Timelash
Some Notes on the
Compositional Process
Christopher Bailey
Depending
upon the piece, attempting an
analysis of one's own work can be a difficult process. With Timelash, I have no programmatic or philosophical background to
unveil: Timelash is simply an abstract work. I would love to talk about the sounds of the piece, however, this would be
difficult in a situation where audio is precluded from the presentation. Therefore, I am left with the
possibility of recounting some of what I can explain and remember about the
compositional choices made in the work's creation.
GENERAL
COMPOSITIONAL PROCESS
For
some, but not all, of my compositions, a certain work process has become more
or less standard. We'll discuss
this process in relation to Timelash. The process is
as follows:
1) Generate
one or more generalized, abstract pitch designs, often (but not always) with a
serial structure of some kind.
Such a structure is 'open' enough that I might, in fact, use it for more
than one work.
2) Specifically
arrange the structure in 1). This may include
transposition/inversion/retrograde, etc., and/or combining, overlaying, or
overlapping the structure upon itself.
A particular arrangement will be used for one specific work.
3) 'Parse'
the structure created in 2) into smaller units, smaller groups of pitches. The goal is to reach a point where I
can switch my compositional thinking from an 'abstract design' mode, to what
most people would think of as a 'composition' mode. To do this, my intuition needs to be able to work with
smaller groups of elements (notes or otherwise.)
4) Generate
any useful or need-to-know formal outlines: large-scale contours of pitch, register, tempo, density,
orchestration, etc.
5) Do
a rough 'improvisation/composition' sketch with the given materials. A kind of
'graphic score' is produced, with rhythm mostly inexact, many parameters (i.e.
loudness) left unspecified, and so on.
6) Separately
and independently, generate some sort of abstract rhythmic structure.
7) Finally, the results of 5) are 'squeezed into' the results of
6). All necessary details (timbre,
duration, loudness, etc.) are determined.
1) Abstract
pitch design
Timelash
employs a type of
abstract pitch design, related to those developed by some American composers in
the 60's and 70's, the so-called
'all-partition array'.
For
those who are unfamiliar with such structures, I provide a brief introduction.
An array is a diagram of 'un-realized' counterpoint, which a composer can
'compose out' or, in a way,
'improvise upon'. If a
tone-row is thought of as a 'not
yet fully [musically] realized' string of pitches[1],
like so:
5 9 2 t 3
7 0 8 1 4 e
6 t 3 e 4 8 1 9 2 5 0
row T0
row T1
which can then
be realized in a musical work:
then, an array
is, analogously, a 'not yet fully
realized' counterpoint of
such strings of pitches. For
example, here is a bit of 4-voice array used in the piano part of Timelash:
Here,
the lines of counterpoint take effect as, or are realized in, different
registers of the piano:
In
another situation, array lines might be realized as different loudnesses, or
different durations, or even different stereo positions (in an electronic
piece, for example). Here is an
example with different durations:
short notes versus long notes, 2 lines:
We
can divide an array into 'blocks,' each of which obeys some rule. For example, a block might be required
to contain each of the 12 possible chromatic pitches once each:
The
'partitioning' of each of these blocks is shown below the array: the way the lines divide up the 12
tones, differently in each block. In
all of these examples (which are excerpts of larger structures), the lines
themselves are sequences of tone-rows, in various transformations. Timelash's underlying array is similar to a type
of structure known as an 'all-partition-array'.[2]
All
this is in the background of a piece.
It's not expected (at least not by me) that one would hear very much, or
even any of this,
directly. But from my point of
view, as a composer, an array acts as a vibrant creative stimulus: each block suggesting different rhythmic
formations or relationships between voices or registers, or loudness contours,
or whatever may result from the particular way that the lines are realized as
actual music. For example, in the first block above, the top note is like a
'drone' while a middle voice has a 'solo' of sorts, in the next block the
'solo' passes on down the lowest voice, then there are 'duets' between the upper 2 voices, and so on. I like the way arrays constrain me as a composer, while at
the same time allowing for a high degree of flexibility: what actually happens in a piece is
still hardly determined.
2) A
specific structure for a specific musical work
The
complete pitch array actually used in Timelash is included at the end of this
article. Notice that there are two
4-line arrays, overlayed, both with 4 lines divided by register. One array concerns the pitches in the
instruments, the other, the pitches in the piano. The two arrays are very similar: the strings of pitches moving 'across' (through
time) are the same, but they divide into blocks in different ways. Because of this 'not quite equal'
relationship, there can be complex,
'fuzzy' echos of materials between the piano and the instruments.
(Below
are a few blocks of the source array used for those measures, showing, perhaps
more clearly, the similarities between the instruments' array, and the
piano's. The boldfaced notes are
the ones composed-out in the example:)
3) Parse
structure into smaller units.
A
structure like that shown directly above is normally too open for me as a
composer--it is not constrained enough--it needs to be 'parsed' or broken into
smaller units.
