Massimo Vito Avantaggiato SOME CONSIDERATIONS ON TIME IN ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC MUSIC (original) (raw)

This article is meant to be a concise but efficient look at the perspectives of time in acousmatic music. The concept of time has been constantly changed throughout history, from Ancient Greece until today, thanks to the artistic, cultural and scientific knowledge that has gradually progressed. Without pretending to be exhaustive, we cite contributions by E. Napoletano exploring the concept of «Hors-temps» «En-temps» in composition (Par.1); we describe the relationships between χρόνος (Chrónos) and καιρός (Kairós) in compositional experience and their influence on the ideas of O. Messiaen, G. Schaeffer, G. Grisey, M.H. E. Christensen, as well as several cognitive psychologists and scientists. Chronological time is an important element-even if not the exclusive one-that allows to define the boundaries of a certain genre in the field of acousmatic music, but it is not the unique parameter. In this article we point out that a music genre or subgenre may be defined by: the cultural context in which it appears; by some idiomatic sounds but, above all, by a specific musical rhetoric (Par.4); by some specific musical techniques and some specific compositional strategies to modulate the perception of time (par. 3). We discuss this topic starting from some considerations by different practitioners. The temporal dimension of meaning and interpretation of events pointed out by M.H. Thaut, among others, seems to be re-appreciated by some Analytical Techniques such as Stephan Roy's approach and Temporal Semiotic Unit by M.I.M., marrying the idea that a cairological dimension in acousmatic music prevails. These analytical techniques also seem to give importance, directly or indirectly, to an emerging rhetoric in acousmatic music, that works at different levels (Par. 4-5) In (Par. 6), we show how consolidated Electro-acoustic Analysis Techniques could be integrated, taking into account the palette of «rhythmic oppositions» available to the composer and Grisey's consideration explored in his «continuum of rhythm». The lack of interest in rhythm, probably depending on the fact that acousmatic music employs a sufficient degree of abstraction with respect to the more traditional musical parameters, cannot lead to the conclusion that management of temporalities does not exist and should not be considered on an analytical level, especially in pieces of great complexity where time management takes on a multidimensional scale. The main example here is the cycle Crystal Welt by composer M. Obst. We refer to musical compositions by J. Harrison (Klang), R. Minsburg (A tu memoria); M. Rodrigue (Cristaux Liquide) and by German composer M. Obst (Fàbrica). In the last paragraphs we show how the conception of time can also influence the overall form of a piece, from its emerging form to a controlled one.