophical

nterpreta-

tion.

Countless olumes

have

been

written

oncerning henomenology

in the field of

aesthetics

nd

specifically

s a tool

for

doing

art

criticism. elatively ittlehasbeen presented onnectingmusicand

phenomenology.

n

this

endeavor,

the

recent work

of

F.

Joseph

Smith

is

important.12

evertheless,

n almost

all of

the

writings

about

phenomenology

here

are few actual

examples

of

doing

the

phenomenological

nalysis

of

music.13The

second

half

of

this

"

Gadamer,

Truth nd

Method,

pp.

235-73.

12

See

F.

Joseph

Smith, ed.,

In

Search

of

Musical

Method

(London

and

New

York,

1976);

and

idem,

The

Experiencing

of

Musical Sound:

Prelude

to a

Phenomenology f

Sound

(New

York,

1979).

a3

At thetimethisessaywas accepted forpublication inNov., 1981) one of the few

available

examples

was

Thomas

Clifton,

Music

as

Constituted

bject,"

in

Smith,

n

Search

of

Musical

Method,

pp.

73-98.

Since that

time,

three

books

have been

published

hat

n-

corporate

extensive

henomenological nalysis

of

music.

They

are:

Thomas

Clifton,

Music




6/20

Phenomenology

s a Tool

359

essay presents

an

in-depthphenomenological

nalysis

of a

large

scoped

work,

okme

electronique

y

Edgard

Varese.

Systematically

moving hrough he levels of syntax, emantics,nd ontology, his

analysisprovides practical

nd

transferable

pplication

f

pheno-

menological

method or he

analysis

f

music.

The Procedure

The

procedure

for

phenomenological

nalysis

carried out

in

Pokme

electronique

begins by

listening openly"

to the

piece,

allowing ny

dimension

f

meaning syntactical,

emantic,

r

onto-

logical) to emerge.The purpose of these "open" listeningss to

orient

the

analyst

to the work.

These

are

termed

open"

because

unlike later

listenings

he

analyst

may

respond

to

any

level of

meaning

n thework.The

amount f

"open" listenings

epends

upon

the

analyst

and

the

work.

Each

"open"

listening

s followed

by

a reflective

escription

f that

listening.

his

description

eports

in narrative

orm

what was heard

nd

the

analyst's

mode of

orienta-

tion toward hework.

The

next

stage

s

to listen

pecifically

or

yntacticalmeanings.

During

this set of several

istenings

nd

descriptions,

he

analyst

must

attempt

to

bracket out

semantic

nd

ontological

meanings

that

might

ome to

mind

while

doing

the

syntactical

ection

of the

analysis. Syntactical

istenings

tart

at

a more

fundamental

evel

than

the evel

of

musicalform.Before

ne hears

music

ntellectually

as sound

in

form,

ne

can hear

sound as

such.

To

do so

requires

a

bracketing

ut of one's

formal

raining.

o

hear

sound as such

s

not

unlikethe

suggestion

y

Roman

ngarden

hat ne

should

ttend

to a literarywork,at a fundamentalevel of syntax, s a seriesof

pure

"word sounds.""4

In

hearing

words

as

unalloyed

phonemes,

one

attempts

o bracketout the

semantic

or

referential)

eanings

that

usually

mark

the

process

of

listening

o or

reading rdinary

language.

The

unadulterated word

sounds"

may give

the

literary

critic

sense

of the

flowing

uality

or

perhaps

the

agged

texture

of a text that

would

not

be so

evident

without such

a

hearing.

as Heard:

A

Study

in

Applied

Phenomenology New

Haven,

1983);

David B.

Greene,

Tem-

poral Processesin Beethoven'sMusic (New York, 1982); and idem,Mahler,Consciousness

and

Temporality

New

York,

1984).

14

The

Literary

Work

f

Art: An

Investigation

n

the

Borderline

f

Ontology,

ogic,

and

Theory

f

Literature,

rans.

George

Grabowicz

Evanston,

1973),

pp.

34-61.




