The String Quartets of Iannis Xenakis

Author(s): James Harley

Source: Tempo, New Series, No. 203 (Jan., 1998), pp. 2-10
Published by: Cambridge University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/946262
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James Harley
The String Quartets of Iannis Xenakis

He clungto the few experienceshe had sharedwith
her: the gift of a flute whose soundshad astonished
him,herwishthathe shouldenjoymusicandespecially
play the cello. He refusedto let her go.1
If the tenderness of Anton Webem's musical
expression at the loss of his mother is difficult
them.3 In short, the stringquartetsof Xenakis are
worthy of consideration,and at the same time -
spanning as they do a large part of his career -
their study provides an opportunity to trace his
development as a composer.
* * *

for some listeners to hear in his scores, how

much more so for the iconoclasticmusic of annis Xenakis produced his first string quartet in
Xenakis?Be that as it may, Matossian'srevelation 1962, at the age of 40. Prior to that, he had
of this intimate memory from his childhood composed very little chamber music, apartfrom
the unpublished 'juvenalia' written prior to his
provides a clue to the composer's attraction to
the cello, and, by extension, to the chamberstring first acknowledged works.4 His novel treatment
of massed stringsin such works as Metastasisand
genre, particularly the string quartet. This
perhaps surprising personal inspiration is rein- Pithopraktahad, of course, already changed the
forced in the recently published interviews with musical landscape. The rarefied world of the
Balint Andras Varga. quartet,though, was an entirely different matter,
and it is perhaps appropriatethat his first foray
These feelings were plantedin me becauseof my into that territory occured to some extent by
experiences as a child. It remindsme of my family. .. I In the period between 1956 and
felt I wastoo sensitive.Musiccouldevenbringme to happenstance.
tears. It was silly. But it still happens today.2 1962, Xenakis had been largely occupied with
developing a formal compositional model based
With so many major contributions to the on probabilities,or 'stochastics'.In 1962, having
modem repertoire for string quartet - from succeeded in obtaining access to the computing
Schoenberg, Webern and Berg to Bartok and facilities at IBM-France,5 Xenakis ran several
Shostakovich, from Tippett and Carter to trials of his algorithm, producing enough data to
Fereyhough, Feldman and Crumb - the name create a family of works for different ensembles.6
Xenakis may not come immediately to mind. Each piece is based upon identical principles,
His music, after all, is about massive glissandi, with the various constraining factors being
statistical clouds of dense textures, layers of adjusted to fit the particularities of each
percussive pulsations, huge orchestral clusters. compositional situation (number of instruments,
Surely it has little to do with intimate, chamber ranges,etc.). The one exception, interestingly,is
settings within the rich context of an abundantly ST/4, which derivesfrom the same dataas ST/10.
populated historical genre? In fact, Xenakis has, The basis for the quartetis the adaptationof the
to date, composed four string quartets, a trio, a
3 ibid, 66.
sextet, a piano quintet, and a host of smaller and 4
Amongtheseearlyworksis a shortduo forviolinandcello
larger pieces for strings, including no less than from 1951, evidentlybroadcaston BelgianRadioin 1953
seven works featuringhis beloved cello. Further, (cf Matossian,51). The various
stylisticinfluencesshownin
these works form by far the bulk of his chamber this piece are discussedby Francois-Bernard Miche in 'The
music output. One could even go so far as to state Hellenismof Xenakis',Contemporary MusicReview8, Part1
that Xenakis's compositional style can be largely (1993):197-211.
defined in terms of his deployment of, and 5 In the presenteraof digitalubiquityandcompactness, it is
attention to, sonorities created with the strings. perhapsworth recalling that in 1962, computerswere
and few-and-far-between.
As he puts it himself, 'I have a particularflair' for cumbersome,expensive,
6
Nouritza Matossian: Xenakis (London: Kahn & Averill, (1957)canbe seenas the prototype,followedby
Achorripsis
ST/48, ST/IO, ST/4, Amorsima-Morsima
(withdrawn),Morsima-
1986), 13. andAtrees.All of thesepieceswere completedin
Amorsima,
2 Conversations
with IannisXenakis 1962.Partsof Eonta(1963)werealsogeneratedaccordingto
(London: Faber and Faber,
1996), 10-11. the sameprocedure.
 The StringQuartets-oflannisXenakis 3

