European Traditions of Solo Multipart Instrumental Music. Terminological Problems and Perspectives Ulrich Morgenstern Abstract The article deals with terminological issues of solo multipart instrumental music and related phenomena, based on a wide defi nition of multipart texture (Mehrstimmigkeit). The theoretical models and termino- logical solutions considered come not only from European ethnomusicology (folk music research) but also from historical musicology, music theory and psychoacoustics. The musical textures discussed include so-called virtual polyphony (Albert S. Bregman 1990). Special attention is paid to the drone, which is defi ned in a broad sense (according to German and Austrian research tradition from Erich Moritz von Hornbostel to Rudolf M. Brandl). Therefore I also consider pitch modifi cations (movable drone, alternating drone, harmonically regulated drone), the relation between drone and ostinato, and temporal modifi cations (discontinuous drone and drone accents). A special phe- nomenon is the mental drone (James R. Cowdery) that exists predominantly in the inner perception of a musician. Among the widespread techniques of (solo) multipart music are episodic chordal accents and harmonic foundation. The terminological solutions and working defi nitions and the English translations of existing German terms proposed in this article do not pretend to establish a fi xed terminology, but should open an inter- disciplinary discussion. 1. Introductory remarks tipart instrumental music of medieval minstrels, Vocal multipart music is always a result of group playing “more than one voice” (Salmen 1957: 18) performance and therefore of social interaction. – in an ensemble but also as soloist musicians. In The only possible exception is throat singing. a similar way Bruno Nettl off ered a “broadest pos- All other types of vocal multipart music making sible defi nition of polyphony, that is, any music in require “the co-presence of at least two persons, which more than one pitch […] is going on at one producing deliberately diff erentiated but coordi- time” (Nettl 1963: 247). As Martin Boiko1 has men- nated sound sequences” (Macchiarella 2012: 10). tioned in his fundamental study on the concept Unlike the human voice, a huge number of mu- and terminology of the drone, Nettl admits that sical instruments off er comfortable possibilities Jaap Kunst’s term ‘multi-part music’ comes closer for producing diff erent tones simultaneously and to this defi nition than the traditional understand- therefore for multipart texture. ing of ‘polyphony’ in English-speaking musicol- Such a wide structural-phenomenological ogy (ibid., cf. Boiko 2000: 20). defi nition of multipart texture or Mehrstimmig- This wide defi nition does not ignore either the keit corresponds particularly with the German signifi cance of the cognitive dimensions of mul- research tradition with regard to instrumental tipart music or its alternative defi nitions, for in- music. Walter Wiora (1955: 319–321) made a dis- stance in Rudolf M. Brandl’s concept of Mehrstim- tinction between Mehrstimmigkeit in a narrow migkeit, to be understood not as an umbrella term sense as a “community of diff erent voices” [“Ge- but as opposed both to Heterophonie and Poly- meinschaft verschiedener Stimmen”] (ibid.: 321) phonie (Brandl 2005), or in Ignazio Macchiarella’s and in a wider sense, the latter including all pos- concept of multipart music as an essentially col- sibilities of simultaneous combination of diff erent lective activity (see above). At the same time, it tones. Not by chance this concept was fruitfully seems problematical to exclude from the study used by Walter Salmen for the analysis of the mul- of multipart music all instrumental styles based 1 Unfortunately, Boiko’s online article on the concept of drone is currently not accessible. A republication, particularly in English translation, would be most desirable. 100 Ulrich Morgenstern on the coordination of diff erent sounds by a solo- Nathalie Fernando, Susanne Fürniss, Sylvie Le ist musician. This is anything but a reduction to Bomin, Fabrice Marandola, Emmanuelle Olivier, “musical outcomes” (Macchiarella 2012: 9). A sin- Hervé Rivière, and Olivier Tourny (Arom et al. gle musician may produce multipart textures no 2007). The authors pay particular attention to the less deliberately than a vocal ensemble. Indeed, distinction between multipart music produced by the cognitive dimension of texture is of particular one or by several performers. Naturally the fi rst interest in organology, as many musical instru- aspect leads to what the authors call instruments ments are initially conceptualized, described, polyphoniques (ibid.: 1092). Unfortunately, in this produced, chosen and played as a means for