7/20


8/20


9/20

362

The Musical

Quarterly

Analysis

Poeme

electronique yEdgard

Varise

Reflection

: A

description

f

istening

openly"

Poeme

electronique

often

borders

on

what

might

be termed

"noise." No

melodic

design, eleological

irection,

r

motivic

evel-

opment

s evident. orm

n the

traditional

ense does not

appear

to

be

present.

nstead,

there re manifold

ounds

of

varying egrees

f

familiarity

nd

strangeness:

ells, sirens;

rills,

levators; oices;

tap-

ing

devices,

lectronically

roduced

ounds;

icking

locks;

nd

so.

on.

Reflection : A descriptionf a second"open" listening

Distinctivemoods

in

the

piece

have become

apparent.

here

s

a

calm

and

unperturbed

emper

during

he

beginning

f the

piece

(with

the

tolling

of cathedral-like

ells

of

deep,

resonant

tone).

Later there is

a

section

of

frenzied

ctivity

marked

by

honking

horns,

rashes, irens,

nd

screeching

histles.

his

franticmood is

superseded

by

a cold

and mechanistic

isposition

onstituted f

sounds

that are

produced

by

electronic evices.

Afterward,

sense

of

floating,

ost

in

an

abyss,

unfoldsbecause

of an

"uga"

emitted

by zombie-likemale voices. A mellifluent-soundingemale voice

subsequently

becomes

angular

in

intervallic

dispensation.

This

latter

development,

t

its

highest

itches,

lmost

screams

ut

in

a

shrill

one.

The work

ends

with

an

exciting

estatement

f

sounds

heard

previously.

his,

along

with the

recurring

hree-note elodic

fragment

escribed

n

Reflection

1,

points

to a

loose

structure.

Reflection

:

A

description

f a third

open"

listening

The

amalgamation

f

textural

ariety

nd

richness,

harp

hanges

of mood, limited melodic repetition,nd a restatementf earlier

sounds

at

the

end

of

the work now

suggests

efinitive

tructural

sections.

These

divisionswere

catalogued during

istening

o this

Reflection and are

presented

n

Figure

1.

Reflection

: A

description

f

a

listening

or

textural

orm

syntax)

The

divisions

resented

n

Figure

1

were the

focus

f

this

isten-

ing.

Ten

sections

re

distinctive.

he

formal esults

f

this

istening

appear

in

Figure

1

and

are delineated

by

the

use

of

brackets

nd

numbers dded below the sectionsdeveloped bove (Reflection ).

Three divisionsisted

eparately

avebeen combined o form ection

2.

Two

divisions

separately

listed

have

been

combined to

form

Section

4.




10/20

bell toll

three-note

ragment

drills

three-note

drills

electronic

ounds

electronic

o

high-speed

1

2

honking

horns

ticking

electronic

ounds

male

voices

crash

sirens

bell

tolls

heart

beat

sine

waves

birds

drumroll

sine

waves

male

voices

chant

elevator

taping

device

3

4

I

5

silence

female

voice

male voices

three-note

ragm

electronic ounds brokenorgan electronic ounds

rhythms

forced

ir

airplane

sine

waves

crashes

snaredrum

elevator

airplane

explosions

siren

timpani

airplane

7

8

9

10

Figure

1.




11/20

364

The

Musical

Quarterly

Reflection

: A

description

of

listening

for

syntactical

meaning

Listening

or

syntactical

meaning

lone

was

a difficult

ask

be-

cause of the oftenobvioussemanticmeanings o whichthesounds

referred.

t

was

not

possible

to

bracketout semantic

meaning

l-

together, lthough

at

several

points during

this

listening

t

was

startling

o hear

the

sounds

purely

s

such. There

seems o

be a rich

syntax

here,

the

depth

of whichwas not

as

overt s

in

earlier

isten-

ings.

The

ticking

f a

clock

emerged

s a

recurrent

etallic

apping

without

conscious

reference o a clock. The

haunting,

erie

quality

of male

voices

was

smooth,hollow,

and

airy.

Still,

the

ability

o

"bracket

ut" a

semantic

was inconsistent.

Reflections

, 7,

and 8:

A

combined

description

f

three

istenings

for

yntactical

meaning

Utilizing

he structural

nalysis

presented

n

Figure

1,

it

was

possible

to articulate he

following

yntactical

lements.