stringpartsfromthe largerensemble,intowhich though at a handful of points Xenakis does

additionalmaterialfrom other instrumentshas orchestratethe sound,doublingor triplingthe
beenadded.The closesimilarities
canbe seenby numberof playersfor isolatedevents.He does
comparingthe opening measuresof the two the same for occasionalheld notes and short
works(Fig.l). attacks,doublingup unisonsor addingoctaves.
Fig. 1: Comparisonof mm. 1-3 of ST/10and ST/4. Again, this happenson a limited numberof
Reproducedby kind permissionof Boosey occasions,but the effect is to drawattentionto
& HawkesMusic PublishersLtd. those momentsas being more 'intentional'than
a) IT/1O
, __, _, - 5L, ? ^ . -
the surrounding textures.Forthe mostpart,the
cl music is highly pointillistic and, from the
perceptualpoint of view, quite indeterminate.
b.cl Thereforeif, asin m. 57-58,a low F# takenfrom
^$1!?
ri?-_
.... -sp2 if
-, 5
p
the horn part is orchestratedas a tutti spread
acrossfour octaves,it is bound to standout!
r[F - i -
P,a- f ff-=====^m
Xenakisorchestratesanotherlow F# originally
assignedto the horn (mm. 335-340)by calling
for the cello to playa 'detuned'unisondouble-
stop, creatinga vivid 'beating'effect he would
makemuchof in laterpieces.
t?
pp
.o..---f -,
i- l I
X
D
---
pz-- - p
Surely,however,the most incredibleadapt-
KVp> <sj7
,0Lt ^"wo i; . /;Itt.7
ation of them all comes in his treatmentof a
f- , fz, C jp pp descendingchromaticscalein theharp(mm.222-
^^^^^
X^ U - - F ^'3r
248).In the translation of the computerdatainto
musicalnotation,this materialwas in itself an
/yf b .$ r >; ^l ^r, adaptationof the glissandoparameterto the
t
s wf ct p pp i ppgJ p? distinctfeaturesof the harp.Intranscribing it for
strings,Xenakisopted to preservethe plucked-
string character,tradingoff from instrument
to instrumentas the scalefallslowerandlower.
7 The rangeof the harpreachesan octavelower
~f
iY' e '
than the cello, and this particulargesture
b) ST/4
#IF r
5
\~ifz>f
spior, PP continuesto the harp'slowestnote. Undaunted,
88-----, v
. 1-f-I'Itpfl
", '- 1 4;. fflT
the composerrequiresthe cellistto lowerthe C
stringwiththe tuningpeg, retuningforeachnew
note, until it is tuned an octave lower than
'*
f
normal.As anyone with even a rudimentary
knowledgeof stringinstruments wouldknow,it
Z' r' "
*
Irr I
<iffr-- 7 ff
if, is treacherously difficultto tunea stringonstage
in the midstof a demandingperformance. As a
dramaticgesture, therefore, this manouevre
completely upstageswhatever else might be
The piece is much more than a simple going on aroundit. Xenakis,however,treatsit
transcription,however,andit is the changesand hereasif it werea perfectlyordinarythingforthe
additionsthat shed light on Xenakis'smusical cellistto do.
intuition.For, as even these threebarsdemon- Thisaudacityhighlightsanessentialcharacter-
strate, the composer did not just transcribe istic of Xenakis's music. In asking for the
the stringparts,he made many changes- of impossiblefrom the cellist here, and indeed
dynamics,rhythms,articulations,even pitches. fromthe entirequartetin tryingto emulatethe
Someof thesecan be accountedfor as editorial rhythmicand texturaldensityof an ensemble
refinementsin orderto integratenew material more than twice its size, Xenakissucceedsin
into the existing string parts (and some are creatinga thrillinglyintensemusicalexperience
transcriptionerrors).Others,however,aremore for performersandlistenersalike.IrvineArditti,
interesting.For example,Xenakismanagesto who has playedin both versionsof the piece,
preservesome of the percussionmaterialof the maintainsthatthe quartetis the moresuccessful
originalwork, adaptingit as drummingon the of the two, simplybecauseof the elementof
bodiesof the stringinstruments (e.g., m. 1 in the 'risk' that the performersmust undergo and
viola).No timbral or connexion
registral is made, communicatein performance. As a comparison,
4 The StringQuartetsof IannisXenakis

