Pitch/Register in the Music of
Edgard Varēse
Jonathan W. Bernard
By its very definition analysis is sterile. To explain by means of it is to
decompose, to mutilate the spirit of a work. 1
This quotation hardly seems a promising beginning to what
is, after all, an analytical study. In fact, there would be little
reason to cite it, were it not for the fact that the words are Edgard
Varēse's own. There is a good deal of vehemence in these
words—much of it, we may gather, directed against the study of
music as it was pursued in the academic institutions of Varēse's
student days. Beyond that, however, the passage above
bespeaks an attitude about musical composition: a process that is
the business of the composer and no one else.
Given Varēse's condemnation of analysis—by implication,
of anyone's music—is there any point in attempting to analyze
his own music, which may have been designed, among other
things, to foil such attempts? Do we even have any right at all,
morally speaking, to investigate? As a matter of fact, there are
valid reasons for proceeding with this study. Varēse has had a
considerable, if somewhat vaguely defined, impact upon com-
position over the past quarter-century or so—in other words,
dating from about the time when he began to receive general
1 Edgard Varē se, "Jerom s' en va-t'en guerre," in The Sackbut, 4 (December,
1923), 147.
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recognition as a major figure. The number of composers who
mention Varēse as a significant formative influence upon their
own work must be nearly legion by now. Often cited, for
example, are his pioneering efforts in the alteration of tape=
recorded sounds, his path-breaking achievements with percus-
sion, and his radically different uses of sonority in general.
Much of this influence may well have been absorbed intuitively.
Nonetheless, the specific characteristics of Var ēse's music,
which only detailed analysis can reveal, must also have had
something to do with the extent of his impact upon other com-
posers. If these characteristics can be defined, they surely would
.go a long way toward explaining what Var ēse means, and has
meant, to contemporary music.
As for his views on musical education, we should remember
that Varēse's experiences as a student in the Paris Conservatory
had left him with an almost entirely negative impression of
pedagogy. To his mind, apparently, the only people likely to be
interested in analysis would be pedants so preoccupied with the
music of the past that they would be unable to accept anything
new. In this respect, of course, times have changed, and analy-
sis is no longer, or at least not often, used as a weapon against
innovation. In fact, as educated musicians many of us have
become confident of the power of theoretical inquiry, not only to
provide orderly explanations of all sorts of evolutions in musical
2 Music Theory Spectrum
practice, no matter how amazing, but also to remain impartial
regarding the innate worth of such evolutions. Nevertheless,
those whose choose to ignore Varēse's warning had better be
prepared for a certain amount of difficulty. Varēse had no
interest in making things easy for anyone.
As others have noted, much of the difficulty with analysis of
Varēse's music stems from the apparent unsuitability to the task,
in whole or in part, of known theoretical systems. This is
indicated, though by no means proved, by Varēse's reputation
as a solitary figure who belonged to no identifiable school. In his
lectures and writings, in fact, he was often far more specific
about what he did not do, compositionally speaking, than what
he did. Dismissing the neoclassicists, for example, as men
writing "in the manner of another century," he called their
work "the result of culture" and declared that "desirable and
comfortable as culture may be, an artist should not lie down in
it. " 2 The dodecaphonists, on the other end of the spectrum,
fared no better: Varēse compared this movement to "hardening
of the arteries." Although he was careful to state that he re-
spected the twelve-tone discipline and its adherents, Varēse
evidently found it to be of only temporary usefulness: an artifi-
cial methodology designed principally to free composers from
past (tonal) biases. 3
Opposed to systems and "isms" of all sorts, Varēse was
understandably reluctant to describe his own approach in any
detail; no doubt he feared that someone would proceed to bind it
in rules. From time to time, however, he did talk about his
music. To be sure, he would not analyze. In fact, much of what
he had to say on the subject was couched in rather enigmatic
terms. Yet this material affords many substantial clues to prin-
ciples of organization. It is here that we must begin.
VVarēse, "The Liberation of Sound," in Elliot Schwartz and Barney Childs,
ed., Contemporary Composers on Contemporary Music (New York: Holt,
Rinehart & Winston, 1967), p. 202.
3 Gunther Schuller, "Conversation with Var ēse," in Benjamin Boretz and
Edward T. Cone, ed., Perspectives on American Composers (New York:
Norton, 1971), p. 35.
The Composer Speaks
Embodied in Varē se's writings and other recorded remarks is
a way of thinking about musical structure which is at once highly
original and highly consistent. The following passage is charac-
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teristic; it is also particularly revealing:
When new instruments will allow me to write music as I conceive it, the
movement of sound-masses, of shifting planes, will be clearly per-
ceived, taking the place of linear counterpoint. When these sound-
masses collide the phenomena of penetration or repulsion will seem to
occur. Certain transmutations taking place on certain planes will seem
to be projected onto other planes, moving at different speeds and at
different angles.... In the moving masses you would be conscious of
their transmutations when they pass over different layers, when they
penetrate certain opacities, or are dilated in certain rarefactions. 4
Varēse's visual imagery has always been susceptible to interpre-
tation as merely a rather involved metaphor. However, his
insistence upon this imagery suggests that the events described
in such geometrical detail are in fact taking place literally in the
music. "Spatial music" and "music in space" are terms used
by Varēse over and over again; indeed, the single unifying
principle of Varē se's music is the manipulation of materials with
reference to a spatial framework.
To what extent is physical space translated into musical
space? More specifically, which attributes of physical space are
employed in this translation? Var ēse provides a partial answer in
a comparison between himself and his predecessors:
The new composers have not abandoned melody . . . there is a distinct
melodic line running through their work.... But the line in our case is
often vertical and not horizontal. 5
4` ` The Liberation of Sound," p. 197.
5 Varčse cited in Louise Varē se, Varēse: A Looking-Glass Diary (New York:
Norton, 1972), p. 211.

