Download Dawn Riggen Dr. Platt Music History 331 10 April 2014 Commentary

Dawn Riggen
Dr. Platt
Music History 331
10 April 2014
Commentary of Abaddon,
Inspirations by George Crumb
The music of George Crumb spikes interest in many types of audiences. There is an
extraordinarily haunting and intoxicating magic of its sound. There is often starting imagery that
appears through his music. He has the ability to highlight and portray both animate and
inanimate objects through his music. Crumb expands on the sound of the traditional instruments
while combining it with an expressive vocabulary of strange and exotic ones. The format and
layout of his scores are also very strange and exotic. This creates a musical idea through both
sound and sight seeing that even the dictation of his melodies have been well though out and
intricately designed to heighten the entire experience of his compositions. This also helps him
portray symbolism through his works. Commonly he uses circles to portray static ideas. The
music quite literally will be in a circle with specific performance instructions to help the
performer understand the function of their part.
The sheer volume of different techniques invented and used by George Crumb is enough
to make his music completely unique. As an undergraduate music student, it is extremely
difficult to compose a piece of music imitating his style because of how advanced his
compositional process is throughout all of his works. Through my research I began to grasp an
understanding of how he chooses harmonies, instruments, time signatures (if any), and any other
aspect of music that may be altered to change the atmosphere of the music. I also received a firm
understanding on how long it really takes to compose something and how many ideas you will
have to throw out before settling on something that still is not completely satisfactory. In this
paper, I will discuss my choice of text, harmony, melodic material, texture, and anything else
that I incorporated into my composition to imitate the style of George Crumb.
Crumb has written that, while composing the Makrokosmos pieces, he was haunted by
certain recurrent images and ideas: ‘the “magical properties” of music; the problem of the origin
of evil; the “timelessness” of time; a sense of the profound ironies of life (so beautifully
expressed in the music of Mozart and Mahler)’, and by words of Pascal which, translated, read:
‘The eternal silence of infinite spaces terrifies me’, and of Rilke: ‘And the nights the heavy earth
is falling from all the starts down into loneliness. We are all falling. And yet there is One who
holds this falling endlessly gently in his hands’(Steinitz, 845). While these were some big shoes
to fill, I did my best to portray his ‘timelessness’ of time and the ‘recurrent’ images and ideas
through my composition. These are represented in very simple ways but I believe in time, I
would be able to incorporate these on a more complex basis.
First in the process of trying to compose like George Crumb, I began studying the nature
of Crumb’s work. One of the things that struck me was the way he formatted his music. After
analyzing several of his scores, I gained the understanding that the format of the music was just
as important to him as the music that was in it. I tested several drawn out concepts of the music
and realized that it is extremely difficult to draw circular or unusually shaped staves. For this
reason, and for the sake of being legible, I chose to use Finale instead of drawing the music
myself. Should I had more experience with drawing these types of formats, it would be more
appropriate to format my music in this manner. Even in sections where he uses the typical staff
measuring, he uses cut-away formatting so that the music is easier to understand for the
performer.
One can see in the opening of Sounds of Bones and Flutes the amount of techniques that
Crumb uses many unconventional ideas in his compositions. First, the instrumentation is two
electric violins and an electric cello. He states that the amplification of the instruments adds to
the intensity and urgency of the sound (Gillespie, 66). We can also see that he requires other
techniques from the performers such as tongue clicks and whispering syllables. He also uses
many instructions in his pieces for the ease of understanding for the performer. The cut-away
formatting is also evident and is easier for the reader to understand the texture at each and every
moment of the piece. He chooses all of these techniques and syllables based on the type of color
and atmosphere he is trying to create.
Example 1: Sounds of Bones and Flutes, opening measures
The themes chosen for his music are often very ethereal and even supernatural. Some of
these that stuck out to me are titled Apparition, Black Angels, and Elven Echoes of Autumn. I
tried to incorporate my own supernatural story to imitate what he might have done. For this
reason, I titled my piece Abaddon, which is the name of one of the warriors of hell. It was
important that I fully develop a story and a feeling for the piece of music before I began trying to
create my own motives and other thematic material. I chose to portray a scene from the show
supernatural where demon hunters find Abaddon, tie her down, and exorcise her. I believed that
this would be an easier setting for me because the emotions and the atmosphere were already
prepared, all I had to do was attempt to place that into the language of music. I quickly found
out that the story of the music was the easy part, and that it was the execution of writing the
music and achieving the sounds that I had in my mind proved to be very difficult.
