Misshapen Shadows, Broken Symmetries, Lustrous Glimmering: Gyӧrgy Ligeti’s Melodien and Gustav Klimt’s Mosaics and Let There Be Ashley Simone Nail Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2014 © 2014 Ashley Simone Nail All rights reserved ABSTRACT Misshapen Shadows, Broken Symmetries, Lustrous Glimmering: Gyӧrgy Ligeti’s Melodien and Gustav Klimt’s Mosaics Ashley Nail This essay is an analysis of Gyӧrgy Ligeti’s Melodien for orchestra (1971), with a particular focus on symmetrical structures and imitative echoing. In this essay, I explore the many levels—melodic, harmonic, temporal, and structural—on which these mirrorings and shadowings take place. In Melodien, these symmetries and shadowings are often broken, distorted, or negated; the tension between order and disorder in Ligeti’s works manifests itself in these moments. I also explore the connections between Gustav Klimt’s mosaic paintings, an inspiration behind Melodien, and Ligeti’s compositional practices. In the introduction, I briefly situate Melodien in terms of Ligeti’s previous works. In the following two sections, I discuss structural, temporal, and melodic aspects of mirroring and shadowing. In the fourth section, I explore harmonic aspects, including the prevalence of the major third in Melodien and the presence of symmetrical and near-symmetrical interval structures. In the fifth section, I discuss the idea of implied just intonation within the 12-note equal-tempered world of Melodien—distorted shadows of harmonic spectra. In the sixth section, I discuss the connections between Melodien and Klimt’s mosaic works: the surface-level brightness and glitter of both, structural and compositional correspondences between Klimt’s Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I (1907) and Melodien, and the presence of broken symmetries in Klimt’s works. Table of Contents List of Figures and Examples ............................................................................................. ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iv Dedication ............................................................................................................................v I. Misshapen Shadows, Broken Symmetries, Lustrous Glimmering: Gyӧrgy Ligeti’s Melodien and Gustav Klimt’s Mosaics 1. Introduction ..........................................................................................................1 2. Form .....................................................................................................................3 3. Melodic and Temporal Shadowing ......................................................................7 4. Harmony ............................................................................................................16 4.1. The Major Third ..................................................................................16 4.2. The Horn Duets ...................................................................................25 5. Implied Microtonality in an Even-Tempered Work ..........................................29 6. Melodien and Gustav Klimt ...............................................................................39 6.1. Surface Similarities .............................................................................39 6.2. Klimt and Form in Melodien...............................................................42 6.3. Klimt and Broken Symmetry ..............................................................48 7. Conclusion .........................................................................................................62 References ..........................................................................................................................64 II. Let There Be ..................................................................................................................66 i List of Figures and Examples Figure 1: Melodien, Map of Structure..................................................................................3 Example 1: mm. 72–77, Pitch Fan-Out Around C (Pitch-Class Space) ............................12 Example 2: mm. 25–28, Violin A and Viola Melodies .....................................................13 Example 3a: mm. 28–30, Piccolo ......................................................................................14 Example 3b: m. 94, Flute ...................................................................................................15 Example 3c: Scales, m. 28 and m. 94 ................................................................................15 Example 4a: mm. 47–48, Vibraphone Ostinato .................................................................16 Example 4b: mm. 91–92, Clarinet and Bassoon Ostinati ..................................................16 Example 5a: mm. 1–2, Pitch Filtering ...............................................................................17 Example 5b: mm. 4–5, Pitch Processes .............................................................................18 Example 5c: mm. 1–13, Range Boundaries .......................................................................18 Example 6a-c: Melodien, Significant Pedal Points ............................................................19 Example 7: mm. 46–57, Pedal Points ................................................................................20 Example 8a: mm. 49–50, Bassoon Ostinato ......................................................................21 Example 8b: mm. 31–35, Linear Presentations of (014) and (026) ...................................22 Example 9: mm. 12–22, Pitch Processes ...........................................................................23 Example 10: mm. 12–22, Interval Structures (Adapted from Macaulay (198627)) ..........24 Example 11: mm. 136–138, Second Horn Duet ................................................................26 Figure 2: mm. 136–138, Second Horn Duet, Interval Symmetry ......................................26 Example 12: mm. 63–65, First Horn Duet .........................................................................27 Example 13a: 9 Dyads of Each Horn Duet, Superimposed ...............................................28 ii Example 13b: Horn Duets, Pitch-Class Relationships Among Symmetrically Placed Dyads ....................................................................29 Example 14: Analysis, mm. 11–19 (Reproduced From Hasegawa (2006)) ......................32 Example 15: Harmonic Spectrum on C2, with Cents Flat/Sharp Labeled for Each Partial .....................................................34 Example 16: mm. 96–97, Harmonies ................................................................................35 Example 17: mm. 91–92, Piano and Strings ......................................................................36 Example 18: mm. 109–110, Horn Glissandi ......................................................................36 Example 19: mm. 60–65, Horns, Labeled with Respect to Harmonic Spectrum on D1 ...38 Figure 3: Gustav Klimt, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I .................................................45 Figure 4: Unknown, Empress Theodora and Her Attendants (6th century) ......................49 Figure 5: Gustav Klimt, Judith I ........................................................................................51 Figure 6a: Dining room of the Stoclet Palais, Designed by Josef Hoffmann (1911) ........52 Figure 6b: Gustav Klimt, Expectation, Stoclet Frieze (1911) ...........................................53 Figure 6c: Gustav Klimt, Fulfillment, Stoclet Frieze (1911) .............................................53 Figure 7: Gustav Klimt, Expectation, Cartoon for the Stoclet Frieze (1909) ....................55 Figure 8: Gustav Klimt, Rosebush, Cartoon for the Stoclet Frieze (1909) ........................56 Figure 9: Gustav Klimt, Fulfillment, Cartoon for the Stoclet Frieze (1909) .....................57 Figure 10: Gustav Klimt, Knight, Cartoon for the Stoclet Frieze (1909) ..........................59 Figure 11: Gustav Klimt, Kiss for the Whole World, Beethoven Frieze (1902) ................61 iii Acknowledgements In my time at Columbia University, I have encountered too many people to be able to properly thank here. So, I first want to thank all of my teachers and colleagues, all of the staff, and all of my students. I am grateful for all of the help, however large or small, I received here. I am particularly indebted to my advisor and sponsor, Fred Lerdahl, for his help and support throughout the years, and to George Lewis and Fabien Lévy for their commentary during a presentation that grew into this essay. I am also deeply thankful to Carl Bettendorf, Brad Garton, and Noel Zahler for serving on my committee. I am grateful to all of my teachers throughout the years: Nanette Fisher, Mollie White, Debbie Schiemenz, Cathy Dodd, and Holly Hughes, who influenced me early on; my composition teachers through the years, Andy Walters, George Chave, Alex Lubet, Noel Zahler, Doug Geers, Fred Lerdahl, Tristan Murail, and Fabien Lévy; and other teachers who have had a hand in my intellectual development, notably Michael Cherlin and Joshua Kretchmar. Thanks are also due to Schott Music Corporation, for granting me permission to reprint excerpts from the score of Melodien. Thanks go to my family, for their love and support. And I