About the Aleatory Technique in the Performing Process in Sergei Slonimsky’s Antiphons
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
The article is devoted to Sergei Slonimsky’s string quartet Antiphons – one of the brightest
examples of this genre of the last third of the 20th century, which possesses a unique string quartet
phonosphere. This composition has paved the way for the search of modern Russian composers
in the direction of reinvention of the sound of this classical musical ensemble, its characterization
as a single timbre endowed with rich coloristic possibilities. The original concept of this work,
implicated by the contrast of sound in time and space inherent in it, is artistically manifested by
means of avant-garde stylistic traits of musical language, where a substantial position is endowed
to the aleatory technique. The element of chance is an important part of the artistic design of
Antiphons, not only on the level of the creation of a musical composition, but also at the stage
of its realization in performance. From the standpoint of the aleatory element of the performing
process, the author examines various parameters of the musical language, which are established
by each of the performers of the string quartet, according to the composer's instructions, as
well as those components which pertain to the performers’ range of techniques: the musicians
moving around on stage, intonating as a means of artistic expression, the organization of quantal
rhythm, as well as individual playing techniques and methods of sound production. They are
conducive to creating the antiphonic sounds of the string quartet ensemble endowed with a wide
range of sonorous colors and bright coloristic effects, which creates the impression of a living,
permanently changing musical fabric and total freedom of the performing process taking place
on the stage. As a result, the author of the article asserts that due to the aleatory technique of the
performance present in the Antiphons, the musicians in the string quartet act as sort of co-authors
of the composition, each time creating a new version of it during every performance of it. This
variety of act of collaboration between the composer and the performers presents a confirmation
of the fact that the musical composition is living material capable of a multitude of performance
interpretations.
Keywords: Sergei Slonimsky, Antiphons, string quartet, aleatory technique, the process of
performance, instrumental performance.
Article Details
Copyright
The rights on the results of intellectual activity and equated means of individualization are protected in accordance with Part IV of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. The authorship, author's name, executor’s name, inviolability of the work and result of execution are protected by the rules of Part IV of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation of the author or executor, regardless of providing legal protection of such results of intellectual activity at the time of their forming.
Copyright laws regulate the civil legal relations for using works of science, literature and art. Such relationships are formed as the result of the author’s writing his or her texts. In this case the author can rightfully claim copyright of the work.
The author has certain rights to reuse the work (see: “Ethical Aspects in Terms of Multifold Publications).
Licenses
All copyrights on the articles belong to their authors. The author transfers the rights on using the article the publisher.
PDF versions of scholarly articles of the journal PMN are published by using the license Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives cc by-nc-nd, allowing loading and distributing works on the assumption of indicating the authorship. The works may not be changed in any way or used for commercial interests.
Criteria for Authorship, Co-authorship
The term “author” refers to all persons (co-authors) who have made a substantial contribution to conducting the research and creation of the manuscript and responsible for its content. The person (author) who has submitted the manuscript to the editorial board shall bear responsibility for the complete list of the group of authors and the changes made to the manuscript in accordance with the results of the peer reviewing and editing.
1. Authorship is based on the following criteria:
1) The author made a substantial contribution to the research activity and development of concept, collected the data, made analysis and interpretation of the data.
2) The author carried out the writing of the text of draft articles and edited it attentively and substantially.
3) The author approved the final version of the article prior to its submission.
4) The author bears responsibility for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript.
2. The authors shall guarantee that the submitted manuscript is the original work.
3. Scholarly reviews for some issue or other should be objective, present material in a wide range and at the same time take into account the views of the author of the review.
4. The authorship of scholarly publications is obligated to reflect accurately the contribution of individuals to the research activity, with specific information about the authors.
5. The authors may not mislead the readers by publishing acknowledgements of gratitude to people who were not actually involved in writing the work. Other persons who made contribution to the work, but are nevertheless not the authors, may be listed in the rubric of “Acknowledgements,” with indications of the type and extent of their activities.
6. Authors are obligated to provide a description of their contribution to the publication.
7. The order of authorship must be a joint resolution of co-authors. The authors should be ready to explain the order of their enumeration and listing.
8. The authors shall be entirely responsible for the correct definition of authorship acting in accordance with the rules adopted in their institution.
9. Investigators must ensure that only those persons who meet the criteria for authorship (that made a significant contribution to the work), shall be considered the authors, and the researchers who do not merit authorship will be excluded from the list of authors.
References
2. Dolinskaya E. B. Muzykal'naya galaktika Sergeya Slonimskogo [The Musical Galaxy of Sergey Slonimsky]. St. Petersburg: Kompozitor, 2018. 360 p.
3. Kogoutek Ts. Aleatorika i muzyka tembrov [Kohoutek Ctirad. The Aleatory Technique and the Music of Timbres]. Tekhnika kompozitsii v muzyke XX veka [Technique of Composition in 20th Century Music]. Moscow: Muzyka, 1976, pp. 236–254.
4. Kyuregyan T. S. Aleatorika [The Aleatory Technique]. Teoriya sovremennoy kompozitsii: ucheb. posobie [Theory of Modern Composition: Textbook]. Ed. by V. S. Tsenova. Moscow: Muzyka, 2005, pp. 412–430.
5. Pereverzeva M. V. Aleatornye formy i traditsionnye printsipy organizatsii [Aleatory Forms and Traditional Principles of Organization]. Philarmonica: International Music Journal. 2018. No. 2, pp. 1–17.
6. Sergey Slonimskiy – sobesednik [Sergei Slonimsky – Interlocutor]. Ed. by E. B. Dolinskaya. 2nd Edition, Revised and Enlarged. St. Petersburg: Kompozitor, 2015. 196 p.
7. Slonimskiy S. M. Razdum'ya o tret'em avangarde i putyakh sovremennoy muzyki (zametki kompozitora) [Reflections on the Third Avant-garde and the Paths of Modern Music (Composer Notes)]. St. Petersburg: Kompozitor, 2014. 16 p.
8. Kholopova V. N. Rossiyskaya akademicheskaya muzyka posledney treti XX – nachala XXI vekov (zhanry i stili) [Russian Academic Music of the Last Third of 20th Century and the Beginning of the 21st Century (Genres and Styles)]. Moscow, 2015. 226 p.
9. Edison Denisov i Sergey Slonimskiy: perepiska (1962–1986) [Edison Denisov and Sergei Slonimsky: Correspondence (1962 to 1986)]. Publication by E. Kuprovskaya and R. Slonimskaya. St. Petersburg: Kompozitor, 2017. 180 p.
10. Clarke D. Defining Twentieth – and Twenty-First-Century Music. Twentieth-Century Music: Cambridge University Press. Vol. 14, Issue 3, October 2017, pp. 411–462.
11. Cope D. New Directions in Music. 7th ed. Long Grove: Waveland Press, 2000. 259 p.
12. Davidson Jane W., Good James M. M. Social and Musical Coordination between Members of a String Quartet: An Exploratory Study. Psychology of Music. New York, October 2002, pp. 186–201.
13. Leong D. Experience and Meaning in Music Performance. Journal of Music Theory: Duke University Press. 2015. No. 59 (2), pp. 321–332.
14. Simms B. R. Music of the Twentieth Century: Style and Structure. New York, London: Schirmer Books, Collier Macmillan Publishers, 1986. 450 p.