The

ten

sections

below correlate

o the ten

sections isted

n

Figure

1. A

conscious

attempt

o bracketout "semantic"

meanings

was

made.

Section

1: Five

low-pitched

sounds

push

and

then

dissipate

throughpacewithhigh-pitchedvertonesascading own above the

dominating

ow-pitched

urge.

ach

sound tarts

with

hardmetallic

impact

and then rounds out as it

disperses.

he

pulse

is

slow

but

syncopated.

he volume s

moderately

ull n

sound.

Section

2:

This

section

begins

with

the

juxtaposition

of hard

percussive

ounds

and a

squeeky

tone that

gyrates

hrough

series

of

pitches.

The

texture

f

this

ounterpoint

s marked

y

a rich cho

and an

erratic

hythm

n the

percussive

ounds. This is contrasted

withthe slurringp and downin pitchof thesqueekytonesheard

earlier.

Then, loud,

sizzling

ounds seem

to be

shot

through pace,

followed

by

soft,

frictionlessounds

n

regular

hythm. uddenly,

sustained,

high-pitched

ones

crescendo

to a

climax

of volume.

A

short ilence

occurs,

only

to

be

supplanted y

a

new

counterpoint

between

round,

rippling,

ubbly

tones and

shrill,

piercing,

igh

friction ounds.

Scratchy,

reaking

ounds commence.A

slurred,

connective

hree-note

motivebecomes

the

center

f

focal

wareness.

This motive

recurs

hree times

n

a

regular hythm

n

the notes

F,

F$,

G. The

piercing

nd

sizzling

sounds resumewith an

abrupt

swelling

f

midrange,

metallic ones. Less shrill ounds

enter,

re-

scendo,

and

ascend

in

pitch

to a climax. Assorted

popping,

guttural




12/20

Phenomenology

s a

Tool

365

sounds occur at

varying itch

levels.

The

rhythm

s

erratic.

The

three-note,

lurred,

hromatic

pattern

merges

nce

again

only

to

giveway to high-frequencyoundswitha considerable mountof

echo.

The

latter

becomes

squeeky,

ncreasing

n

speed

and

pitch.

Section

3: The texture

is thicker

with

increased

contrapuntal

activity.

A

variety

f

(1)

sustained

ones,

2)

hard

wooden

sounds,

(3)

sizzling

ounds,

4)

crashes,

nd

(5)

high

quealing

ounds stab-

lishes a condensed exture

with

driving,

xcited

nd at

times

rantic

rhythmic

ovement.

Section

4:

A

recurring

apping

n

a

regular,

moderate

rhythm

initiates his section.The tone has a substantial mount of echo

,but

as

these sounds travel

hrough pace they

eem to

flatten ut.

The

echo

consequently

becomes less

distinguishable.

hree

deep,

sonorous

ones,

thenresonant n

overtones,

manatefrom

n initial

hit

and

diffuse

nto

space.

Pure,

nonvibrato

ounds

follow n

irregular

rhythms

nd

on

changing itches.

These

pure

sounds are

replaced

with

low-pitched, pen

sounds. These

round,

deep

tones occur

eight

imes

n the

following

hythmic

attern:

j

OjJj.

Immedi-

atelyafter he astpulse,puretonescrescendo o becomedinsome,

high-pitched

onvibrato

ounds.

These

blaring

ones

are

displaced

by

sustained,

ery

ow-pitched

ounds.

The low

sounds also reach a

culmination

n volume nd

ntensity

nding

he

section.

Section

5:

A

rattling

ound

opens

this

section

and

is

immediately

followed

by

a

hollow,

wooden

sound

with

an abundance

of echo.

The two

contrasting

ounds continue to be

placed

side

by

side,

increasing

n their

peed

of

recurrence.

he

rattling

ound

now be-

comesresoundingnd frequent,ausing hehollow,woodensounds

to

seem embossed

n

the

rattling

ounds.

Gliding,

rifting,

ustained

sounds

on

"oo"

and

"ah" vowels

bring

new

texture. hese

open

sounds,

colored

with

heavy

echo,

are

interrupted

y

a

piercing

one

and

short,hollow,

wooden

sounds.The

piercing

one

has ittle

cho;

the

hollow,

wooden sounds have

much more. This

contrasts

well

as

a

contrapuntal esign.

