Simultaneous composition
Simultaneous compositions are musical works whose individual elements can be performed simultaneously (simultaneously) and one after the other. Probably the best known examples of pieces of this type are quodlibets .
The phenomenon of different elements that sound at the same time can be observed throughout the history of music: For example in the dance scene of Don Giovanni by WA Mozart and the introit of the St. Matthew Passion by JS Bach . However, these examples differ from those of the 20th and 21st centuries in that they cannot be given individually or only theoretically. Accordingly, one can distinguish between “real” and “fake” simultaneous compositions.
Both types of simultaneous compositions can be divided into two categories:
- The first category includes the pieces in which the artistic freedom of the performer is the primary function of the simultaneous process. These include the Cycles Modules (1966/69) by Earle Brown , Aus der Wand die Rinne (from 1996) by Juliane Klein and SOLO XFACH (from 1988) by Bernd Franke . Here, the composer wanted to give the musician more freedom with regard to the design of the piece, such as the sequence and structure. Often one finds notation techniques such as aleatoric and "free notation" in the pieces in this category .
- In the second category you will find pieces that focus on the representation of space . This can be understood literally or in a figurative sense. Concrete spatiality is created, for example, in pieces with distant orchestras (e.g. an Alpine symphony ). This also applies to the dance scene in Don Giovanni , in which the palace of Don Giovanni is shown, in which different music can be heard from several rooms. (Whether this is also about the demarcation of the different social classes is another discussion.)
The category of “abstract” spatiality includes the pieces in which there is a kind of inner demarcation of different elements, such as the chorale and choral dialogue in the already mentioned introitus the St. Matthew Passion or the simultaneous scenes of the opera The Soldiers by Bernd Alois Zimmermann . Real simultaneous compositions in this category are, for example, Double Life (CUT IV & V) (2004/05) by Bernd Franke, the Triple Oratorio by Pietro Raimondi and ink, colors and gold on paper II & III (2005/06) by Peter Gahn .
In the vocal works in particular, it becomes clear what the inner demarcation consists of: the texts in Bach, Raimondi and Zimmermann comment on each other and thus allow further perspectives on the respective "object".
When comparing the individual simultaneous compositions, you can see that they are always characterized by two important properties: On the one hand, the components must be independent enough to be considered a single piece. On the other hand, they must also be fully compatible with the other components of the respective plant so that it works as a whole. In order to be able to determine whether these are simultaneous compositions, the components must be examined for their individual structure and the respective techniques of linking.
List of "real" simultaneous compositions
- Triple oratorio Putifar , Giuseppe and Giacobbe (circa 1847/48) by Pietro Raimondi
- Modules I-III for orchestra (1966/69) by Earle Brown
- the cycle Aus der Wand die Rinne (from 1996) by Juliane Klein
- the cycles SOLO XFACH (from 1988) and CUT (from 2001) by Bernd Franke
- Das Konvolut, Vol. 1 (2002) by Michael Hirsch
- ink, colors and gold on paper II & III and surroundings 1 & 2 (2005/06) by Peter Gahn
literature
- Christoph Beyer: Doublelife - simultaneous compositions in theory and practice. Master thesis. Institute for Musicology University of Leipzig, Leipzig 2007.