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Listening report – Edgar Varese

 

Prof. Dr. Herzogenrath

The Future of Avantgarde-Music

Blaha, Malte C.

Matrikelnummer 7509502

 

Listening report – Edgar Varese

Varese’s idea of “music” or “sound” is unconventional. While some scholars would argue about the absence of western instruments, I would like to argue that Varese actually infuses western music with new life. There is an unconventional use of orchestra and instruments that perceive Varese’s sound as rhythmically instead of melodic.

The “Poème électronique (1958) is an illustration of the idea of Varese’s world of sounds and music. While it seems as if there would be an absence of music, one can clearly distinguish the idea of Varese’s music. To me, it sounds like an interaction between question and answer. Sound A moves with a certain speed through space and triggers Sound B, which differs from sound A not only in tone and melody, but in movement, direction, and its correlating speed.  The idea of “sounds” itself stands out, as it sounds like pitched or synthesized whale-sounds. Further, there is a lot of left to right movement, which always trigger sounds coming from all directions, resulting in an overlapping in the middle of the room. One must wonder, what it would actually sound like to be in the middle of the room.

            While listening to the genre of Avantgarde music, it seems that the unconventional approach to sound and composition of Varese has actually influenced other artists that we listened to as a class. His ideas about rhythm and texture seem to be influential, inspiring, and an exploration of new sounds. Further Varese has a unique way of arranging sounds.

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