Morsima-Amorsima, for violin, cello, doublebass Createdon the initiativeof IrvineArditti,who,

andpiano,wasconceivedfromthebeginningasa togetherwith Rohande Saramand the other
quartet:as such,it is muchmorecomfortableto members of his quartet, had been giving
playand,it mustbe admitted,less engagingas a committedperformances of the earlierchamber
listeningexperience. stringworks,Tetras hasbecomea seminalpiece:
Xenakiswouldgo on to challengethenormsof both for Xenakis, in terms of compositional
instrumental performance practicein a seriesof achievement,andfor the ArdittiQuartet,whose
solo works for all the membersof the string reputationas the definitivenew music string
family, from NomosAlpha (1966) and Kottos quartetwas crystallizedwith its electrifying
(1977)for cello, to Mikka(1971)andMikka'S' performances of thispiecearoundtheworld.For
(1975) for violin, Embellie (1981) for viola, and the composer, representsin manywaysa
Tetras
Theraps (1976)for doublebass.At the sametime, culminationof his efforts to combine formal
he was working toward a more complex, strength and subtlety with striking musical
multidimensional conceptionof musicalform materialswhich provide radicallyheightened
thatgavegreaterprominenceto the organization challengesfor the performers,engenderinga
of pitch,andallowedfor the incorporation of a degreeof virtuosity,energyand concentration,
widerrangeof musicalmaterials.An interestin both as individualsand as an ensemble,that is
rhythmicstructures builtfromcyclicalprocesses utterly enthralling.In studyingthe piece, it
also came to the fore, beginning with the becomes apparentthat Xenakis sustainsthe
percussionwork Persephassa (1969), and this intensityof thematerials andtheenergyrequired
concernsurfacesin Xenakis'snextchamberwork to performthemthroughhis uniquelynonlinear
for strings,Ikhoor(1978).Aftera 16-yearhiatus, conceptionof form. The notion of 'variable
this trio launcheda seriesof worksfor various dynamicflux'is carriedevenfartherin thiswork.
chamberformationsof strings,with or without The primarysonicentitieswhichgive character
piano,whichhascontinuedat a fairlysteadyrate to the music- the glissandi,the scalepassages,
to the present. the noise sounds,etc. - can be understoodas
Where the sectionsof ST/4 are definedby membersof a multidimensional 'space'(orflux).
meansof changingtemporaldensities,theformal These materialsare variedby meansof para-
divisions of Ikhoorare articulatedthrough metrically-based developmental processes (changes
changesof texture.The sonic materialranges of register,speed, dynamics,density,rhythmic
from the driving chordal pulsationsof the regularity,and so forth). Xenakispays much
opening,variedby layeredtempi, to glissandi, attention to linking the different materials,
presentedin variousguisesandspeeds,to scalar through careful control of the parametrical
passages, naturalharmonics, trills,andStravinskianprocesses;thus,a glissandocanevolveimpercep-
melodicpassages.The relativelyclearsuccession tibly into a sustainedtone, by progressively
of thesetexturesin Ikhooris given a morefluid narrowingthe ambitusof the slidingcontours
treatment inDikhthas (1979),forviolinandpiano. (see openingviolin solo, for example),a scale-
In thiswork,Xenakisseeksto establishwhathe passagecan 'become'a glissandoby holdingthe
calls 'a variabledynamicflux',7by whichhe is range and speed constantbetween the two
ableto confrontandexploitthe contrasting traits entities(Ex.2).
of the two instrumentsas well as to merge While there are cearly defined sectionsin
differentcompositional processes.The resultis a Tetras, delineatedby shiftsin the primarysonic
workof clearlyarticulated sectionsbutonewhich characterof each passage,such momentsof
is, as the same time, more malleable,with a transition,of linkingone entityto another,are
continuumof materialsrangingfrom highly found throughoutthe work.8 Indeed, it is
characteristic elementsfor each instrumentto the interplay between the immediate sonic
otherswhichcanbe shared.Theformalstructure, identityof particular sectionsof thepieceandthe
too, is morecomplexandfluid:therearemany constantreferencesand links to other entities
short passagesthroughoutwhich recall earlier which gives such depth, and ultimatelysuch
materialor pointforwardto upcomingsections. expressiveforce, to its structuralarchitecture.
The result is music of remarkablerichness, Thetitlemeans'four',whichXenakis,in treating
exhibitinga widerangeof coloursandcharacters the quartetas a single 'meta-instrument' rather
whichplayoff of eachotherin a varietyof ways. than four independentindividuals,takesto be
In 1983, 21 years after ST/4, Xenakis
8 I discussformal of thispiecein moredetailin
completed his second string quartet, Tetras. organization
'Sonic and ParametricalEntitiesin Tetras:An Analytical
7 Xenakis:Prefaceto the publishedscoreof Dikhthas,
(Paris: Approach to theMusicof annisXenakis',Canadian
University
SalabertEditions,1982). MusicReview,Vol.16,No.2 (1996):72-99.
 The StringQuartetsof IannisXenakis 5

