JAVS Fall 2024

Through this analysis, I argue that, while form cannot be constructed in a predefined way, global structure can be conceived through latching onto the striking similarities between each microform and understanding the manipulation of timbre and density of sound to transition from one microform to the next. This analysis serves as a guide not just for music theorists, but for other performers like me, demonstrating which musical parameters to bring to the foreground and how this knowledge can create the perception of a continuous evolution of spectra. Global Overview In his 2005 article “Spectra and Sprites,” Tristan Murail discusses the conceptions and compositional process of his significant work for ensemble and tape, Désintégrations . In it, he explains the “transition transformation” of the 11 sections of the piece, expressing how each section evolves from “harmonic to inharmonic, or vice versa,” thus creating changes in order and disorder. My color-mapping diagram takes inspiration from his article by displaying both the delineations and interpolations of each microform. Across his published articles, Murail never explicitly

defines “microforms,” despite discussing it in length in “Spectra and Sprites.” He does define “spectra,” however, which are musical material composed of several elements, including frequency, amplitude, and function, or the relationship between musical events and time. 8 Borrowing Murail’s terminology, in this paper, microforms—literally meaning “small forms”— are defined as the superimposition of elements and functions to create material for the piece. Therefore, each microform does not represent one singular musical parameter, but rather a combination of elements to create a sonic gesture. 9 Moreover, while Murail’s analysis of the eleven sections of Désintégrations focuses on aggregates of partials, this analysis of C’est un jardin secret highlights the microformal relationships through a timbral lens. 10

Figures 1-3 show the annotated score with the microformal delineations. Each microform was

determined by a section’s overall sonic profile. Sonic characteristics that I analyzed include natural vs. adulterated sound, density of sound, attack transients, and length of sound. The breakdown of each color can be found in the following table:

Table 1: Color and sonic descriptors for each microform.

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Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 40, No. 2, Fall 2024