The influences for each and every piece of music were very meaningful to me. For
example, in Variazioni for Large Orchestra, the main theme of the introduction is based upon
two names. The first, Rolf Gelewski, the person he dedicated the piece to, and his own name
(Gillespie, 38). He used only the letters of each name that correlated directly with pitches. After
dividing the names into (ROL)F GE(L)E(W)S(KI) and GE(OR)GE H. C(RUM)B, he was left
with the set of pitches, FGEESGEGEHCB. One of the themes of my piece, is inspired in the
same way. The names of the three actors involved in the exorcism with Abaddon are included in
the motive found in measure 28. In this order, the names (J)E(NS)E(N) AC(KL)E(S), D(MITRI)
(TIPP)E(NS) (KRUSHNIK), and (J)A(R)ED (P)ADA(L)EC(KI) left me with 15 letters. These
letters are EEACEDEAEDADAEC. This statement is also set in dotted eighth notes making an
equal division for each of the three actors. While the piece is not explicitly dedicated to these
people, I thought it would be useful to understand why Crumb developed his motive. This is
also the reason why most of the piece is in the meter 15/16.
Through my research, I also learned that in some pieces, rhythm and form are much more
important to Crumb than harmony or melodic line. This allowed me to set an atmosphere
according to the mood of the story. For example, in the opening of the piece, it just starts with
low, rhythmic semitones in the piano line. It is stated that Crumb used clusters of semitones
often when portraying evil within his music. This is understandable because minor 2nd are not
exactly considered consonances in any sense of the word. I used the Italian description ma
distinto for this section to further an understanding of the desired style. George Crumb typically
uses Italian abbreviations and expressions throughout his music. I was very careful with rhythm
in the opening section so that the motive did not seem rushed. I even toyed with the idea of using
his very common rests that include measurements of chronological time rather than musical time.
I chose against this idea because of how this motive develops shortly thereafter. I do, however,
choose to use a full caesura in between some of the sections of the piece.
The pitch-structural materials in George Crumb’s Makrokosmos I and II include four
basic trichordal set types from which larger sets are generated through various symmetrical
dispositions of pitch class sets (Bass, 20). The largest collections in these works have a collection
of ideas from whole-tone, pentatonic, and octatonic scales. These different scales are tightly
woven into a complex fabric of pitch class sets while offers not only a variety of pitch structural
units but also the potential for strict controlled interaction within his compositional process. This
is a long process to achieve the overall significant form of the piece. Often Crumb’s music is
very logical and organic in form but is still based on classical principle. For example, he
concerns himself with the specific sounds of his music making them more organic. Also, he is
very concerned with the logical aspects of his works and the complexities of the motives and
themes involved.
In one article by Richard Bass, Crumb’s interaction of octatonic and whole-tone scales is
discussed. This is how I chose the pitches for the opening to go along with the chosen rhythm. I
used octatonic I, which is CC#D#EF#GAA#. This octatonic scale is the main scale used in the
piece with only a few variations to whole-tone II, which is also used. These octatonic and whole-
tone collections share properties and subsets that facilitate their confederation as reference sets.
This was a new experience for me as I have never written anything using an octatonic scale and
rarely do I hear music on a regular basis that is based upon the octatonic scale.
In achieving this interplay, I played the octatonic scale in a serialistic manner. This way,
I was able to create an eerie atmosphere through repetition. I was also able to create stability of
the pitch set [013]. The pitch set [013] is consistent through the octatonic scale because that is
how it is structured. In measure 15 of my score, I chose to outline the pitch set [013] to easier
see the interplay between the octatonic scale and the pitch set that is found throughout the
octatonic line that I used. Here is an example of George Crumb’s complex interplay from the
segmentation of strain b from Primeval Sounds.
Figure 1: Primeval Sounds Vol. 1, No. 1: segmentation of strain b
While choosing themes for the piece, I tried to keep the overall work in mind, making
sure that each section made sense with one another and even foreshadowed the section that was
coming up next. I tried to consider the storyline and what I wanted to portray. George Crumb
has a successful ability of combining the elements of octatonic and whole-tone scales (Bass,
156). Too often does this interplay between octatonic and whole-tone scales only get recognized
when it is an accidental by-product of another approach to pitch structure. This was difficult to
make both deliberate and obvious while writing my composition. This is the reason I chose to
emphasize more of the pitch class than the whole-tone scale. Also my emphasis of the pitch set
in my music is much less complex than that of George Crumb’s compositions that can be found
in many maps and illustrations.
I also came across a lot of extended techniques that George Crumb used throughout his
music. It was for this reason that I chose to use the flute as one of the primary instruments. I
know a lot of extended techniques for the flute and I actually learned a new one from researching
his music. The first one I chose to use is found in measure 5 and is simply blowing air through
the embouchure hole to create a “whoosh” sound. This sound is deliberately lined up with the
semi-tone strike in the piano part. This, in my mind is the foreshadowing of the evil Hell warrior
Abaddon. This technique typically is not used in a graceful manner and seeing that Crumb
chooses his instruments and extended techniques based on the color that he wants and the
atmosphere he is trying to exhibit, I thought that this was an appropriate timbre for this section of
the piece.
In an example from Crumb’s work, Music of Shadows, we can see the extended technique
he often uses with piano. This technique requires the player to silently depress pitches on the
keyboard so the hammer makes contact with the string, without voicing these pitches. Then the
performer is to glissando over the strings creating a sort of sound that washes over the texture.