This rather oddly phrased statement is actually quite important,
for it expresses a primary concern on Varēse's part with the
vertical dimension. That this aspect of his work was easily and
generally understood is borne out by review columns in the
popular press of the time, particularly in the 1920s. Struck by
the newness of what they heard, and searching for descriptive
terminology appropriate to it, the critics found such phrases as
"blocks of sound," "skyscraper chords," and "the geometry
of sound. " 6 We understand them immediately, for in Varēse
there is almost nothing resembling melody or line, in the tradi-
tional senses of these words.
As a first step beyond intuitive judgments toward solid theo-
retical ground, we may make the following basic assumption: if
the vertical dimension is to serve as the primary scale of refer-
ence, then the partitioning of vertically defined space will take
on crucial significance. Indeed, Varēse says that "taking the
sonorous elements as a whole, there are several possibilities of
subdivision with relation to the whole: into other masses, other
volumes, other planes. " 7 With these possibilities of subdivi-
sion, Varēse apparently seeks the result that he describes vari-
ously as "the sensation of non-blending" or "the movement of
unrelated sound-masses. " 8 Clearly, however, mere identifica-
tion of component portions of the whole would not in itself
constitute much of an analysis. Exactly to what extent are these
component masses unrelated? Surely not completely so, for
complete separation would imply a technique of random juxta-
position and combination, precisely the sort of approach which
6 Paul Rosenfeld was particularly fond of such images. See, for example, the
chapter on Varē se in An Hour with American Music (Philadelphia: Lippincott,
1929), pp. 160-179.
7 ` `Prenant en masse les elements sonores, it y a des possibilitēs de subdivi-
sion par rapport ā cette masse: celle-ci se divisant en d'autres masses, en d'autres
volumes, en d'autres plans." Varēse, in "La mēcanisation de la musique"
(Bifur, 1930), p. 126.
8 ' `The Liberation of Sound," p. 197; Varēse, "Le destin de la musique est de
conquērir la libert6," in Liberte 59 (1959), 13.
Pitch/Register in Varese 3
Varēse criticizes in the work of Cage and others ("so accidental
that I can't see the necessity for a composer! ") . 9 Further, even in
his early works Varēse occupies himself with
a way to project in music ... how one element pushing on the other
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stabilizes the total structure, thus using the material elements at the
same time in opposition to and in support of one another. 10
In his remarks about his work Deserts, Varese becomes
clearer about just how this might be accomplished:
The work progresses in opposing planes and volumes. Movement is
created by the exactly calculated intensities and tensions which func-
tion in opposition to one another; the term "intensity" referring to the
desired acoustical result, the word "tension" to the size of the interval
employed. 11
There is no question that the words "exactly calculated" are of
considerable significance. But in what sense are they meant?
The composer continues, again referring to Deserts:
Although the intervals between the pitches determine the ever-
changing and contrasted volumes and planes, they are not based on any
fixed set of intervals such as a scale, or series, or any existing principle
of musical measurement. They are decided by the exigencies of this
particular work. 12
What Varēse seems to be describing is a self-generating tech-
nique of composition in which order is not imposed externally
but grows in some fashion from within. Varēse found that the
"exigencies" of a work were best expressed in the form of an
analogy to the process of crystallization. Crystal form, he
explains (quoting the words of mineralogist Nathaniel Arbi-
9` `Conversation with Varēse, p. 39.
10 ''Conversation with Varēse," p. 36.
11 Varēse quoted in Fernand Ouellette, Edgard Varēse (New York: Orion,
1968), p. 183.
12 Varē se quoted in Henry Cowell, "Current Chronicle" [review of the pre-
miere of Deserts], in Musical Quarterly, 41 (July, 1955), 372.
4 Music Theory Spectrum
ter), "is characterized by both a definite form and a definite
internal structure . " This internal structure originates in "the
smallest grouping of the atoms that has the order and composi-
tion of the substance" and, extended into space, results in the
external form. Varēse shows special interest in the fact that "in
spite of the relatively limited variety of internal structures, the
external forms of crystals are limitless." 13
The analogy to crystallization, then, emphasizes growth
through orderly expansion of a bare minimum of an idea, cell-
like in nature. This may sound, in twentieth-century context,
suspiciously traditional. One might well wonder whether
"crystallization" is simply synonymous with the generative cell
models of analysis propounded by George Perle and others. 14
Other statements by Varēse, however, effectively deny this
possibility:
There is an idea, the basis of an internal structure, expanded or split into
different shapes or groups of sound constantly changing in shape,
direction, and speed, attracted and repulsed by various forces. The
form of the work is the consequence of this interaction. 15
In other words, the initial idea is not necessarily anything more
than a point of departure. The "basis of internal structure,"
expanded into other configurations which in turn produce
others, may not appear more often than, or even stand in any
direct, easily discernible relation to, other sound-events that
come into existence in the course of a work. In fact, having
appeared once, the initial event may never be heard again.
The formal implications of this technique are revolutionary
indeed. Since for Varē se the form of a work is the consequence
of the interaction and expansion of its materials, his statement
that "form and content are one" follows inevitably . 16 Further,
13 "The Liberation of Sound," p. 203.
14 See George Perle, Serial Composition and Atonality, fourth edition (Berke-
ley: University of California Press, 1977) .
15 "The Liberation of Sound," p. 203.
16 "The Liberation of Sound," p. 203.
the fact that "form is a result—the result of a process" 17 pro-
duces the striking conclusion that unity and continuity in the
works of Varēse spring at least as much from the consistent
nature of the manipulative processes applied to sound materials
as from any overall consistency in the structure of the sound-
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masses themselves.
Placing process on an equal footing with result suggests that
the music unfolds within a kind of continuum of perpetual
change. From some points of view such methods no doubt invite
incoherent results, but Varē se clearly does not agree:
I think of musical space as open rather than bounded, which is why . . .
I want simply to project a sound, a musical thought, to initiate it, and
then to let it take its own course. I do not want an a priori control of all
its aspects. 18
Logically, then, the exact repetition of any formation heard
earlier in a work would be rather unlikely. In fact, instances of
this is virtually non-existent. Near-exact repetition, however, is
an important aspect of process. This kind of event, which
involves reference to some previous material, bears a certain
resemblance to the more traditional process of motivic unity and
development, and might seem to contradict the uni-directional
nature of conditions of constant change. However, according to
Varēse, "if the themes reappear, they always occupy a distinct
function in a new medium. " 19
The Theory Itself
In a truly spatial context—an approximation of Varē se's
working frame of reference—criteria of absolute size and dis-
tance, in the vertical sense, must form the basis of structure.
17 `The Liberation of Sound," p. 203.
18 ' `Conversation with Varē se," p. 39.
19 Varēse quoted by J. Andre, "Edgar Varēse y la musica de vanguardia,"
translated by David R. Bloch in "The Music of Edgard Varē se (Ph.D.
dissertation, University of Washington, 1973), p. 260.