Fig. 2: Transitionsbetweenscalarand glissandoelementsin Tetras(beats 396-401).

? EditionsSalabert.Used by kind permission.

<aC
;,&g 4i ;?-i;"- Sim.. Ir _ .

4! ^ *,ji J. -J,JJj
7j jjjjj JJJ - _

5?i -- m. rFi.-, ij .4 n
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J Urnm
f ,dFrj m ,.I l,.0 -ri
! r ", r em m Prn M nr7z rn m -I ,

p---- _F_--

^' - I.

3j.- -E- -' - s rr

,? C=~~II nimMl
, i11 r aim
r.t J - 11iirr

(mp,

'four in one'. The counterpoint - if one can attentionbackto thestringquartet,thistimewith

describe it in those terms - takes place on the
formal level, while the performers are engaged
as a homogenous ensemble in presenting the
extraordinarilyvirtuosic sonic manifestation of
the music. At the same time, the piece succeeds
as chamber music through the commitment
demanded of each player to project both the
surfaceand the architecture.Largerforces cannot
realistically be expected to grapple with such
extreme technical demands, and a soloist cannot
convey the communalexhilarationof an ensemble
soaring together up to and beyond the limits of
instrumentaltechnique.9The string quartet, and
the Arditti Quartet in particular,appearsto have
been a perfect vehicle by which Xenakis could
join his own unfettered compositional vision to
what he calls the performers' 'joy of triumph -
triumph that [they] can surpass [their] own
capabilities'.10 As befitting the revolutionary,
however, ever seeking to begin anew, once he
had achieved that aim, Xenakis moved on.
In 1986, after three years occupied with a
series of works for largerforces (such as Thallein,
Alax, Horos and Keqrops),Xenakis turned his
9 It has
only enhancedthe reputationof the ArdittiQuartet
thatfew othergroupshavedaredto tackleTetras (theKronos
Quartetperformedit a few times, for example),and none
haverecordedit.
10
Varga,66.
the additionof piano. Akea is an altogether
differentpiece from Tetras.In the summerof
1985,Xenakiswasthe featuredcomposerof the
CentreAcanthesSummerCoursefor Contemp-
oraryMusic. He spent six weeks in-residence
with both the ArdittiQuartetand the pianist
ClaudeHelffer, and heardall of his chamber
musicto date for the variouscombinationsof
stringsand piano performednumeroustimes
within that period. Perhaps this prolonged
exposure to his own music gave cause to
reconsideraspectsof it thathadbecomebasicto
his vocabulary.In any case,Akeacontainsnot a
traceof glissando,the characteristic 'trademark'
to thatpointof virtuallyall his scoresinvolving
strings.Clearly,though,it wasnotjusta desireto
shakeoff anystylisticpredictability creepinginto
his musicthatwouldhavecausedsucha radical
shiftin the composer'sdeploymentof composi-
tionalmaterial.Xenakiswasalsobecomingmore
and more involved in exploringthe melodic-
harmonicaspects of his musical conception.
In particular,he was drawn into a detailed
consideration of the structureof scalesegments-
inspired,to some extent,byhisfascination withthe
pelogscaleof the Javanesegamelan.Accordingto
Xenakis1,particularconfigurations of intervals
n ibid, 145.
6 The StringQuartetsof lannisXenakis
Fig. 3: 'Resonated'melody from the opening of Tetora(mm. 1-4).
O EditionsSalabert.Used by kind permission.
mf
4 -lLJ
)nf
give rise not only to melodic structures,but also
to harmonic 'timbres'. His own approach is to
create scales containing mixtures of larger and
smaller intervals (m2-M3 pairings, for example,
giving the characteristicsound of the gamelan
scale). These scales are non-octaviating;in other
words, the intervallic structureis not the same in
each octave of the total range of the scale. In this
way, the tensions generated on the local level by
the oppositions between different interval types
is matched by tensions between scale segments
in different registers. The result is a unique
melodic-harmonic construct, a filtered environ-
ment within which the musical material can be
shaped and coloured.
Akea is the first chamber work to be entirely
concernedwith melodic and harmonicstructures.
Rhythmic and textural organization have their
place, of course, but the density of events, both
vertical and temporal, has been reduced, adding
to the more reflective, introspective characterof
the music (particularlywhen comparedto Tetras).
In spite of the muted tone of the material,
however, the formal architectureis a model of
