JAVS Fall 2024

to introduce surprise or “humanize” the process. 19

harmonicity, in which the addition of each parameter builds more and more drive towards a “climax.” 20 There is a metaphorical release from the buildup with the lone A4 (440 hz.) that gets left behind from the stopped chords and is used to pivot into the next microform.

On the “axis” between the first and fourth lines of the piece, the five elements listed above serve as “functions” to create the transition from inharmonicity to

Figure 6: Disintegration to A4 (~440 hz.).

lasting approximately 0.01 seconds. From the peak ricochet until the fifth system, the pitch lengths increase incrementally, and by the start of the fifth system, each pitch lasts for at least 1 second. The durations of pitches do vary across recordings, for performance directions such as accelerando , très vite (very quickly), and rallentando are mere guidelines for the performer, who determines the actual speed of each instruction. Furthermore, Murail utilizes musical notation in this transition that leads to great variability, such as feather beaming to indicate a decrease in speed, horizontal lines of varying lengths that represent an approximate pitch length, and ricochet notation with increasing attack points to indicate longer pitch durations. But because of the flexibility in tempo markings and musical notation, analyzing this transition through rhythmic subdivisions against the original tempo marking (eighth note=92) would be difficult, if not impossible. Therefore, temporal divisions are necessary to capture the acceleration and deceleration. Opposite of Transition 1, the descent from a ff to pp dynamic in Transition 2 implies a shift from noise to sound, further supported through the different attacks. From a string player’s perspective, a forte tremolo will

Transition 2: Agitation to Resolution Transition 2 takes place on page 2 from the third system to the fermata at the end of the page. Colored in pink, orange, and blue, this transition is characterized by rhythmic acceleration, reaching a climax at the start of the fifth system, immediately followed by a deceleration, as if the music were falling apart. 21 This is achieved through manipulating pitch durations as well as the amount of space between notes. At the beginning of the transition, starting at the forte tremolo double stops in the third system, the lengths of the pitches last about 1 second, as determined by SPEAR. This 1-second duration includes pitches affected by a tremolo bow stroke, in which the bow moves back and forth at a rapid speed on one note. Because the bow changes in a tremolo stroke are concentrated together, SPEAR analyzes each of the tremolo double stops as one continuous pitch, rather than several separate bow changes. This analysis shifts by the 32 nd note triplet, a written-out “slow” version of the tremolo, in which SPEAR parcels out each bow change. From there until the start of the feather beam in the fifth system, the length of the notes decreases from 1 second to 0.3-0.5 seconds, with some variability. The ricochet at the apex of the feather beam serves as the climax of this transition, with the duration of each pitch

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

31