Consistent application of such criteria has certain inescapable
effects. First, inversional equivalence cannot exist, for in a
framework based on absolute interval sizes a third, for example,
obviously will not serve the same function as a sixth. Second,
octave equivalence must be ruled out as well, for events in one
octave occur in a place fundamentally different from events in
any other octave. Thus the property of pitch class disappears.
The designation ` `C#, " for example, can have no meaning
unless its octave location is identified. In Example l a the two
intervals shown are spatially equivalent, but the two in lb are
not. In lc the two groups of pitches shown are not spatially
equivalent, even though both are instances of pc set 3-2. The
term "pitch/registral," then, will refer to entities in which pitch
content and its registral disposition are taken to define, as one,
the nature of that entity. Under these conditions, the "equal-
tempered" system serves simply as a neutral calibration of that
portion of the frequency spectrum (seven octaves plus) which is
available to conventional instruments. It provides a uniform
measure of absolute interval size, of distance between upper and
lower boundaries of sound-masses. 20
Example 1
20Varēse, in fact, had no particular attachment to the tempered system, and
one of his hopes for the future of music was that new means of sound production
would not only provide more extensive timbral possibilities but would also free
the composer from the "arbitrary rules" resulting from the inflexible division of
sound-space into semitones. He also speculated about the possibility of extend-
ing the available frequency range to the limits of human perception, adding
perhaps two octaves above the highest pitch obtainable with conventional
Pitch/Register in Varese 5
The properties of Varēse's music revealed by the analogy to
crystallization indicate a means of describing activity within this
sound-space. The fact that a "continuum of change" represents
unity means that the most important analytical considerations,
in most situations, will be point-to-point connections. Because
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of the special nature of Varēse's procedures, immediate succes-
sion often reveals the strongest relationships between musical
formations. Each new formation must result in some fashion
from what has preceded it, in turn to be manipulated to produce
the next formation. The theorist must define significant kinds of
evolution and transformation in some exclusive way. He must
ask: how is each new development special—that is, not random?
And how is the process involved consistent with other transfor-
mations at other points? For this purpose we will have recourse
to several different kinds of operations, all of which exhibit the
general property of symmetry.
On the simplest level, symmetry can describe individual
formations. 21 In Example 2a, E 4 is symmetrically placed with
respect to outer pitches C#4 and G4 because it is precisely
Example 2
instruments. ("La mēcanisation de la musique," p. 123, p. 126) Here, the
implication is clearly that a larger sound-space, in the vertical sense, allows
greater freedom to the composer.
21 From here on, a system of pitch/registral reference is adopted, which
consists of the pitch name followed by a superior number denoting octave
location. Octaves are numbered from 1 (lowest C on the piano) to 8, the highest.
Numbering of pitches begins with C in each octave: for example, B 3 is a
semitone below C 4 . Pitches lower than C 1 bear the number 0.
6 Music Theory Spectrum
equidistant from both. In Example 2b, middle pitches G4 and B 4
are symmetrically placed with respect to C# 4 and F5 because the
distance from C# 4 to G4 , six half steps, is equal to the distance
from B 4 to F5 . From these relatively uncomplicated examples, it
is clear that either one or two pitches may comprise the center of
a symmetrical formation.
When a larger number of pitches is involved, more possibili-
ties exist. In Example 3a, the order of intervals from top to
bottom is the same as from bottom to top. The bracket shows the
center of the formation. This kind of symmetry is termed mirror
type. Parallel symmetry, on the other hand, exists when the
sonority in question may be divided into two (or more) groups,
each of which displays the same intervallic order from lowest to
highest pitch. In Example 3b, the parallel symmetry of the two
groups is shown by the brackets. These two types of symmetry
may also operate simultaneously. In Example 4, mirror sym-
metry accounts for the configuration extracted in (a), parallel
symmetry for the extraction in (b) .
Example 3
^
MN ,
7'
^ i..^ ^^.n
V O'
►.
^ ^
a) Deserts, mm. 21-22
b) Intēgrales, m. 36
woodwinds
This kind of all-inclusive symmetry does not, of course,
characterize every collection of pitches in the music of Varēse.
Frequently, a given formation will exhibit no obvious properties
of symmetry in itself. This might be so for any one of three
Example 4. Intēgrales, m. 69
. ,
tpts. ^'Ssi4A.^1i^^i^L411111n INS 1
Downloaded from http://mts.oxfordjournals.org/ at The University of Alberta on April 25, 2015
1/. t>>!1, 7=111111 1 •111!IPIIIIIIIIIIIIIMEN 1 M1/71111 1
I (..=.111111L.! n 111111` 1=1!! 1t` ^1
horn ^V I`•'^i^^^^ l^i .
tbn.
r1imei
Y CB. MEN
/>•Imrl Imml:1
IMO
Ism If:1 !1
'411111i111W'ī.1111111111Mr llar Z IM
MIMI1=1
`•
^.^ 1n
tbns.
.7•:•]. AIMIMIIMINIIIIn
Y Ma =
^« ^ _ '7 1^
1 MINI
• I WO,
reasons: (1) the formation may not include everything that is
happening in its particular location; (2) the formation may
encompass two or more events which are in fact separate enti-
ties, not necessarily linked by any one expression of relation; (3)
the formation may be transient, and thus accounted for by
movement which occurs on a level distinct from that of imme-
diate succession. What was said earlier about point-to-point
connections still holds; however, Var ēse occasionally juxta-
poses unrelated events deliberately in order to make more ap-
parent certain transformations taking place over a time-span of
greater length. Examples of these possibilities will appear in due
course.
Partial symmetry, where it occurs, also has important func-
tions. In Example 5, it is readily apparent that the lower half of
the structure does not duplicate the spacing of the upper half.
However, the middle segment, extending from C 4 to F 5 , in-
cludes pitches E'4 and D 5 , which divide it into the pattern [3]
[11][3 ] . 22 The remaining segments of the chord, A 1 -C 4 below
22 Numbers in brackets refer to interval sizes in semitones. A series of
bracketed numbers always refers to a vertical arrangement of adjacent intervals.

