NotesonStructuresandserialism

BoulezenteredtheParisConservatoirein1943attheageof17,Messiaensharmonyclass
in1944.In1945heattendedRenLeibowitzsconcertofSchoenbergsOp.26,whichwasa
revelationtohim.HelinkedserialismwithKlee,KandinskyandMondrian,aswellasJoyce,
KafkaandMusilinliterature.PariswasdominatedbytheneoclassicismofBoulanger,Break
withrepresentationbytheabstractexpressionistswasalliedto12tonetechnique.
Theserialaesthetic:WebernquotesGoetheonorderinnature,requiringtoabstractlaws.
KleewrotethatArtdoesmakestheinvisiblevisible.Boulezattempttoexpresstheinner
self,butdrewheavilyonRomantictheoriesofart.
BoulezonWebernssignificance:hehasrethoughttheverynotionofpolyphonic
musicthroughtheprinciplesofserialwriting(awritingwhichhediscoveredprogressivelyin
hisworks,throughtheprimordialrolehegivetotheintervalproper,andeventotheisolated
sound),suchisWebern.ThroughoutWebernswork,onesensesanefforttoreducethe
articulationofthediscoursetoserialfunctionsasmuchaspossible.Forhim,thepurityand
rigoroftheexperienceweretobepreservedaboveall.
Aesthetic:
1.Anewrelationshipbetweenverticalandhorizontal
2.Thearticulationofthediscoursethroughserialfunctionsalone;thedeliniationofform
throughcontrastsderivedfromtheseries;
3.Apurityandrigor,carefullythroughout,extendingtoorchestration,whichbecomes
partofthestructure.
TheinfluenceofthesecondVienneseSchool:
Theunityoftheserialhierarchy,topologyandcharacterology:Schoenberg
Uniquityoftheseries,selectivityduetointernalcharacteristics:Webern
Oneormoremultiformseriesofvaryingtypology:Berg

In1953BoulezwroteSchoenbergisdead:theconfusionofthemeandseriesin
Schoenbergsserialworksrevealsquiteclearlyhisinabilitytoglimpsethesoundworldwhich
theseriesinvokes.Heredodecaphonyconsistsonlyofarigorouslawforthecontrolof
chromaticwriting.
IntheearlydayshedissedBerg,butnomore.NowheadmiresBergssenseofcontinuous
development,andseestheambiguityofhisnovellikeformasavirtue.Aworkwhose
courserevealsitselfcompletelyatonehearingisflatandlackinginmystery.Themysteryof
aworkresidespreciselyinitsbeingvalidatmanydifferentlevels.Whetheritisabook,a
pictureorapieceofmusic,thesepolyvalentlevelsofinterpretationarefundamentaltomy
conceptionofthework.[CD:2425]
ButWebernsworkislikeapicturebyMondrian:Youcanseeitsperfectionanditisvery
striking,beingstrippeddowntotheabsoluteminimumatrulyausterekindofperfection;but
whenyouseeitagainatalaterdate,itoffersyounothingfurther.ThenexttimeIseethe
pictureagainitisthesame.
Schoenberg,however,hasneverbeenrehabilitated,butisalwayspicturedasthe
conservative:Thoserhythmsofquiteinsufferablesquareness,thediminishinglevelof
invention(after1920),thestyle,andfinallythecontrapuntalprocedureswhichareacademic
andappearoneverypage.Nottomentionhisadoptionofdeadforms.
TheinfluenceofMessiaenandStravinskywasfeltprimarilyintheareaofrhythmic
innovationanddevelopment.Messiaenheldadvancedprivateclassesoutsidethe
conservatoire.AlthoughBoulezfoundmanythingsobjectionableaboutStravinskysmusic,
hedescribedtheRussianin1948asthefirstpersonwhoconsciouslymadeaneffortinthe
rhythmicsense.[Propositions,RA,65]ButtheserializationofrhythmbelongstoModede
valeursetdintensitsfromtheQuatretudesderhythme(1949/50).Boulezfirst
incorporatedrhythmintoserialisminStructures(1951/52).
Partiallythroughtheinfl.ofCage(underwhoseinfl.BoulezwrotehisThirdPianoSonata
1957)BoulezloosenedupandwrotebeautifulworksrecognizablyintheDebussytradition