pro- valuable article the German-language studies ducing solo multipart music in the most diverse mentioned above are not considered, with the textural realizations. exception of Hornbostel (1909). Musical instruments with a capacity for mul- The obvious terminological problems in the tipart texture have long attracted the attention study of multipart instrumental music cannot of comparative musicology and ethnomusicol- be explained only by the limited and rather con- ogy. It was Erich Moritz von Hornbostel who fi rst tradictory local folk terminologies at hand or by mentioned “the use of multi-tone instruments possible language barriers, but also by the lack of [mehrtönige Instrumente] for rhythmic drones” any systematic and comparative study of the very (Hornbostel 1909: 301). “Multipart instruments” phenomenon itself. Interestingly, it was histori- are to be found particularly in European folk mu- cal musicologist Willi Apel who coined the term sic (Elscheková 1997: 79f.), but also in the music of ‘polyphonic solo music’ (Apel 1953: xxi). I would the social elites of Antiquity and the Middle ages. like to suggest the broader term ‘solo multipart Multi-stringed cithers and lutes, doubled fl utes instrumental music’. and reed pipes are only the most common and In the following pages I am going to present well-known examples. selected techniques of solo multipart instrumen- Due to the initially social nature of vocal multi- tal music and related phenomena which occur in part music its terminological representation is of diff erent European folk music regions, discussing higher signifi cance than that of instrumental mu- terminological alternatives and off ering some sic. For practical reasons alone, the function of the preliminary solutions. Most of these phenomena ensemble parts becomes an issue of verbal dis- are related to drone music, one of the most wide- course and negotiation – while in an instrumental spread textures in traditional practice, and one ensemble the performance role a musician takes with the most disparate terminological represen- may be marked by the very instrument he holds in tation in ethnomusicology. Due to the fact that his hands. Solo instrumental music is more often pioneer works dealing with multipart instrumen- a result of individual creativity and therefore its tal music (Hornbostel 1909) as well as most ethno- style and techniques are less often discussed by musicological studies on scholarly terminology of the performers. multipart phenomena (Elschek 2005; Brandl 1976, In European ethnomusicology, a multipart tex- 1981, 1995, 2005; Boiko 2000) are written in Ger- ture achieved by a single musician is frequently man, I shall sometimes have to consider German mentioned in the works of Felix Hoerburger, Os- terms2 before discussing possible solutions for in- kár Elschek, Alica Elscheková, Igor’ Macijewski ternational, English-language ethnomusicology. (Ihor Macijewski), Rudolf M. Brandl, Gaila Kirdienė According to Oskár Elschek (2005: 50) we can and many others. However, a general internation- distinguish concrete techniques observable in al terminology in this fi eld is a signifi cant desid- multipart music (for example drone, imitation, eratum of contemporary research. ostinato) from the more generalized types, such as A recent systematic attempt to develop a ty- heterophony, polyphony, and homophony. Some pology of multipart techniques (under the um- multipart techniques presented in this article brella term techniques polyphoniques) has been are briefl y discussed in an overview of multipart off ered by Simha Arom, in collaboration with textures (whether solo or not) that occur in Rus- 2 German texts are given in my own translation. If necessary the original text is cited in square brackets. 101 European Traditions of Solo Multipart Instrumental Music. Terminological Problems and Perspectives sian instrumental folk music (Morgenstern 2015). Example 1. Karelian reedpipe tune (Ahrens 1973: There I tried to distinguish unifi ed and mixed 323). types of texture (among the latter multilayered and alternating). When dealing here with partic- ular solo multipart phenomena in a more gener- al perspective I include in my considerations the fruitful debates with my colleagues of the ICTM (International Council for Traditional Music) Study Group on Multipart Music at the First Seminar of ICTM, held on 19–20 September 2014 in Tallinn. In the future, and as a result of possible further discussions, a systematic model of techniques of multipart instrumental music may be developed. 2. Textures and Terminologies 2.1. Scheinpolyphonie vs. virtual multipart texture The fi rst technique to be discussed is not multi- part music in a strict sense, but its monophonic “illusion” or implication, when