Example 5. Intēgrales, m. 78
B6 cl.
ob.
D tpt.
C tpt.
horn
tbns.
and F 5 -G# 7 above, are equal in size. Further examination of this
example reveals other forces at work as well, operating together
with intervallic symmetries. These forces come under the head-
ing of timbral differentiation. Varē se often spoke of the impor-
tant function that timbre served in his work. We turn to his
words once again, remembering that even though at the time the
means for fully realizing his goals were not yet available, still
he found some of his ideas at least partially applicable to existing
musical media:
The role of timbre would be completely changed from being incidental,
anecdotal, sensual, or picturesque; it would become an agent of delin-
eation, like the different colors on a map separating different areas, and
an integral part of form. These zones would be felt as isolated. . . . 23
Timbre, then, functions as a partitioning device. In this role it is
often, inevitably, tied to registral placement, but this is far from
always being so. Registral overlap often poses analytical prob-
lems which only timbral differentiation can resolve. In Example
5 , timbre helps divide the sonority into groups (delineated by
brackets) . The instrumental groups comprising this chord are:
23` `The Liberation of Sound," p. 197.
Pitch/Register in Varese 7
low brass, Al-B 2 ; middle and high brass, C 4 -D 5 ; and wood-
winds, F 5 -GP. Now, one result of the importance of timbre for
Varēse is that the lowest and highest pitches of timbral
groupings can serve, in the spatial sense, as demarcators. As
with other means of distinguishing masses from one another,
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these boundaries of timbral areas take on a certain prominence in
the texture. Thus, in the present example, the span Al-C 4 in-
cludes all low brass and the distance between them and the horn,
at C 4 , which is the lower edge of the middle/high brass. The
span F 5 -G# 7 indicates the boundaries of the woodwind area.
Finally, another aspect of symmetry here lies in the groups
Al -BP -B 2 and the analogously placed Gbh-G 6 -G#7 . These two
segments produce a combination of mirror and parallel symme-
try: mirror because the two groups are equidistant from the
center of the entire chord; parallel because their internal struc-
tures maintain the same ordering of adjacent intervals, [1] [13J,
from bottom to top.
Dynamics may act in conjunction with timbre to emphasize
the symmetrical character of individual formations. In Example
6, a vertical structure is presented which, viewed as a whole,
does not appear symmetrical. However, the lower part of the
structure, Eb 1 -E2 , is clearly set apart from the rest. This is
brought about by means of dynamic and timbral contrast, for Eb 1
and E 2 are marked pp, while the other pitches are all emphasized
in some way. That is, either they are already registrally and
timbrally prominent (as is CO, for example), or they are ac-
cented, fp, at their entrances. The upper part of the structure in
Example 6 is symmetrical. Notice too that the symmetry is
reinforced by timbral distribution: two pairs of instruments
(trumpets and flutes) interlock, while a third pair, clarinets,
brackets them. Finally, the lowest of these notes, G# 2 , is em-
phasized over the others by repetition, instrumentation, and
variation in loudness, and can thus be said to serve as a delimit-
ing lower boundary, further isolating E7 1 and E 2 from the sym-
metry above.
So far, we have seen structures which, considered by them-
8 Music Theory Spectrum