likeLeMarteausansmatre(195254,rev.1957);thetexturesherearemuchlesspointillist
thaninBsearlierworks;Badmitsthattheserialordersareundecipherabletotheanalyst
PIERREBOULEZconversationswithClestinDelige
PB:WhatIattemptedtherewaswhatBarthesmightcallareductionofstyletothedegree
zero.thefirstStructurewasanexperimentinwhatonemightcallCartesiandoubt:to
bringeverythingintoquestionagain,makeacleansweepofonesheritageandstartallover
againfromscratch,toseehowitmightbepossibletoreconstituteawayofwritingthatbegins
withsomethingwhicheliminatespersonalinvention.
InStructuresyoucanfollowtheprocessofreintroducingpersonalinvention;thefirst
pieceispurelyautomatic;thesecondalreadyintroducesacertainregularity:thereisnolonger
justthisstatisticalfeatureoftwelvevalues,butpolarisationscenteringoncertainpointsinthe
series;thesebecomerhythmicallyregularandsoalreadyestablishacertainsenseofdirection
inthemidstofthisstatisticallydifferentiatedworld.Afterthis,thethirdpieceisverystrongly
directedtowardsoppositionsbetweencompletelystaticpassagesandfreneticallydenseones.
attheendofthesecondpieceitwasinfactIwhowassuggestingtothematerialthatwe
makesomethingtogetherwhatinterestedmewastoseehowthematerial/myself
relationshipwasgraduallyreversedtobecomemyself/material;sothatafterwards1was
completelyfreeofcomplexesaboutthestrictorganisationofonesmaterial.
Thusthissortofabsurdity,ofchaosandexpansionofserialtechniquemechanicalwheels
withinwheelstendingalmosttowardstherandom,wascompletelyintentional...Atthat
pointdisorderisequivalenttoanexcessoforderandanexcessoforderrevertstodisorder.
Thegeneralthemeofthispieceisreallytheambiguityofasurfeitoforderbeingequivalentto
disorder.Thisequivalencebetweendisorderandorderisfinallyoverthrown,becomingan
oppositionbetweenthetwo.
thatperiodtherewasuncertaintyabouttheevolutionofmusic,anditwasnotpossible
todootherwise.Musicalmethodologyhadtobequestioned,inmyopinionnothing
couldbemorefruitfulthanthisperpetualmodificationofperspective,ofhypotheses,inthe
faceofmusicalreality.

Amusicallabyrinthincorporatingnonlineardesign,performerbaseddecisions,and
notionsofformitselfasaprincipleaesthetic,Boulez'sThirdPianoSonatarepresentsa
pinnacleofmusicalModernisman"openwork"castinivoryandebony.
ThirdPianoSonata;Theidealversionofthesonatahasfivemovements,whichBoulez
callsformants.Althoughallfiveformantscontainveryspecificsystemsintendedtoopenthe
work'sstructuretoaleatoricelements,onlyformants2and3havebeenpublished,sothework
hasneverreceivedacompletepublicperformancebyanyonesaveBoulezhimself.Formant2
istitledTrope,andformant3istitledConstellation.TheConstellationmovementhasa
mirrorimagedouble,Constellationmiroir,whichmaybeplayedinitsstead.Additionally,
Boulezrecentlypublished"Sigle,"ashortfragmentunassignedtoaformant.
Tropeismadeupoffourfragments,eachtakingitsnamefromrelatedtermsofliterary
criticism:Text,Parenthesis,Commentary,andGloss.Theperformerisfreetochosewhich
fragmentservesasthebeginning;aslongasCommentaryisplayedeitherbeforeorafter
Gloss,andprovidingthattheperformerplaysthrougheachfragmenttotheendinthe
directionselected.
Thenextformant,Constellation,servesasalabyrinthofsorts,allowingtheperformerthe
freedomtoselectapaththroughthemovementfromseveralalternativepossibilities.The
movementisessentiallycomprisedofaseriesof"vertical"fragmentscalled"points,"which
arewritteningreenink;and"horizontal"fragmentscalled"blocs,"whichareindicatedinred
ink.(AlthoughasmallsubsectionnamedMlangesreversesthesecolorassignments.)After
playingafragment,arrowsinthescoreprompttheperformertogotoonetofourpossible
nextfragments,andsoonthroughthepiece.Andasifthisweren'tenough,thereversesideof
thesheetscontainConstellationmiroir,whichmayplayedasasubstituteforConstellation.
Bothformantsmakesomeratherunusualdemandsontheperformerapartfromtheneedto
occasionallymakechoicesregardingorganizationandrhythm.Theperformermustalso
employvariousresonanceeffects,includinganearvirtuoso"legwork"onthepedal,andthe
useofpianoharmonics.
TropeandConstellationareactuallyfairlygentle,basicallystatic,lackinganysenseof
motionornarrativedevelopment,andinboth,silenceplaysaveryimportantrole.Themusic

generallytakestheformoftiny,spikyclustersofnotes,eachembeddedinafieldofsilence
withvaryingdegreesoflingeringsustainorpointillistcrispnessconnectingthemtothenext
cluster.Themusicevadesanysenseofdramaticcontinuity,forcingthelistenertofocuson
eachisolatedeventitselfratherthanitsoverallrelationtothewhole.