To
explain how this happens in Timelash, let me digress for a moment.
Composing
with these materials against some sort of 'drone', or constant harmonic entity,
provides a sense of direction for gestures and phrases, a sense of moving away
from and returning to a 'home base'.
Composing against a drone may also relate a work to European and
non-European music I am interested in, such as North and South Indian classical
music, whose gestures and phrases move away from and towards a 'drone' as well.
In
this piece, somewhat arbitrarily, I decided upon this sonority:
EXAMPLE 7: Timelash drone-chord
as a kind of
home 'quasi-tonic' around which the counterpoint would arrange itself .
The
chord is allowed to ring in the piano, via the sostenuto pedal, through the entire work: its notes are never dampened. The damper pedal is used intermittently throughout
to allow total resonance; there is a hierarchy of resonance in the piano part.
I
also decided to use this sonority to 'parse' the array into smaller units. In each block of the array, I looked
for this chord's pitch-classes, and separated them out. This chord has 8 notes, the 4
'leftover' notes are 0 4 8 9 (C E
G#/Ab A). The next example shows 2
such 'parsed' blocks of the array (compare with the 'unparsed' array at the end
of the paper):
As
noted in the example, this further parsing is usually more 'suggestion' than
'rule': when it comes to the
actual composing, I go with my ear.
Thus, in the final score, the pitches are rarely divided up in exactly
this fashion.
4) Large-scale
formal outlines
Generally
speaking, at this point in composing a work, I may move tentatively from
'pre-composition' to 'composition,' and begin sculpting actual music out of the
materials. After these initial
composing efforts, I often pull back to 'pre-composition' mode again, and map
out changes in density, texture, climax/energy, and so forth for the entire
work.
However,
during the composition of Timelash,
I don't recall making any maps of these parameters; rather, I had a set of
'goal-posts' or 'milestones' at various points in the materials that I would compose
towards or away from. For example,
clearly the section at measures 188-217 was thought of as a kind of
'climax.' There are other,
sub-climactic areas of the piece, such as mm. 65 ff. and mm. 270 ff. I no longer recall which were
pre-composed, and which simply came about during the process of composition.
In
short, the large-scale 'kinetic' structure for this piece was largely developed
intuitively, in contrast to others of my works, where it is more thoroughly
pre-composed.
5) Initial
composition/improvisation on materials.
Step
5) in my process is
where the 'real' composition begins to happen: the abstract structures I've spoken of so far are now
assembled into harmonies, real (sounding) lines assigned to instruments, and so
on. A 'graphic score' sketch of
the whole piece is produced.
(Please see Example 10 below for a sample excerpt from the graphic-score
sketch for Timelash).
So
far, my task in this paper has been relatively simple: I have shown charts and diagrams,
illustrating what was, for the most part, pre-composition. But we still have barely discussed the most important
aspects of the piece: what makes
the piece sound the
way it does. This is the most
difficult step for me to discuss:
the composing-out of the materials is, for me, an intuitive, mysterious
process. I can perhaps make some
'guesses' as to how my intuition works, or about formations that itÕs drawn
towards.
Some
aspects of my sense of harmony, for example, can be found buried within the
'drone' chord. I have noticed,
recently, that the spacings of my harmonies tend to derive, apparently
subconsciously, from overtone series spacings.
We
can hear the drone-chord as a set of overtones:
EXAMPLE 7: Timelash drone-chord
Specifically,
over a very low (and not actually sounding) F#, (3 octaves below the actual
(sounding) F#), the chord represents overtones 8-20-24-25-26-30-34-44. In simpler terms, we are interested
only in the 'odd' partials (since any 'even' partial is simply an 'odd' partial
transposed up by one or more octaves); we have the Root, 3rd, 5th, 9th, 13th, 15th,
17th, and 11th partials. (Thus, essentially, none of the partials used are above
20.) Obviously, some of these are
up to a 1/4-tone out of tune in 12-tone-equal-temperament, but I believe my ear
was drawn towards them nonetheless.
Related
to the drone-chord are a number of smaller pitch-groupings that tend to pop up
frequently in Timelash, and in much of my other music. A few examples include:
1) diatonic
pitch-collections which have been turned 'hard, cold and brittle' through
registration, rhythm and gesture, and through their juxtaposition against
other, non-diatonic events. For
examples, at mm. 61 ff., a 'fanfare' on E-G#-A-C#-D, or at mm. 313 ff., an 'F#
major 1st inversion triad,' with the A#/Bb in an extremely low
register.
2) The
jarring and beating of minor second intervals is the subject of much
contemplation, occurring either in very small gestures: msr. 98, 120, 125, to point out just a
few examples; or in larger segments of music, as at 188 ff.
3) similar
collections, 3-note chromatic
clusters, with the pitches
arranged between the instruments,
to beat against or 'rub against' one another: mm. 18 ff., msr. 72, mm. 84 ff., mm. 138 ff., mm. 270 ff.,
to name just a few examples.