Example 6. Deserts, mm. 171-74 (percussion of indefinite pitch omit-

ted)

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66
.173
r , .^
174 Take Picc.
-''''--

Fls. PPP
:^ Take Picc. _
-war
%: ^
^ ^— A l ^—

J^PP
Take B b cl.
Ebcl. .^, ..

:::.^ .
--- ^
^Py
Take Bbcl.
Bass cl ^^ a
••n•

E6 cl.
Fins. fl. 1
tpt. 1
f1. 2
^ r
Tpts. t^. . a.c s tpt. 2
bass cl.
timp.

Tbns. tubas

l bs.
...a.
u
_

• .^a
^i..^^► •
^

Take'
Tim!).
nrolto
f ^p
f secco
 Pitch/Register in Varese 9

selves, display various types of symmetry. All of these struc-
tures, however, also function in some sort of context. A logical
extension of the principle of symmetry would describe these
contexts as instances of process. Example 7 illustrates one kind
of operation. Here, the spatial configuration in mm. 6-7 is
conception to the optical field and visualize the changing projection of a
geometrical figure on a plane, with both figure and plane moving in
space, but each with its own arbitrary and varying speeds of translation
and rotation. 25
In this extract from an interview, Varese considers, besides the

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duplicated in mm. 8-9. This kind of transference of structure to a result of projecting a figure onto a plane, the variety of images
new pitch/registral level will be referred to as projection. A brought about by motion imparted to both objects. Such variety
slightly more complicated instance of projection is shown in would seem particularly characteristic of passages in his music
Example 8. The configuration given in the timpani at m. 29 is in which the pitch content remains fixed while the sound-masses
duplicated, [14] higher, in the brass at m. 30. It should be that these pitches define are juxtaposed, through changes in
mentioned that this timpani sonority is itself a projection of a
segment of the chord in mm. 21-22, reproduced above in Ex-
ample 3a.
The use of the term projection in this sense is meant to
approximate, at least, the meaning that Varese assigns to it. Example 8. Deserts, mm. 29-30, brass and timpani
Varese defines projection as
the feeling that sound is leaving us with no hope of being reflected back,
a feeling akin to that aroused by beams of light sent forth by a powerful brass .~.~+---------------+--"f'-f3-il~---++------f':h~

searchlight. . . .24

Of his work Integrales in particular, he says, further:

