Musica contemporanea - MA PERF

Spectralisms

Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana

A.A. 2022-23
 Lesson 2

- Tristan Murail
- Fausto Romitelli
 Sound synthesis
played by acoustic instruments
A few examples:

- The third sound (200Hz - 150Hz = 50Hz)

- Spectral distortion (compressed or stretched spectra)
- FM, Frequency modulation (1967, John Chowning)

- Composing sounds’ ADSR

 Tristan Murail
“Gondwana” (1980), for orchestra
First chord
 ADSR

An envelope describes how a sound changes over time

A = Attack
D = Decay
S = Sustain
R = Release

5
 ADSR
100

0
Attack Decay Sustain Release

6
 Piano’s ADSR

The piano doesn’t have sustain

7
 Tristan Murail
“Gondwana” (1980), for orchestra
First section

From percussion’s ADSR to brass instruments’ ADSR

 Tristan Murail
“Gondwana” (1980), for orchestra
First section
 Tristan Murail
“Gondwana” (1980)
Orchestration of the 1st chord:
percussion’s ADSR,
inharmonic sound
 Tristan Murail
“Gondwana” (1980)
Orchestration of last chord:
brass instruments’ ADSR
harmonic sound
 Tristan Murail
“Gondwana” (1980), per orchestra
listening
 Spectralism reconsidered by
Fausto Romitelli (1963-2004)

- Instrumental synthesis
- Distortion (and spectral distortion)
- Sound as the structural matter of the composition

Fausto Romitelli’s dictionary:

- Fusion
- Distortion
- Liquify
- Hi-Fi/Lo-Fi & High art/Low art
 Fausto Romitelli
“Il compositore come virus” (2003)

“Le nuove tecnologie hanno sconvolto le basi del pensiero musicale: sono il punto di arrivo di un
lungo processo verso il controllo assoluto del suono e l’emancipazione del rumore.
[…]
Le tecnologie non hanno generato un nuovo linguaggio, ma hanno suggerito ai compositori nuove
interpretazione di uno stesso principio: comporre “il suono” anziché “con il suono”.
[…]
Se vogliamo evitare le secche dell’accademia e l’inaridimento dobbiamo riflettere a 360 gradi
sull’universo sonoro che ci circonda ed integrare nella scrittura delle sollecitazioni provenienti da
mondi sonori diversi.”
 Fausto Romitelli
Distortion, liquefaction

Francis Bacon, Three studies of George Dyer” (1966)

 Fausto Romitelli
“Professor Bad Trip: Lesson 3” (2000)
for ensemble

Topics:

- Inspired by Henri Michaux’s books

- The obsessive repetition of the musical phrases
- New lutherie
- A new chamber ensemble’s sound
- The distortion (lo-fi, spectral, etc.)
 Fausto Romitelli
“Professor Bad Trip: Lesson 3”

Liquefaction of lines
 Fausto Romitelli
“Professor Bad Trip: Lesson 3”

Repetition and
gradual
distortion/inharmonicity
 Fausto Romitelli
“Professor Bad Trip: Lesson 3”

Repetition and
gradual
distortion/inharmonicity
 Fausto Romitelli
“Professor Bad Trip: Lesson 3”

Repetition and
gradual
distortion/inharmonicity
 Fausto Romitelli
“Professor Bad Trip: Lesson 3”

Repetition and
gradual
distortion/inharmonicity
 Fausto Romitelli
“Professor Bad Trip: Lesson 3”
Final lo-fi:
inharmonicity with acoustic instruments,
feed-back with electric instruments,
digital distortion in tape
 Fausto Romitelli
“Professor Bad Trip: Lesson 3”
listening
 For the final exam:

Texts:
- F. Rose, Introduction to the pitch organization of French Spectral music
from page 30 untile the end (40’)
- F. Romitelli: “Il compositore come virus” (20’)
- My slides (30’)

You should have a deep knowledge of:

- F. Romitelli, “Professor Bad Trip: lesson n° 3” [score, listening, analysis] 1h
- T. Murail, “Gondwana”, only the 1st section [score, listening, analysis] 30’