The

gliding

owel sounds return n a

slow,

sustained

hythm.

his return

onveys

rich,

hythmic

ontrastwith

the

interrupting,iercing

ounds

which are emitted n

a

quick,

irregularhythm.

Section

6: A

loud,

cutting,

metallic sound ushers in this

section.

Background

sounds

in a loose

rhythm

tart on

consonants

and then




13/20

366

The

Musical

Quarterly

for a

short

time are

sustained

n a more

open

"eh"

sound.

Crisp,

percussive

mpacts capture

the

foreground.

he

section is

now

marked y increased hythmicomplexityroundedna syncopated

rhythmic

attern.

A

hard,

crashing

ound occurs

with

great

olume.

This

is

succeeded

by

a

steady,rubbing, cranching

ound that be-

comes

a

continuous

undercurrent.

bove this are

flurries

f

short,

erratic ounds

of

varying

itch

evels.

Low,

sustained ounds

that

are

garbled

or muffled

ill

out this

unusual

texture.

inally,

uick

tapping

sounds

along

with the

scranching

ounds diminish

o a

silence.

Section7: Pure, midrangesound waves open this section and

quickly

begin

a crescendo of volume.

Hollow,

wooden

sounds

forming omplex

rhythms

emindthe

listener

f the

syncopated

rhythmic atterns

n Section 6. The texture

f

these

wooden sounds

is close

to those described n Section

5.

However,

hey

combine

hollowness nd

a

deeper

timbre

with a

higher

nd harder

wooden

sound described

n Section

3.

Also,

after

everal

hits,

stringed

n-

strument

upports

few of the

last

strikes o

produce

a

complex

combination f string lucking

nd a

hollow,

wooden

impact

that

issues

sounds

from

he owest timbre

o

very

high.

These character-

istics are

amplified y

the rich use

of

echo and

heavy

overtones.

Long,

sustained sounds

emerge

with

no

vibrato,

mbellished

y

rapidly

hitting

ercussive

ounds.The

pure

soundsreach

climaxof

volume.

Quick

tapping

s

now

heard,

this

texture

aving

familiar

wooden timbre.

The

texture,

though,

s

noticeably

ess

hollow

than

the

timbres

n Sections

5

and

3. There s

some

echo,

but the

woodiness

s more condensed.

hort,

iry

ounds

follow n a

regular

rhythm.The pitches of these sounds are structuredn perfect

fourths, ,

F$,

C$

and

then o

B

again.

Four

ringing,

etallic

ounds,

rich n

overtones,

epeat

the

quartal

equenceforming symmetrical

phrase

with

he

airy

ounds

previously

eard.

Section

8:

This brief nd

unique

section s

composed completely

of an

unaccompanied

melody

ine.

A

moderately

igh-pitched

ah"

vowel with vibrato

becomes

very ngular

s it

ascends

n

increasing

intervals

o a

veryhigh

pitch.

The

line s

always

ustained

ut

synco-

pated. The syncopationgives nterest nd movement o the sus-

tained,

egato,

melodic ine.

Section

9:

Open

fifths nd fourths

on an "ah" vowel

establish

the




14/20


15/20

368 The Musical

Quarterly

represent

s

to list those semantic

meanings

ection

by

section as

correlated ith

he

structure

resented

n

Figure

.

Section 1: bell

tolling

Section

2:

drills

nd

an elevator

Section

3:

honking

ar

horns,

irens,

n

elevator

becoming)

siren

Section

4:

clock

ticking

nd bell

tolling

Section

5:

men'svoices

Section 6:

chewing,

nimals

roaring

n

a

jungle,

nd

sounds

made

by

birds

f

the

ungle

Section

7:

airplaneSection 8: woman'svoice

Section

9: men's

voices

nd broken

rgan

Section

10: elevator

becomes)

a siren

then becomes)

an

airplane

Reflections

0 and 11:

A

combined

description

f two

istenings

or

semantic ontent

Two

reflections re

combined

here that

deal

specifically

with

a second

level of semantic

meaning.