Integrales was conceived for spatial projection. I planned it for certain
acoustical media that were not then in existence, but that I knew could
be built and would be available sooner or later. . . . Let us transfer this

Example 7. Density 21.5, mm. 6-9

25Yarese quoted in Frederic Waldman, "Edgard Varese: An Appreciation,"

24"The Liberation of Sound," p. 197. in Juilliard Review (fall, 1954), p. 9.
10 Music Theory Spectrum
dynamics and rhythmic patterns, in a series of distinctly differ-
ent ways . 26
Partial projection is also a possibility. In Example 9, the
sustained notes C 5 (trumpet), CO (oboe), and D 7 (piccolo) form
the configuration [13][13] in mm. 177-81. This is duplicated,
[ 10] lower, in m. 185 by D 4 and Eby in the clarinet and E 6 in the
piccolo. However, the B 6 of mm. 177-81 has no correspondent
in m. 185; hence, the projection is only partial. In general,
Varēse employs partial projection far more often than literal,
complete duplication, probably because the process of projec-
tion usually overlaps with other processes which bring about,
simultaneously, other changes in the material.
Always, however, whatever is to be regarded as a product of
projection must preserve some characteristic of its source. In the
hypothetical Example 10, for example, there would be little
point in calling group (b) a projection of (a). Similar motion is
not enough. There is no interval of projection, because D 5 -A5 is
not the same size as C 3 -F 3 . As analytical constructs, symmetri-
cal processes will not yield particularly useful information if
they are not applied consistently with exactitude.
Often used in conjunction with projection, rotation is closely
related to mirror symmetry. The difference between the two is
that in the case of rotation a causal relationship is involved. The
transformation described by this term is sometimes called "in-
version," meant in the literal sense—as, for example, to denote
the inversion of a twelve-note row with respect to the prime form
beginning on the same pitch. Use of the term rotation avoids
26 Such events may represent another level of structure. These passages of
"static continuity," to use Schuller's term, do not, however, seem materially to
affect the ongoing continuum of change in pitch/registral structure. It is true, in
Intēgrales as well as in other works, that as a rule such passages immediately
precede others characterized by an extremely rapid rate of pitch change. How-
ever, no readily apparent relationship exists in their placement with respect to
one another, nor between the various spans of time in which the material is
prolonged.
potential for confusion with inversion in the tonal sense, where
it is meant as a function of octave complementation.
In Example 11a, the boundary interval [11] in the trumpets
and horn is duplicated at the entrance of the trombones. The
internal structure, however, is reversed—as if the trichord,
Downloaded from http://mts.oxfordjournals.org/ at The University of Alberta on April 25, 2015
simultaneous with its projection, had been turned 180 degrees
within the "plane" of the music. In Example 12, rotation is
applied to a sonority of considerable temporal and spatial ex-
panse. The example shows only the few measures in which the
rotation occurs; however, the first sonority shown in the reduc-
tion below the score is actually prolonged from m. 85 to this
point. Notice that a change in instrumentation occurs simultane-
ously with the reversal of the vertical order of intervals.
Example 11 b, which is a continuation of 11 a, illustrates the
symmetrical process henceforth to be designated as expansion.
Note that, reckoning from the outer edges of the first trichord
(trumpets and horn), the distance Bb4 -C 3 is the same as the
distance A 5 -G 7 . Pitches C 3 and G 7 are both outer boundaries;
they represent, respectively, the lowest and highest points at-
tained in this particular passage. The fact that D 3 , not C 3 , is the
lowest point in the final sonority of m. 153 does not interfere
with this symmetry, which depends upon total space occupied
over a period of several measures. Varē se's methods are ex-
tremely flexible. Order in his music is not restricted to fixed
situations, but instead incorporates provisions for further prog-
ress into the results of a previous operation, as is the case here.
Another example of expansion serves to demonstrate further
this flexibility of application. In Example 13, measures 46
through 53 (with pickup) are bounded, temporally speaking, by
a brief silence and an abrupt change in instrumentation, before
and after respectively. The first event in this clearly delineated
segment fills a space of [7], which is subsequently and rapidly
enlarged. The interrelations and interactions between compo-
nent elements are rather intricate and are not of concern to us
here; for the present, we focus on the larger spatial design. The
lower boundary of this passage, F# 1 , is quickly attained. The


Pitch/Register in Varese 11

Example 9. Intēgrales, mm. 177-85

,t4ubičemen t• ^
4ejo tempo
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au 2 ^plan pi" F'/r, ^fb• — Trtte• en hi 41 arr. ieraplan-
12 Music Theory Spectrum

Example 10 Example 12. INserts, mm. 90-92

Downloaded from http://mts.oxfordjournals.org/ at The University of Alberta on April 25, 2015

Example 1 la. Intigrales, m. 151

tpts.,
horn

tbns.

