Tristan Murail’s Dèsintégrations

from The Big Composers Cookery Book_Contents_Preface

INDEX

This results in ranges (partials) that have a large collection of tones on offer, both within and outside of our chromatic system. There is a risk however that the music slides from range to range, thereby becoming (too) strongly harmonic-oriented. The material derives from the natural growth of sonority from the macro-structure and not the other way around. In other words, there is no basic material. In most cases there is also no rhythm, either in the microform or as form rhythm. Rhythm is replaced by relations (durations).

11.4 ANALYSIS: THE HARMONIC LANGUAGE OF TRISTAN MURAIL’S DÈSINTÉGRATIONS (1982-83) An extensive analysis of this work can be found on the Internet: http://www.anthonycornicello.com/dissertation/Chapter1.pdf http://www.anthonycornicello.com/dissertation/Chapter2.pdf My own brief analysis is based on this dissertation. The thesis itself is mainly based on the information from Murail, who provided his old sketches. As is so often the case in Young Music, the source material can only be found with the help of the composers themselves.

The work consists of 11 sections, indicated at the bottom of the score. It looks as if the composer regarded the work not as just a composition, but also as the demonstration of this then novel technique. In a foreword, Murail reveals the sources of his material: the spectra of the low piano sound, brass instruments, and cello.

About the manipulation of the spectrum Murail writes: “- Fractioning, one region of the spectrum is used (i.e., the bell sounds at the beginning are obtained by fractioning piano sounds). - Filtering: certain component elements are exaggerated or toned down. - Spectral exploration: movement within a sound; the component elements are heard one after the other, the timbre becomes melody (for instance 3rd section-sounds of small bells arising from the disintegration of clarinet and flute timbres). - Creation of inharmonic spectra. Those that are linear are made by adding or subtracting frequencies (by analogy with ring or frequency modulation); the non-linear are made by twisting a spectrum or by describing a frequency curve. (for instance last but one section - the gradual twisting of a low trombone sound).” Section I. The harmony is derived from the spectra of two low piano notes, that are filtered to produce a number of chords:

The spectrum is based on two fundamentals, the low A sharp and C sharp. The chords increase in density until bar 30. The spectra are now inharmonic and are produced by using ring modulation:

Section II The first 29 bars of section II (Murail gives each section its own numbering) are based on changes within one spectrum with the root tone of G.

Section III A ‘cloud of small bells’ (Murail) forms the beginning. These bells are built on the even harmonics of spectra on F, which are themselves not heard. These spectra are derived from a flute, a clarinet, and an oboe. From bar 26 on, new tones are introduced and from bar 42 on a melody in the cor anglais. This melody comes from arpeggionating the spectrum sound. From bar 58 on there is a kind of upbeat towards section IV. Section IV The ending of the upbeat in section 3 changes into a separate gesture, which repeats itself in bars 9-24. Section V There are, in all, five spectral sounds in this section. The first one is harmonic, the other four are increasingly inharmonic. The first one clearly comes from the spectrum of the low C, the origin of the others is unclear.

Section VI Harmonic material consists of three chords, all based on FM. D is the carrier, G is the modulator.

Section VII This is a stream of semiquavers, throughout the entire ensemble. It consists of seven chords that are continuously repeated, in an always different order. Sometimes the series is not complete.

All chords are approximations of the spectrum, based on a (non-sounding) tone, one octave below the lowest tone of the chord. Section VIII This is the shortest section of the work, consisting of a single gesture. A sustained sound develops from harmonic to inharmonic.

Section IX This section is based on the slowly unfolding of a sound made by using ring modulation. Murail provides the following sketch: The result is a very dense sound.