The Controlled Indeterminacy in Lutoslawski’s Cello Concerto D.M.A Document Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Music Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Shuo Shen, DMA Graduate Program in Music The Ohio State University 2019 D.M.A Committees: Jan Radzynski, Advisor Anna Gawboy David Clampitt 1 Copyrighted by Shuo Shen 2019 2 Abstract Since 1960, Lutoslawski started to use the musical technique of controlled indeterminacy in his Jeux vénitiens, this musical technique had become one of the most crucial terms linked to him. After the premiere of his Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (Cello Concerto) in 1971, this piece had become one of his most celebrated works. This document introduces the development of Lutoslawski’s personal musical style, including the intervals, the musical forms, the musical characters, etc. Chapter III introduces the background of indeterminate music and the development of Lutoslawski’s controlled indeterminacy. In the second part of Chapter III, I analyze the Cello Concerto by using all of his personal musical techniques. ii Dedication This document is dedicated to my dear professor, Jan Radzynski. iii Acknowledgments First, I want to sincerely express my deepest gratitude to my professor, Dr. Jan Radzynski. Dr. Radzynski’s teaching has far-reaching influences on me. In the last three years, he taught me how to compose by using different methods. In addition, Dr. Radzynski coached me to find my own musical style. He taught me independence and confidence, the abilities which will affect my future. In addition, I want to sincerely thank to my family. They gave me the greatest support they have. Finally, I am eager to thank my dear lover and soul mate, Dr. Kehui Wu. Without her support, I will not have such inspirations to compose my musical works. iv Vita 2009 .......................................................................... Music Composition, BA, Shandong University of Arts 2013 .......................................................................... Music Composition, MM, University of Arizona 2019 .......................................................................... Music Composition, DMA, The Ohio State University Fields of Study Major Fields: Music v Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Dedication...........................................................................................................................iii Acknowledgments..............................................................................................................iv Vita ...................................................................................................................................... v List of Figures ................................................................................................................... vii Chapter 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2. Lutoslawski’s own style ................................................................................... 3 Background of Lutoslawski ............................................................................................ 3 Sound Language of Lutoslawski......................................................................................5 The Form of Lutoslawski's Music .................................................................................12 Chapter 3. The Controlled Indeterminacy in the Cello Concerto.................................... 22 The indeterminacy in the 20th century...........................................................................22 The Cello Concerto.......................................................................................................36 Chapter 4. Conclusion........................................................................................................52 Bibliography ..................................................................................................................... 55 vi List of Figures Figure 1. Reduction of Chords in Lutoslawski’s Music ................................................... 7 Figure 2. Reduction of ten-pitch chords in Lutoslawski’s Cello Concerto ....................... 8 Figure 3. Hexachord in Funereal Music .......................................................................... 11 Figure 4. The chord of John Cage’s Winter Music for Piano ......................................... 24 Figure 5. Earle Brown, December 1952 ......................................................................... 25 Figure 6. Karlheinz Stockhausen, Zeitmaße. .................................................................. 28 Figure 7. Rehearsal 61 of Lutoslawski’s Cello Concerto ............................................... 35 Figure 8. Rehearsal 7-9 of Lutoslawski’s Cello Concerto .............................................. 43 Figure 9. Rehearsal 10-12 of Lutoslawski’s Cello Concerto, beginning of the first episode .............................................................................................................................. 45 vii Chapter I. Introduction After Lutoslawski heard John Cage’s Second Piano Concerto on the radio, the idea of chance music inspired him to open a new method to use his musical ideas.1 “…, nowadays, more and more often engaging the attention of music writers, not only professional publications, but also in articles intended for a wider public. The subject I am referring to is aleatorism… which is published under the title ‘Indeterminacy’ in a collection of Cage’s writings titled Slience; and article titled ‘Aléa’ by Boulez, which appeared in 1957 in Darmstädter Beiträge; and parts of an article by Werner Meyer-Eppler in the first column of the journal Die Reihe.”2 Lutoslawski divided aleatoricism into two different kinds: in the first kind, the whole work, includes the form and texture is based on chance; in the second kind, the chance only can be used to decide some details. He explained the first kind of aleatoricism that for the audience who only listen to the music once may not have any opportunity to hear the whole materials from the special performance. The music will be decided by the performers on the stage and even the composer will not know which part will be played or never be performed. Thus, based on this situation, the audience will not know the whole creation or have any surprise of the work until they listen to the piece by some different performances several times. 1 Zbigniew Skowron (trans. and ed.), Lutoslawski on Music (Maryland-Toronto- Plymouth, UK: The Scarecrow Press, INC,2007), 98. 2 lbid., pp. 40-41. 1 Lutoslawski preferred to use the second kind of aleatoricisim in his music rather than the first one. He mentioned that the second one will give the performers more room to show their personal artistic skills and musical expression than the first kind, called whole- aleatoricism works by him. By using the second kind of aleatoricism, no matter how many unexpected elements in each performance, the music is still limited by the framework of the music. In other words, the composer still controlled the music and the audience can realize the expression of the work from the composer much more comfortably than in the first kind.3 Lutoslawski did not use this music technique until the 1960s. The second kind of aleatoricism which he used was called “controlled aleatoricism”. As one of Lutoslawski’s most celebrated works, his Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (Cello Concerto) was called “the story of the twentieth-century Don Quixote” by Galina Vishnevskaya, wife of Mstislav Rostropovich who was the first and the most known performer of this piece and the dedicatee of this music work.4 The second chapter will introduce the composer’s background, and Lutoslawski’s own musical style which he uses in his cello concerto. The third chapter will introduce the history of indeterminate music and some music pieces from some other composers that might influence him on writing this cello concerto. Then, the Cello Concerto will be analyzed in detail from the beginning to the end. 3 lbid., PP. 41-45. 4 Steven Stucky, Lutoslawski and his music (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1981), 172. 2 CHAPTER II Lutoslawski’s Own Style Background of Lutoslawski Unlike the music works from his generation of Polish composers, Lutoslawski’s music does not have a lot of influences by following nationalism or some of the new developments of Western music technique. His music has a more personal style than some of his contemporaries that has his own choice of whatever the use of musical technology and theories he wants. However, it does not mean that Lutoslawski’s music has never used this musical language. According to Stephen Peter Lawson, the word “refinement” can explain Lutoslawski’s style more clearly. Lawson states that when Lutoslawski learned the new musical theories or technique no matter from nationalistic music or any other contemporary composers, he would not just use them directly. He was more inclined to adopt whatever he likes, then develop them into his personal style.5 “To this day I am not sure if it was good for my development that I had studied precisely those subjects so superficially. Maybe it was bad. But it was because of this that I was induced to be my own teacher later on, as a more mature composer,