suppleness and subtlety, with the basic sonic
elements being continuouslyrecastin the shifting
light of changing parametricalvalues.
Similarly,Tetora(1990), Xenakis'sthirdquartet
(the title also means 'four'), eschews surface
complexity in lieu of a pliant, nonlinear formal
structure. The basic concerns of the piece are
extremely simple: the generation of melodic
lines, and the rhythmic deployment of chordal
sonorities. As in Akea, there are no extraneous
Fig. 4: Rotationalchord sets from the final passageof Tetora(mm. 130-132).
0 EditionsSalabert.Used by kind permission.
1 1 2 3 43 5 2
~~~~~ ~~~~~~~
/30
qt.?
,,~~~~~~~~~~~~
1r 22 3-c 334
2b 425L~
I 7 1
1 2 2 3 334 2 2 2
J Ibj J J- 4
effects or playing techniques. Where the piano
had provided scope for dialectical opposition to
the quartet,as well as opportunitiesfor synthesis,
the homogeneity of the strings in Tetorashifts
the emphasis from the instrumental characters
directly onto the musical material. The piece
unfolds as a succession of finely shaped passages
exploring the conceptual space delineated by the
basic horizontal and vertical entities underlying
the music. Exposed and developed in numerous
ways, the linear and harmonic entities are
combined by variousmeans as well. The piece, in
fact, begins with a clear melodic passageplayed
by the first violin and 'resonated' by the other
instruments (sustaining the successive notes of
the line), right away establishing a relationship
between the horizontaland the vertical aspectsof
the music (Ex.3).
At other times, melodic material is pitted
starklyagainst chordal punctuationsor rhythmic
configurations in the other instruments. In a
numberof passages,Xenakis explores the timbral
duality of contrasting registers by pitting the
upper violins against the lower viola and cello,
and he makes great use of register as a parameter
by which certain passagescan be shaped and set
in relief against contrasting sections. The final
section is particularlyfascinating for the way it
reunites the instrumentsrhythmically.The two-
part counterpoint of the preceding passage
continues in a different guise: each of the
instrumentpairs articulatesa set of chords, seven
in the upper duo, and five in the bottom (Ex.4).
1 6 4 4 56 5 1 1 4 b 71 143 3 7
,rt .t teL.~ f
~ ~ ~
r? I ''
3? 527 132
25C 131
1
33 55 2 42 5 1 32 3 5 2 1 3 1 2 5
 The StringQuartetsof lannisXenakis 7

Astheorderingof eachof thetwoprogressions is still challenging to perform and requiring

irregular,the overallresultis a complexpattern enormousenergy,havebeen decidedlyaustere,
of continuallyrecombinedsonorities.On the focussingalmostobsessivelyon dissonant,thick
largescale,themusicis static,thecharacter being sonorities,set in the contextof highlysimplified
harmonicand rhythmic.On the smallerscale, rhythmsand greatlyreducedtempos.In 1994,
however,the musicevolvesin a highlyintricate Xenakis completedhis fourth string quartet,
fashion.While the rhythmicunity of the four Ergma,written, unusually,not for the Arditti
instruments providesa senseof temporalpropul- Quartet, but for the MondriaanQuartet of
sion,the two-partharmonic-melodic organization Holland.Thecomposerhasexpressedadmiration
illuminatesthe unchangingfeaturesof the pitch for the abstractart of this well-knownDutch
sieve underlyingthe ever-recombining chords. painter,12 and,asa musicalresponse,hascreateda
The density of relationshipswithin this one work of great concentrationusing an extreme
passageis indicativeof the formaldepthof the economyof means.Thestringsplaydoublestops
workasa whole.Atthesametime,thecaregiven almost exclusively,each instrumentsounding,
the often lyricalmelodicmaterialmarksa new with few exceptions,harshintervalsaroundthe
expressivenesssurprisingto many admirersof octave (m7, M7, m9), pitch sieves giving way
the earlierworks, here to the completechromaticfield. The basic
Aroundthe timeof the compositionof Tetora, pulseof the musicis veryslow,andthe rhythmic
Xenakiswrote his first concertanteworks for flow proceedsprimarilyby additiveunitsof the
stringinstruments. (1989),for cello and semiquaver(1-2-2-3-1-1-2,etc.). The rhythmic
Epicycles
ensemble,is a highlyabstract conception,asif the articulationof these chordsis subjectto a fair
timbralbeautyof the cello, so closeto Xenakis's degree of overlap, as different instruments