Example lib. IntOrales, mm. 151-54

woodwinds b'

tpts., horn •

tbns.

14
 Pitch/Register in vnrbme 13

Example 13. Di.serts, mm. 46-53

50 ° "

Downloaded from http://mts.oxfordjournals.org/ at The University of Alberta on April 25, 2015

_.===---.--
m - =m_-.
--

Aim
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14 Music Theory Spectrum
highest pitch in the passage, however, is Ebb, which does not
appear until m. 51, at which point F# 1 is no longer sounding.
Nevertheless, because by durational and timbral criteria mm.
46-53 comprise a unit, an overall symmetry can be determined
by the highest and lowest limits established for the whole pas-
sage. Symmetrical expansion occurs, since F# 1 -G 3 equals D4
6.
Symmetric contraction, illustrated in Example 14, is simply
the reverse of expansion. Here, note that the initial event,
F# 3 -G 5 , is expressed as a temporal simultaneity, but that Eb 4
4 , the goal of the contraction, is not.
Example 14. Deserts, mm. 81-82
piano, horn, clarinets trum pets
Combinations
Far more common than isolated instances of single processes,
of course, are situations in which two or more operate simulta-
neously. In such situations, timbre can be quite effective—even
essential—as an agent of delineation. In the excerpt shown in
Example 15a, Varese achieves timbral separation by placing the
first two trichords in the woodwinds, the second two in the
brass. These two phases of activity together constitute the simul-
taneous employment of projection, rotation, and expansion.
For this and the remaining examples in this paper, a mode of
graphic representation has been devised to show as clearly as
possible the spatial aspect of the processes involved. In Example
15b, the grid represents pitch along its vertical axis (calibrated
from the lowest, at the bottom, to the highest, at the top); one
Downloaded from http://mts.oxfordjournals.org/ at The University of Alberta on April 25, 2015
square equals one semitone. Time is represented by the horizon-
-Eb tal axis. Time elapses from left to right, but the horizontal axis
has no constant value. Numbers at the left margin mark the
locations of C from the lowest octave, 1, to the highest, 8. In
Example 15b, however, only the portion of the available
-Bb sound-space in use at that point is shown. Numbers along the top
edge are measure numbers. The two pairs of solid parallel lines
show projection and expansion; the two pairs of crossed dotted
lines show that rotation takes place as well.
Example 15a. Deserts, mm. 63 65 -
In Example 16, the technique of symmetrical expansion, on
two different levels, is combined with projection. Four symme-
tries can be identified. (1) The brass parts, considered separately
from the rest of the texture, are spread across the space D 3 -A5 in
mm. 109-10; then, in m. 111, the full choir of trumpets and
trombones is deployed from G# 2 up to D# 6 , an expansion from
 Pitch/Register in Varese 15

Example 15b. Deserts, mm. 63-65, graphic representation by the brass. (4) The inclusion of the piano and timpani parts of
mm. 106-09 in the sound-space preceding m. 111 yields the
63 65 composite A°-A 5 , which is projected to G# 1 -0#6 .

Longer examples

Downloaded from http://mts.oxfordjournals.org/ at The University of Alberta on April 25, 2015

6 The preceding illustrations have been chosen for their gener-
ally straightforward nature. As the analytical context becomes
larger, however, the combined configuration of processes inevi-
^
\ tably becomes more complex: projection, rotation, expansion,
and contraction all begin to exert a certain amount of influence
upon one another. Length, though, also has its advantages.
5
Analysis of the passages at hand demonstrates the operation of
pitch/registral structure over appreciable spans of time.
Example 17 (Ecuatorial, mm. 211-20) is indeed rather com-
F plicated. Essentially, what happens here is that a large space is
reduced systematically to one much smaller. The large expanse
Bb°-E 7 is divided exactly in its middle by the highest note in the
4
r trombones (C 4 ), a note which is given special emphasis by the

31
gmal
Ass
moo
^
3 other, lower notes appear, ending with the group D 1 -D 1 -F2 (m.
B 215), which is followed by a rest. The ondes' D# 6 -E7 may thus
the previous space by [6] on each end. (2) If the voice (doubled
by ondes) in mm. 106-09 is considered by itself, then its B 3 -C4 is
projected to E 4 -F4 in trombone 2. These two interconnected
events, taken together and juxtaposed against the entire sonority
of m. 111, reveal another expansion (B 3 -F4 to G# 1 -G#6 ). (3) The
piano and timpani in mm. 106-09 together define a space A°-E 3 ,
which is projected to the exactly congruent space D 3 -A5 defined
glissando preceding it. The entrances of parts are staggered in
typically Varēsian fashion, roughly in order from lowest to
highest, and the highest pitches (D# 6 and E7 in the two ondes)
enter as the others drop out. While these are held in mm. 212-13,
be said to have an analogue in E 1 -F2 ; the presence of D 1 ,
however, makes this projection only partial. The entrance of D 1
completes a secondary symmetry involving the duplication of
the interval [191: its first appearance occurs between E 4 (lowest
pitch in the trumpets, mm. 211-12) and A 2 (lowest pitch in the
organ, m. 213), then between A 2 and D 1 . The placement of the
lower boundary at D 1 is made even more interesting by the
events that follow. The trombones, in sextuplets at m. 216, first
outline G 2 -E4 , then expand it to F4 . Temporally adjacent events
thus articulate the span D 1 -F4 , which by virtue of registral
proximity may be interpreted as a projection of Bb°-C# 4 from m.
16 Music Theory Spectrum

