Sharp as a Tack, Bright as a Button: Timbral Metamorphoses in Saariaho s Sept Papillons

Transcription

1 Society for Music Theory Milwaukee, WI November 7 th, 2014 Sharp as a Tack, Bright as a Button: Timbral Metamorphoses in Saariaho s Sept Papillons Nate Mitchell Indiana University Jacobs School of Music nadmitch@indiana.edu Abstract In this paper, I argue that the acoustical information captured by the audio descriptor known as sharpness provides a musically insightful window into the timbral structures of Kaija Saariaho s Sept Papillons for solo cello. In Papillon I, I utilize Saariaho s concept of a sound/noise axis as a means of interpreting both the succession of timbral states at the surface as well as the distribution of sharpness energy over time. I also investigate timbre s narrative role in binding together distinct and seemingly opposing thematic gestures into a symbiotic relationship in Papillons IV and VII. The analyses as a whole demonstrate that audio descriptors provide a useful representation of timbral structures. By interpreting these representations through appropriate analytical lenses, analysts can begin to engage in more detailed inquiries into timbre s crucial role in many contemporary musical languages. Sharpness Acum: The reference sound producing 1 acum is a narrow-band noise one critical-band wide at a center frequency of 1 khz having a level of 60 db (Zwicker and Fastl, 239). Total Loudness: N = 24 z=0 N dz Where z is the critical band rate and N dz is the specific loudness of each band. Sharpness: S = z=0 N g (z) z dz N Where { z < 14, g (z) = 1 z 14, g (z) = z z z z Figures Figure 1a. Papillon I: Pitch analysis.

2 Figure 1b. Papillon I: Sharpness (Alexis Descharmes, Cello). Figure 1c. Papillon I: Sharpness (annotated) Figure 1d. Papillon I: Sharpness quartile analysis.

3 Figure 2a. Papillon IV: Associative set definition. Figure 2b. Papillon IV: Sharpness graph with aligned bar graph schematic. Figure 2c. Papillon IV: Annotated sharpness detail of A1 and B1/A5.

4 Figure 2d. Papillon IV: Pitch analysis. Figure 3a. Papillon VII: Associative set definition. Figure 3b. Papillon VII: Annotated sharpness graph with aligned bar graph schematic.

5 Figure 4, Three sharpness examples: A.) Cello range from C2 to E6 (Daron Kirsch, Cello); B.) Messiaen, Quatuor pour la fin du temps, iii., "Abîme des oiseaux," m. 13 (Guy Deplus, Clarinet); C.) Saariaho, Papillon I, mm. 1-2.

6 Bibliography Cabrera, Densil, Sam Ferguson and Emery Schubert, PsySound3: Software for Acoustical and Psychoacoustical Analysis of Sound Recordings, Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Auditory Display, Montreal, Canada, June , pp Descharmes, Alexis. Saariaho: L oeuvre pour violoncelle. Aeon, Fales, Cornelia. The Paradox of Timbre. Ethnomusicology 46, no. 1 (Winter, 2002): Hanninen, Dora. A Theory of Musical Analysis: On Segmentation and Associative Organization. New York: University of Rochester Press, Ilkowska, Małgorzata and Andrzej Miśkiewicz. Sharpness Versus Brightness: A Comparison of Magnitude Estimates. Acta Acustica united with Acustica 92, No. 5 (September/October, 2006): Malloch, Stephen. Timbre and Technology: An Analytical Partnership. Contemporary Music Review 19, no. 2 (2000): McAdams, Stephen, and Bruno L. Giordano. The Perception of Musical Timbre. In The Oxford Handbook of Music Psychology, edited by Ian Cross, New York: Oxford University Press, Moisala, Pirkko. Kaija Saariaho. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, Music Technology Group. Sound and Music Description. Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona. Accessed November 28, Nuorvala, Juhani. Kaija Saariaho in Profile. Music Finland Accessed March 27, endocument Pasler, Jann. Resituating the Spectral Revolution: French Antecedents. In Writing through Music: Essays on Music, Culture, and Politics. New York: Oxford University Press, Saariaho, Kaija. Kaija Saariaho: Colour, Timbre and Harmony. In The Voice of Music: Conversations with Composers of Our Time, edited by Jean Christensen and Anders Beyer, Burlington, VT: Ashgate, Sept Papillons for solo cello. England: Chester Music, Timbre and Harmony: Interpolations of Timbral Structures. Contemporary Music Review 2, no. 1 (1987): Schubert, Emery, Joe Wolfe and Alex Tarnopolsky. "Spectral Centroid and Timbre in Complex, Multiple Instrumental Textures." In Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition, Evanston, IL: Northwestern University School of Music, von Bismark, G. Sharpness as an Attribute of the Timbre of Steady Sounds. Acta Acustica united with Acustica 30, no. 3 (March, 1974): Zwicker, Eberhard and Hugo Fastl. Psychoacoustics: Facts and Models. New York: Springer, 2007.