He uses this technique strictly for the color that it creates in portraying the shadows. Each
movement of the Makrokosmos is designed to be a completely new creation by Crumb. In his
own words these collections are meant to be “all-inclusive technical work[s]” utilizing “all
conceivable techniques (Gillespie, 55).” We can see through this collection of works that he
tried all conceivable techniques for his works.
Example 2: Music of Shadows, Vol. 1, No. 7, beginning of system 1
On the second page of my composition, the motive from the beginning is repeated in the
right hand of the piano but is offset by an eighth note. This section is an octave apart until the
semi-tone strike at the end of the measure. The strike in the left hand is A and Bb while the strike
in the right hand is F# and G. This creates a semi-tone cluster with a major 9th in between.
Later, in measure 8, this cluster appears with only a major 2nd between the semi-tones. This is
the final strike before the right hand plays an echo of this opening theme. There is a caesura at
the end of this measure before this theme is moved up to D#. This is a slight variation on the
opening motive, which is meant to lead us into the octatonic scale theme that first occurs in its
entirety in measure 14. Before this, however, in measure 12, the octatonic scale is introduced
over the running rhythmic motive. Then in measure 13, the rhythm of the scale is changed so
that it is played in the silences between the running rhythmic motive.
The octatonic motive, after being played in its entirety, is then broken apart in the piano
part, creating variation and breaking the flow of what has already been established. This is
again to portray the evil of Abaddon. In measure 16, the “whoosh” sound of the flute reappears
while both hands of the piano become active in the octatonic theme. This section also includes
terraced dynamics rather than gradual to represent the steps that Abaddon takes toward her
hunters as they prepare to capture her. This theme stops short of what is expected and is followed
by a caesura. This stop in time is the uncertainty of whether or not the octatonic theme will
return again and whether or not it will be fluid and in its entirety.
The octatonic theme is then passed to the flute player at a piano dynamic showing a
change of character and color in the piece. In this section the [013] pitch set is highlighted again
by the flute playing the pitches E, F#, and G in the 3rd octave. The extended technique chosen
here is for the flute player to use harmonics to play the pitches, creating an ethereal quality to
this theme. This adds to the drastic change in character and color desired for this section. George
Crumb would often choose several extended techniques to change the desired color of his music.
Again in measures 18 and 19, the main octatonic theme is broken apart. This is to
portray Abaddon, after being captured, trying to escape from the hunters that have her detained.
This again is followed by another caesura to change sections. The next section, the flutist
switches roles from being the “whoosh” of Abaddon’s presence to the hunter’s role. This
extended technique was new to me and was called “speak-flute.” It involves the flute player
whispering the text while fingering the pitches so that a whispered echo of the pitches
accompanies the text. The text chosen here is Latin, which Crumb used for his piece Star-Child
and it was typically used in a declamatory style. This is also the original text for exorcising a
demon, which is what is happening in the story at this point.
In measure 27, there is a heavy down beat in the piano the signifies the moment the
demon Abaddon is exorcised. This is where we hear the last statement of the octatonic theme in
a very even rhythm. It is also followed by the semitone strike heard in the beginning of the
piece. In the closing section starting in measure 28, the theme that is derived from the characters
names finally appears very slowly and solemnly. In the last five measures of the piece, the flute
plays this new theme using flutter tongue to once again change the color of the piece. This is
paired with the pianist striking the same pitches while dampening the string with the opposite
hand under the lid of the piano. This creates a dull, thud sound as the piece comes to a close and
shows the exhaustion of the endeavor. In the final measure, the original motive is repeated and
the final strike is paired again with the flute “whoosh” this time to signify the closure of the
situation.
Through researching Crumb’s music, I learned a lot about his compositional approach
and process. I learned that at first glance, his music may seem very unorganized and abstract, but
in all actuality, it is very complex and well thought out before he writes a single note. He also
goes through many sketches of motives and melodic ideas before settling on just the right color
and atmosphere for a piece. Never does he choose a rhythm or scale or text before testing all
others first. This ties back into his idea of the Makrokosmos being an “all-inclusive technical
work” utilizing “all conceivable ideas.” Each piece that Crumb writes causes him to exhaust all
possibilities of rhythm, form, style, and musical technique. It was interesting and rewarding to
study the complexities of his compositions.
Word Count: 3055
Bibliography
Bass, Richard. “Models of octatonic and whole-tone interaction: George Crumb and his
predecessors.” Journal of Music Theory 38, no. 2 (1994): 155-186. RILM Abstracts of
Music Literature, EBSCOhost (accessed January 21, 2014).
Bass, Richard. “Sets, Scales, and Symmetries: The Pitch-Structural Basis of George Crumb’s
“Makrokosmos” I and II. Music Theory Spectrum, Vol. 13, No. 1 (1991): 1-20. JSTOR,
EBSCOhost (accessed February 13, 2014).
Gillespie, Don. George Crumb, profile of a composer. New York: C.F. Peters, 1986.
Steinitz, Richard. “George Crumb.” The Musical Times. Vol. 119, No. 1628 (1978): 844-877.
JSTOR, EBSCOhost (accessed February 13, 2014).