Whathas become clear s that

every ound in thepiece has a semantic ontent t this evel.Once

again,

the

structural

orm

presented

n

Figure

1

will be utilized.

The

fundamental

eferents f these

meanings

will

be in

italics.

Section

1: The

bell

tolling

ymbolizes

ime.

Section

2:

All of the

electronically

roduced

sounds

symbolize

technology.

Section

3: The

sirens,

elevators,

and

honking

horns

symbolize

technology.

he

general

movement

might ymbolize

street cene

n

a city.

Section

4: The

clock

ticking

nd

the

tolling

f

thebells

symbolize

time. The heart beat also

symbolizes

ime but

in an

existential

setting.

When he heartbeat

stops,

the

temporality

f

human xist-

ence s

symbolized.

he sinewaves

ymbolize echnology.

Section

5:

The

men's voices

symbolize

human

existence.

The

electronic ounds

ymbolize

echnology.

Section

6:

All of the sounds

generallypresent

a

jungle

scene.

The

chewingsymbolizes

a

primitive

r

primordial

ct and

the

scranching

ymbolizes

ating,

gain

primordial

ct. The

syncopated

drumlike

rhythms,

ike the

chanting, require

a human element

and

symbolize

a

primitive eople.




16/20

Phenomenology

s a Tool 369

Section

7:

The

electronic

ounds,

ine

waves,

nd

airplane

ymbo-

lize

technology.

Section 8: The woman'svoicesymbolizes uman xistence.

Section

9:

The

men's

voices

singing quasi

Gregorian hant)

com-

bined

with the

broken

organ ymbolize

he church

nd

more

broad-

ly,religion.

Section

10:

The electronic

ounds,

airplane,

levator,

nd siren

ll

symbolize echnology.

Reflection

2: A

description

f a

listening

or

ontological

meaning

It is importanto note thattheconcepts time,""technology,"

"human

existence,"

primitivism,"

nd

"religion"

hat

are referred

to

in

Poeme

e'lectronique

row

out

of the

syntactical

oundsthem-

selves.

n

intuiting

gestalt

f

this

piece,

at the

syntactical

evel

the

work

functions

ike

a

textural

ollage

of sounds hrown r

shot nto

space.

At

the

semantic

evel it functions ike a

conceptual

ollage.

A

fundamental

nsight

nto both

of

these levels

(syntactical

nd

semantic)

an

be

clarified

t the

ontological

evel.

During

n

earlier

istening

o the

work,

found

myself andomly

cataloguing onceptson a sheet of paper (see Fig. 3). This quasi

conceptual ollage points

to the work's

ontological

meaning.

oBme

e'lectronique

rystallizes

what it

means

to be in the

modem era.

In

our actual

lives,

echnology

computers,

utomobiles,

r

electric

can

openers)

urrounds ur existence.

;tecanologYxistence

c~Ogy

primitivism

an

uman

primitivi

Figure3.

(13~~~~ eigion eigon

Figureho

Figure

.




17/20

370

The

Musical

Quarterly

In

this

piece,

the sounds

of

technology

enetrate,

ermeate,

nd

surround ll other ounds.Human

existence,

resented y

the

men's

voices and the womansoloist, s markedn thisworkby disorienta-

tion, alienation,

nd

fear.

The

concept

of "time"

ticking

way

or

a heartbeat

stopping

underscores he

importance

f

temporality

in human

being.

The

primitivism

ymbolized y

the

sounds of

the

jungle

may

be one or

both of

two

respective

reudian nd Darwinian

realities.

Within Freudian

ontext

he

ungle

symbolized

n

Pokme

e

ectronique

s

the

d,

that

s,

the

ungle

n man.

This section

f the

work

captures

that unconscious

potential

n

man

to be

primitive

in

the most

primordial

ense.

Within

Darwinian ontext

he

sounds

of

eating chewing

nd

scranching)

nd

the

evolutionary

tep

back-

wards to

a

primitive

ontext

might

ymbolize

the

fact

that

man

exists

on

one

level)

as

a

physical

ystem.

inally,

he

sporadic

nd

disconcerting

ounds

of a

quasi

Gregorian

hantas well as those

of

a

broken

organ depict

(for

the

composer)

a

decaying eligion

hat

surrounds

ate

twentieth-century

uman

xistence.