heart, need not be explicitly shown in the sustainelementsof theprevioussonority,or drop
characterof the music (in contrastto the bass out. The overall tone of the string sonority,
clarinet-ensemble piece,Echange, fromthe same however,is unrelentinglydense and dissonant,
year, which positively revels in the rich timbre performedwithmaximumintensity(thedynamic
of thatinstrument's low register).The title hints markings arealmostexclusivelyffandff7). Asone
atthe complexwebof cycles,or trajectories, that listens,though,the soundof thefourinstruments
aretracedoutin themusicby variousmeans.On startsto fuse, giving rise to a unique timbral
a restrictedscale, the short work Paillein the identitythat,while harshandaustere,conveysa
Wind(1992),for cello andpiano,sharessimilar kind of purity similarto the highly focused
traits.Dox-Orkh(1991),for violinandorchestra, expressionof Mondriaan'sgeometric works.
exhibitsa widerrangeof materialsandcharacters Certainly,the restrictedtreatmentof the basic
thanthe two cello works.The title capturesthe materialof thepiecedrawspowerfulattentionto
dialecticalnatureof the piece, 'dox'referringto anychangesin textureor temporalflow thatdo
the soloviolin,and'orkh'to the largerforcesof occur.One of the highlightsoccursat the single
the orchestra.In contrastto most of the later spot where the dynamicmarkingschange:the
musicfor strings(fromAkeaon), the violinplays violacontinuesas before,at full intensity,while
glissandi almost exclusively, evolving from the other three instrumentsdrop to a piano
single-stringcontoursto difficult,double-stop marking.The doublestopscontinuein all four
glissanditoward the end. Dox-Orkhdoes set instruments, but the spotlightfallson the viola,
the soloist againstthe orchestra,primarilyby emphasizedby rhythmicdifferentiation(Ex.5).
alternating phrasesor passages,butXenakisdoes This passagetakes on somethingof the dark
not presentan 'argument' basedon anysenseof expressiveness of the viola'scharacteristic tone,
narrativeor dramaturgical scenario.Instead,the followedby a seriesof shortphrasespittingthe
musicproceedsaccordingto its own composi- violin and cello againstansweringoutburstsof
tionallogic,thesuccessionof contrasting sections the full ensemble.
being mitigated to some extent by the many Ergma's highlyfocussedintensity,shornof all
cross-references betweenvarioussonic entities, but the mostdirectsonicelementsrequiredfor
andby the independentdeploymentof defining the composer'smusicalintent,characterizes the
parameterssuch as temporaldensity,register, mostrecentstylisticphaseof Xenakis'smusicfor
synchronicity, dynamics,and so on. strings.While he has not written any more
Dox-Orkhmarks,in an importantsense, the quartets,thereis nonethelessa groupof chamber
end of an era in Xenakis'screativeevolution, stringworksfor other combinations worthyof
looking back to the detailed surfaces and considerationin this discussion.In 1995, he
breathtaking virtuosityof the stringmusicwhich 12Xenakis: tothescore (Paris:Salabert
Editions,
hadreachedits apexin Tetras. Laterworks,while 1994). Preface ofErgma
8 TheStringQuartets
of IannisXenakis
Fig.5: Viola'solo'fromErgma(mm.25-26).
? EditionsSalabert.
Usedby kindpermission.
25
VIl.I' L
"if -E XL-
All
ViPc.
completed a shortwork, Voiles,for a largergroup
of strings (20 instruments). Exceptionally, this
piece does contain some glissandi, but the main
focus of the music is the exploration of the
'spatial' potential of the ensemble. The main
texturalgesture of the piece is geometrical, with
massiveharmoniccomplexes (often comprisedof
every note of a pitch sieve, up to 40 thick) filling
out one or two notes at a time, rising or
descending, or both. These pyramidalshapes are
contrasted with vertical sonorities (tutti articu-
lation) and contrapuntalpassagesreminiscent of
Ergma. This music resembles Debussy's piano
arabesqueof the same title not at all. The image
of the 'sail' is conceptual ratherthan descriptive.
The music voyages into the acoustically rich,
vibratingworld of the strings,the dense voicings
of the massedsonoritiestaking on a new, original
character as the instruments fuse into a single,
evocative tone-colour, then disengagingto form
distinct layers or individual lines.
In 1996, Xenakis completed two duets,
Humen-Iduhey, a short piece for violin and cello,