Note at 84, the un-dampened F# 'drone' poised against the F-G
'neighbors.' The sound at this
point is one that most clearly reminds me of Indian raga, especially those
beautiful rags that include the upper and lower chromatic neighbors to the
'tonic'. (for example, rag Purvi).
Although,
during the pre-compositional stage of composing, I am interested in abstract,
so-called 'set-theoretic' pitch manipulations, once actual sounds in a work
begin to take shape, I am more interested in exactly where (registrally) the
pitches are, how loud, in what instrument, and how they relate to other
pitches, acoustically (i.e.: consonance vs. beating, etc.) or otherwise, than I
am in abstract issues of questionable perceptibility.
6) Develop
an abstract rhythm structure
What
I generated so far in the compositional process was a 'graphic-score sketch' of
the composition, its harmonies and gestures laid out in a vague way, not
precisely rhythmicized. Now I want
to be able to 'squeeze' those ideas into an arbitrary rhythmic 'schema' that
comes from elsewhere.
In
Timelash the 'schema'
is a 26-bar rhythm of 32nd-notes which loops through the piece until
the end.[3]
EXAMPLE 9: The Rhythm-Schema for Timelash
What
follows is an example sketch of part of the piece, followed by the same
excerpt, 'squeezed' into the rhythm-schema, in final score form.
EXAMPLE 10: Graphic-score sketch
The
most interesting thing about this way of working is the 'transaction' that
happens between what the sketch implies, rhythmically, and what the rhythmic
schema 'requires.' Compare the
'chord' at the end of the sketch, with the way that it is composed out in the
final score. What is written as a
simple 'chord' or vertical sonority in the sketch, is transformed into a sort
of arpeggiated sonority, because we need to 'use up' rhythm attack-points from
the schema. Similarly, you will
notice how the clarinetÕs A-C-Eb line is 'lined up' with the pianoÕs E-C-Eb in
the sketch; in the final score, their unison is 'staggered,' 'fuzzified,'
again, to 'use up' attack points.
Of course, as well, a staggered, arpeggiated chord or dyad is (usually)
more interesting than a simple vertical chord.
Another
possibility that I allow myself in composing out the final rhythm is to 'break
up' a measure of the schema into 2 measures; in effect, one measure is
'paused,' and it then continues in the next measure. The following is an example of 1 measure of the schema being
stretched in this way to 3 measures of actual music:
EXAMPLE 12: 'paused' Schema
Previous
to composing Timelash,
my 'style', in terms of rhythm, had been to use lots of complex, nested
tuplets, as with much music of the so-called 'New Complexity'. I deliberately chose the rhythmic
'schema' for Timelash,
with it's relentless grid of 32nd notes and no tuplets; I wanted to
prove to myself that I could achieve a level of rhythmic complexity, varying
from the inflected, expressive, 'floating' rhythms that I had worked with
before, to the energetic, precise rhythms that one can create in a strictly
pulsed time field. The former is
usually achieved by taking a series of consecutive attack points and
distributing them around the ensemble, as in Example 12; the way that the
different instruments' timbres attack automatically insures a kind of
'floatiness' to the sounding rhythm, which is very much intended. On the other hand, the latter situation
is fairly easily achieved in a steadily pulsed time field, following examples
set by Stravinsky, the minimalists, the 'Bang on a Can' composers, and so on.
***
This,
then, concludes the overview of the compositional process I used in composing Timelash.
Although there are "rules" that I followed as a composer, we can
see that there was still a great deal of room for freedom. I don't think that this way of working
is any more constrained than the tonal system---the constraints are, in fact,
simpler here; certainly, they are easier to describe.
In
several other works of mine, Sand,
interactive computer-music, or Trio
for piano, clarinet and 'cello, this same composing process was followed more
or less exactly. In a work such as
Motet for 6 mezzo-soprano, or The Stuffed
Ones, for computer
music, the rhythm was written out,
but intuitively created.
(There was no 'schema'.) In
The Quiet Play of Lights,
a trio for piano, violin, and 'cello, I decided to stop at step 4), and simply present to the players, in effect, my
"graphic score sketch" and see what they'd do with it. Still other works (6 Songs on Poems
of John Monroe), I
experiment with non-serial 'abstract pitch designs'. Finally, other works of mine do not concern themselves with
pitch structures at all, except perhaps in a [purposefully] primitive fashion;
for example, my purely musique concrete works Ow, My Head and Duude.
EXAMPLE 12: Timelash,
complete pitch array
(upper 4 lines are vln.,
clar., 'cello, lower 4 lines are piano)
(All measure numbers are
approximate: in the actual music,
piano and instrumental arrays don't always line up exactly, and boundaries between array blocks are
fuzzy and often slightly violated for musical reasons.)
(Lines are made up of
sequences of 'classic' row forms P, I, RI, and R of a 12-tone series: <0291ab576384>)