We have a

glimpse,

hus,

t what

t

is to

be a

modernman.

t

is

only

a

glimpse

nd

moreover

nly

one

perspective.

ot all human

existence s disoriented nd fearful nd surrounded y technology

(one

can'

ive on a

mountaintop).

urelymany

would

disagree

with

religion

haracterized

s

in the

process

of

decay.

Nevertheless,

ll

of these

ontological

meanings

grow

out of the

reality

of

being

human.

Technology

does surround

most

people,

time marks

our

existence,

many

have

turned

way

from

religion

n the

traditional

sense,

many

people

accept

that

man

can

be

a

primitivistic

rganism:

whether s

a

physical

ystem

r as a Nazi

general.

Poeme

dlectronique

rticulates

n

a

nondiscursive

orm sense

of

humanexistence

at

least n theWest) n themodern ra. t captures

a

being

there

n the world.

Listening

o this

workbecomes

a con-

ceptualization

f

a

lived

experience.

t is not

factical

ife

tself,

ut

a

crystallization

f human

existence

viewed

as

a

complex

cheme

of

ontological

meanings.

nterestingly,

he workdoes

not

present

hese

concepts

n an

ABA

form or

in

any

traditional

tructural

esign.

The intuition

n

our actual

ives

of the

meaning

f

technology,

ime,

primitivism,

nd

religion

lso

does

not

occur n

4/4

time,

heme

nd

variation orm, r four-partarmony.t comes in and out of our

conscious

awareness

freely, sporadically,

and almost

randomly.

Nor do these

fundamental

realitiesof human

existence

appear

to

our

conscious awareness

in a series

or in

systematic

order.

They

permeate




18/20

Phenomenology

s

a

Tool

371

ourexistencen no

regular

rder,

ften

ogether,mbellishing,

om-

inating,

nd

altering

ach

other

nd

affecting

ur

existence.

nd so

in thismusicwehear collage ftexturaloundshat ppearso be

thrownut at us

without

ny

vivid

ogency

r

ogic.

t

is

only

fter

moving

ntothework nd

being

moved

y

t

that

we

understandhe

structure.

he

changing

yntactical

extures

long

with heir

eman-

tic and

ontological

eferentsre

freely

nd

sporadically

laced

throughout

he work.

This s

closer o the

reality

f

the

manner

n

which

hey

ometo our

onscious

nd

unconscious

wareness

n

our

actual

ife.

Thus,

y being

moved

y

Poeme

'lectronique

e let

the

world fthis

poch

we ive n be

through

hismusical ork.

Reflection

3:

A

description

f

isteningopenly"

Throughout

his

ast

istening

consistently

new

xactly

here

was n the

piece

n

terms f the

whole.

This s different

rom

now-

ing,

or

xample,

hat

you

are

n

measure

2

of

piece

X. There

was

an

intuitiveenseof the

whole

thatmade

achsection

ppear

n

a

larger

erspective.

et,

by

having

istened

pecifically

any

imes

for

syntactical

eaning

arlier,

he

sounds

were

lways

resh nd

seemed oemergentothewhole. he formow eemsasilydenti-

fiable

but

not

in

any

traditional

etting.

ertainly

oeme

elec-

tronique

s

different;

ts form s

free.

extures re

placed

n

any-

thing

ut an

implacable

manner.

or

example,

ection couldhave

been

placed

fter

ection without

isturbing

ny

f the

dimensions

of

meaning.

lso,

there s

no

strong

eleological

irection.

he

sounds

do

not move

toward

he stretto-likelimax

n Section

10;

the

stretto

ust

happens.

et,

no

section ould

be deleted

rom

he

workwithout

eriouslyffecting

he

gestalt.

While here

s

no

strict

form rteleologicalmpulse,oncomitantlyheres a definiteense

that

ll

the ectionsre

organic

ndvital o the

work.

The

character

f

each section s

an

amalgam

f

syntactical,

semantic,

nd

ontologicalmeanings

ecamemore

asily

iscernible

in

this

istening.

he

men's oices

nd

the

woman's oice eem

o be

more human.This

living

uality

made ever

more

poignant

he

contrast etween

he

human lement

nd

that

of

a

cold,

ifeless

technology

hat

onsistently

urrounded

t.

