Density 21.5
Density 21.5 is a composition for transverse flute solo by Edgar Varèse . The piece, written in 1936, is considered a trend-setting composition of the 20th century within the comparatively narrow repertoire for flute solo.
The Paris- born composer Edgar Varèse, a US citizen since 1927, wrote Density 21.5 on behalf of French flutist Georges Barrère in January 1936 (the work was revised again in 1946). Barrère was presented with a flute made of platinum from the influential patron Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge , a material for an instrument that was not commonly used until then and was mostly made of silver or gold, if not made of wood. The title chosen by Varèse for the work composed for the inauguration of Barrère's platinum flute refers to this special, very heavy precious metal, the density of which is 21.5.
The work with a playing time of about 4 minutes comprises 61 bars. A motif that opens the composition, consisting of a descending small second , followed by an ascending large second, is the nucleus of a development that spans the entire tone range of the flute (from c 'to d' '' '). The use of the different registers of the flute with their specific possibilities of expression is, in addition to the thematic development and expansion of the intervals, a constructive component of the composition, which is provided with differentiated dynamic instructions . In the first half the music moves in the lower and middle registers of the instrument, while in the second half the high to highest registers are mainly used.
Probably for the first time in the history of the transverse flute, Varèse explicitly uses key noises as an additional means of expression. In a three-bar passage, crosses above the notes mark tones where the keys should be hit hard in order to create a percussive effect in addition to the blown tone .
literature
- Gustav Scheck : The flute and its music. Schott, Mainz 1975. ISBN 3-7957-2765-0 .