dedicatedto YehudiMenuhin (from whose name
the title is derived), and Roscobeck,a more
substantialwork for cello and bass, written for
Rohan de Saram (of the Arditti Quartet) and
Italian bassist Stefano Scodanibbio (the title is a
conflationof their namestogether with Wolfgang
Becker of WDR, the work's commissioner).
There are numeroussimilaritiesbetween the two
pieces: rhythmsare restrictedto additive units of
the basic, moderately-paced, semiquaver pulse;
double-stops, alternatingon an equal basis with
single notes, are comprisedexclusively of seconds
andminor thirds;the musicis playedsenzavibrato,
at a single dynamic marking of fortissimo.The
main elements which are varied in the music are
temporaldensity(alternatingpassagesof relatively
constant articulation of the pulse with slower
sections built with note values of much longer
durations),and ambitus,together with intervallic
proximity (alternatingpassagesof small intervals
held within a restricted range with others based
on large, disjunct contours). Perhaps most
important,and most innovative for this composer
of 'massed' global sonorities, is the attention
given to the succession of specific intervals.
In both works, harmonic sonorities are pre-
dominantly dissonant, being centred on minor
and major seconds, along with their octave
equivalents. There are, however, occasional
moments in which other intervals predominate,
such as one extraordinary passage in Humen-
Iduheywhere the violin outlines the notes of a
dominant seventh chord above the sustainedBs
of the cello. At other times, an occasional octave
or unison will stand out of an otherwise
acousticallydense texture. Of particularnote in
terms of formal construction is the extreme
compression of this music. Shifts in register, or
changes in temporal density occur suddenly, and
do not last long, and a single intervalmay signal a
variation in texture that in earlier works may
have been expressed by a lengthy passage of
contrastingmaterial.
Ittidra(1996), a sextet written for the Arditti
Quartetwith additionalviola and cello, is a larger
work texturally,though with a durationof under
nine minutes, still highly compressed.This music
is more orchestral than the duos, or Ergma-
monolithic, even. The six instruments play
ensemble, in strict rhythmic synchronicity
throughoutalmost the entire piece. In contrastto
the other pieces, there are clear, contrasting
sections, and passages of double-stops alternate
with others of single-stops. There are just a
handful of brief moments, all the more striking
for that, in which less than the full complement
of strings are sounding, drawing attention to
the sonic qualities of the particular harmonic
intervals thus exposed. Chromatic clusters are
treatedas a primarytexture, both within disjunct
chordal passages and linear passages outlining

scale segments. The cluster texture treats the
ensemble as a unified sonic entity, with all the
instruments moving in parallel. By way of
contrast, Xenakis employs two other ensemble
textures. One is highly directional, as a corollary
to the scalar passages, with the higher voices
rising and the lower voices falling, or vice versa,
creating fan-like registral expansions and con-
tractions. The other texture harkens back to
earlier works such as Tetora.A limited set of
chords, ranging from a semitone cluster to a
wide-spread sonority covering close to five
octaves, forms the basis of the opening and
closing passages, in which an unpredictable
succession of these harmonic entities unfurls,
articulated in time by an independent, and
equally unpredictable, succession of durations,
drawn from a limited range. Such music has a
processional quality through the way in which
the relatively small group of elements appear
and reappear,the tension between recognizability
and lack of ordered progression carrying the
music forward in a ritual with roots in the
isorhythms of Machaut and the ragas of India.
Again, with the full sextet playing fortississimo
throughout,the impact of this piece is strong, the
harsh,intensely vibratingsonoritiesmatchingthe
ponderous,processionalcharacterof the material.
It is true that over the past several years,
Xenakis has been fighting ill health, and has had
less energy to devote to his vocation. This fact
may shed some light on the gradualsimplification