One

passage

n

particular

stands

ut

reflectivelyoncerning

hat

ontrast.

hen he

heartbeat

stopped,

echnological

inewaves

esponded

ith

loud,

hrilleries

of

sounds.

t was an

unfeeling

eaction

f

the machine

o

human

temporality.




19/20

372

The

Musical

Quarterly

Many

more

than

thirteen

listenings

and

descriptions

could

be

carried

out to uncover more

meanings.

However,

at

this

point,

having sufficiently tudied the piece, it is possible to presentseveral

conclusions.

The

syntactical

manipulation

of

materials

n

this work

is marked

by great

control,

creativity,

omplexity

and

simplicity,

ontrast and

variety,

and innovation.

Notable semantic

and

substantive onto-

logical

meanings

emerged.

Of

equal

consequence

is that

all

three

-syntax,

semantics,

and

ontology-grow

out

of each

other

and

are

organically

inked. That connection is

not

a

placid

marriage

however.

A

tension

results

from

hearing

the

syntacticalsounds purelyas such

and

interpreting

he semantic

and

ontological meanings.

That

pull

or

tension was made more

apparent

because of the

listenings

and re-

flections that dealt

specifically

and

respectively

with

either

syntax,

semantics,

or

ontology. During

these

listenings

nd

reflectionseach

dimension

of

meaning

became

vivid

and,

to a

degree,

autonomous.

During

the

last

listening

and

reflection,

the

contrapuntal design

of

the three

distinct but

organic

levels

functioned as

a

gestalt.

Each

amplified

and carried the

other into

a

greater

whole than the

three

separate dimensions could have added up to.

Within a

Heideggerian

context,

perhaps

most

significant

s

that

this

piece grounds

history.

This work

captures

a

glimpse

of

human

existence

in

this

quarter

of

the

century;

a

sense that cannot

be

articulated the same

way

in

discursive form.

A

listener

hearing

this

work five

hundred

years

from now

might

ntuit

a

sense

of

our

onto-

logical

existence that no

history

text could

similarly

articulate.

Through

the

knowledge

and

sensitivity

of

the

composer,

our

onto-

historical existence

is

grounded

in

the

work

and

may

be

"preserved"

by

the listenerof the future.

Meta-critique

A

criterion

for

evaluating

musical

analysis

is

that

the

analysis

is

grounded

in

the work.

The

rootedness

in a work

entails a

growing

out

of

the

soil

that enables the

analyst

to

be

transported

nto the

work. One

possesses

the

work

as

he

is

possessed

by

its

unfolding

message. The work and the analysis may both function t high evels

of

metaphor.

Each is

metaphorical

in

the

sense

that their

respective

meanings

are not

congenerically

contained,

but

radiate

outward to

something

other.

The

analysis

and

the

work

being

studied are thus




20/20

Phenomenology

s

a

Tool

373

not

two

separate

ntities,

losed n

some definite

pace

of

finite

meanings.

ather,

ach emits

nd

resonates

eanings

hat

ntersect

inan ideationalpace.There sno quantitativeorrelationfcorre-

spondence

ruth

etween

hem;

he

"correctness"

f

the

analysis

cannot

e

measured

gainst

hework.

here

s

a

bondof

organicity

which

grounds

he

analysis

n the work

nd

which

s

articulated

by

the intersection

f

meanings

hat

the

work

projects

nd

the

analysis

ecords.

Given this

organic

ond between

he

work nd

its

analysis,

certainly

he nherentaws

of

the

work

must

arry

hrough

nd

rule

the

evaluation

f the

analysis.

f

the

workfunctionst

levels

f

meaningther han yntax,hen omusthe nalysis. usicalnaly-

sis

must

not

be

limited

o a

discussion

f

formal

lements.

he-

nomenologicalnalysis

rovides

systematic

nd

cogent

method

for

describing

he

multidimensional

hrust f

meaningssyntax,

semantics,

nd

ontology)

hat often manate rom

great

work

of

music.

Documents

Phenomenology as Tool Musical Analysis