Contemporary Music Techniques and Concepts

6 Ts

Technique, noTation, Tuning, Technology, Timbre, Texture

Timbral Rhythm

Changes in tone color over time

Micropolyphony

Dense polyphonic texture with closely spaced lines

Dodecaphonic

12-tone music using all pitch classes equally

BACH Motive

B-flat (B), A, C, B (H in German notation)

Ponticello

Playing near the bridge (bright timbre)

Sul tasto

Playing over the fingerboard (soft, airy timbre)

Harmonic Rhythm

Rate at which chords change

Dynamic Rhythm

Speed at which dynamics change

Aleatoric Music

Music that incorporates elements of chance

Aggregate

Full 12-tone pitch collection

Minimalism

Repetition, tonal, non-orchestral, modular/process forms, flexible instrumentation

Inversion

Flipping the intervals of a tone row or motif

Retrograde

Playing a series backward

Retrograde Inversion

Backward and interval-inverted series

Prime Form

Original form of a tone row

Fibonacci Sequence

0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8... structure often used in form and climax

Overtones / Partials

Harmonics above a fundamental pitch

Semiotics

Study of signs and symbols in music

Graphic Score

Visual representation of music outside traditional notation

Serialism

Composition using ordered series for pitches, rhythms, etc.

Extended Techniques

Unconventional methods of playing instruments

Microtonality

Use of pitches between standard Western semitones

Palindromes

Musical phrases that read the same forwards and backwards

Postmodernism

Genre-blending, ironic, layered meanings

Anton Webern "Wie bin ich froh!" from Drei Lieder

12-tone, piano/voice, chromatic tone row, triplet motif

Luigi Dallapiccola, 'Simbolo' from Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera

BACH motive, 12-tone with triads, ostinato bass, elided rows

Schoenberg, 'Farben'

Klangfarbenmelodie, timbral rhythm, static chord changes

Ruth Crawford-Seeger, String Quartet III

Dynamic counterpoint, Klangfarbenmelodie, texture building

John Cage, Sonata No. 1

Prepared piano, aleatoric (chance), I Ching

Heinz Holliger, Der Sommer (III) from Die Jahreszeiten

Microtonal, aleatoric (heart pulse), 7 voices canon

Elliot Carter, 8 Etudes and a Fantasy VII

G pitch focus, timbral rhythm, Fibonacci climax, wind timbre

Chen Yi, echoes of the set bells

Bell-like harmonics, semiotics, pizz/arco contrasts, m7

Steve Reich, Piano Phase

Minimalism, phasing technique, repetition

Steven Scott, Rainbows II

Minimalism, bowed piano strings, drone, fff dynamics

Julius Eastman, Gay Guerrilla

Minimalism, 4 pianos, aleatoric ending, note A, martin luther “a mighty fortress is our god” gay manifesto

Ligeti, Lux Aeterna

Micropolyphony, pp dynamics, overlapping canons, BACH motive, 16 voices

Laurie Anderson, O Superman

Minimalism, vocoder, postmodern themes (tech, power, control)

Helmut Lachenmann, Guero

Graphic score, piano as percussion (scraping, tapping)

Ligeti, Artikulation

Electronic, artificial language, phonetic sounds, intonation

Marc Sabat, Spectral Canon No. 1

Microtonal canon, spectral pitch organization

Pauline Oliveros, Breaking Boundaries

Aleatoric, fading chords, active listening, Cage influence

Phillip Glass, Koyaanisqatsi

"Life out of balance", new instruments enter over time, audible process that is not predictable

Joseph Michaels, Assembly Line

2 soprano saxophones + electronics, microtonal notation, distinct pulsing

Symbolic semiotics

The meaning is learned through social or cultural agreement.

Iconic semiotics

It looks, sounds, or feels like what it represents.

Indexical semiotics

has a direct, physical or causal connection to its referent. It points to or indicates the thing.

Phasing

A very audible and predictable process

Compositional aleatory

Chance is used during the composition process, but the resulting score is fixed for performance.

Interpretive aleatory

The performer is given freedom in interpretation—like choosing order of sections or making expressive decisions that affect the form or experience of the work.

Realizational aleatory

The performer must realize or complete a loosely notated or indeterminate score, often with high degrees of freedom.

klangfarbenmelodie

musical concept that treats timbre as a melodic element