of texture and shortening of duration in his
pieces. Be that as it may, these late works are still
forceful manifestationsof a unique and powerful
musical vision. The energy and concentration
required of the performers are still formidable.
The lack of vibrato demands absolute intona-
tional accuracy,no small task in passagesof large
leaps, rendered even more difficult by the
inclusion of awkward, closely-voiced double-
stops and the need to execute each note at full
dynamic intensity. The music sounds raw and
rough-hewn, but naive it is not. The interaction
and development of its various elements could
only have come about through years of rigorous
discipline, training the mind to grapple intuit-
ively with complex, multi-dimensional formal
processes. These works represent a distillation
of 45 years of compositional thought and
exploration.13
* * * from everyday life. He has spent his life search-
13ST/4, Tetras,
andTetora
(alongwith Ikhoor,
Dikhthas,Akea,
andthevarioussoloworks)havebeenrecordedby theArditti 14Varga,47-48.
Quartet(withpianistClaudeHelffer)on DisquesMontaigne 15
(MO782005, 1992).Ergma,Ittidra,and the otherlate works
havenot yet been releasedcommercially.
of IannisXenakis 9
TheStringQuartets
I think I've become the way I am becauseof my
wound. Firstmy hearingwas damagedbecausethe
explosionoccurreddirectlyby me... The big splinter
destroyedmycheekbone.If it hadhitme a littlehigher
I wouldnot haveescaped.One eye waslost,however,
with the consequencethat even monthslater I was
unableto standup straight... All thathasled to the
factthatI don'tlivein reality.It'sasif I'min awell.. . I
thinkthat'swhy my brainhasturnedmoreandmore
towardsabstractthinking.14
The music Xenakis has written for strings
represents some of the most personal of his
oeuvre. Personal,but not sentimental.Nothing in
his life could lead to sentimentality.'Composing
is a battle... a struggle to produce something
interesting'." More than that, however, writing
music is a way of afirming life itself. And the
need to compose music that is new, that is
different, is also of fundamental importance to
Xenakis. This life-affirming quest for originality
in creative activity is integral to Xenakis's raison
d'tre as a composer, and also serves as a guiding
principle in studyingthe evolution of his musical
concerns over the 30-odd years he has been
composing music for string quartet. One can see
in the various stylisticperiods different manifest-
ations of the struggle to push back the frontiers;
first of all, the limitations of the composer's
musical conceptions, then the limitations of his
technical or theoretical conceptions, then the
limitations of the performance traditions of the
string instruments, and finally, the limitations
of perception. The focus of Xenakis's music has
gradually shifted from theorectical concerns to
formal ones, as his compositional process has
freed itself from the strict algorithms he had
developed earlier.
Thebestsolutionis, I think,to livewithform . . Music
is a kindof organism,it's slowto takeshape... Thisis
the best strategy,for it ensuresthatthe musicwill be
deep and alive.16
The characterof the music has graduallycentred
on the inner quality of the sound itself,
particularly the pure, rich tone of the strings,
shornof vibratoand externalactivity.At the same
time, the need to engage the musicianswith the
act of performing in the strongest possible way
has remained of vital concern.
As he was long ago, from the time of his
mother's death, Xenakis is still walking along the
creativepath, alone, on the other side of the river
ing for opportunities to affirm his existence,
ibid, 204.
16
ibid, 203-04.
10 The StringQuartetsof lannisXenakis

opportunities- given particularexpressionin his scores,recordingsandsketchmaterials,andfor many

string quartetsand related pieces for strings - to otherkindnesses;of IrvineArditti,for the gift of an
experience the force of originality,the life-giving otherwiseunabtainablerecording,and for offering,
power of creativity, alongwithRohande Saram,insightsintotheperform-
ative aspectsof this music on numerousoccasions;
I wouldliketo acknowledgethe supportofRaduStan, andof lannisXenakis,for his personalgenerosity.
of SalabertEditions,for his cooperationin providing

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