Example 16. Ecuatorial, mm. 106-11, reduction and graphic 106 109 110 in
•••111•1•1•1•1n••••••••••• • 0•111 11MINVA 11

111 II
representation
I

Downloaded from http://mts.oxfordjournals.org/ at The University of Alberta on April 25, 2015

'
6 •••••••11•111111111•1•11.1111.•11111 1121110•••••
IIMIN • %PM II
4SIMIN •

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MEE •

f tbn. tpts.... - .- •
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411
9
pno., timp. •

2 APJ •
4

11y112111, I
2
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simm 3

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Pitch/Register in Varese 17

Example 17. Ecuatorial, mm. 211-20, reduction and graphic represen-

tation

Downloaded from http://mts.oxfordjournals.org/ at The University of Alberta on April 25, 2015

w11nn^_nnn nnnnn^nnn nnnnnnnnnnnn_n_n_n_nn
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n_ nIĮ III
18 Music Theory Spectrum
211. Next, trombones give way to trumpets (mm. 217-18) then
rejoin them in mm. 219-20. In the latter pair of measures a span
E 3 -D5 is delineated as a projection of G 2 -F4 , to which it is
exactly congruent. Simultaneously, the large span D 1 -E 7 ,
formed earlier by temporal adjacency, contracts symmetrically
to this same E3 -D5 . The confluence of processes suggests that
the phenomenon referred to by Varese as "penetration" of one
sound-mass by another has taken place.
Example 18 (Deserts, mm. 1-22) . Analytical complications
often result when the musical fabric splits and the process of
transformation proceeds in two or more different directions.
When the disparate structures produced by such fragmentation
reunite in a single structure, penetration again may be said to
occur. In Example 18, the initial [14]-span F 4 -G5 produces
D 2 -E3 (m. 6) by projection. F 4 -G 5 is then bisected by C 5 ,
followed immediately and analogously by A 2 dividing D 2 -E 3
(m. 7) . 27 All six pitches remain in place until m. 14, where Bbl
and B 2 are introduced. These can be regarded as a projection of
the gap E 3 -F4 between D 2 -E 3 and F4 -G5 . The next new pitch,
C# 4 , stands closest spatially to F4 and C 5 . Together with these
pitches, it forms a configuration analogous to the disposition of
Bb 1 , D2 , and A 2 — which, even though they do not sound to-
gether at any point, nevertheless are the three lowest pitches
heard so far. The pitch C# 4 assumes further, crucial significance
with respect to the chord in mm. 21-22, which extends in
alternating adjacent [7]'s and [6]'s up to E 6 . Here, CO serves as
a projectional pivot, reproducing with E 6 the distance Bbl-0 4
(articulated in mm. 17-20) above C#4 . Notice also that Bbl and
C#4 together reproduce the span separating the lower pitches D 2
and F4 of each of the initial [14]-spans. Furthermore, this chord,
already discussed in Example 3 above, not only is symmetrical
in itself, but also combines the [7], obtained by bisecting [14],
27This particular series of events was first explained with reference to Var-
ē se's descriptive terminology by Chou Wen-chung in his article, "Varese: A
Sketch of the Man and His Music," Musical Quarterly, 52 (1966), 158-170.
with the [ 13], as [7] plus [6], found earlier between the two
[14j-spans.
In summary: the group F 4 -G 5 , eventually F 4 -C 5 -G5 , is dupli-
cated (projected) to produce a second group, creates a third
group in collaboration with the second, and creates a fourth
Downloaded from http://mts.oxfordjournals.org/ at The University of Alberta on April 25, 2015
group in analogy to a pitch/registral relationship implicit in the
juxtaposition of the second and third groups. This series of
"spinoffs" ends with the advent of a single structure incorporat-
ing many features of the previous structures but superseding
them all.
Examples 19 and 20 (Intēgrales, mm. 80-102 and 126-35).
The second of these two passages is clearly heard as a "return,"
or near-repetition, of material from the first. Side-by-side com-
parison of mm. 93-100 (in Example 19) and mm. 131-34 (in
Example 20) reveals a resemblance that is surely not coinciden-
tal. Yet is this recapitulation in the traditional sense? Keeping in
mind Varēse's remarks about the "distinct function in a new
medium" of such reappearing material, we notice that some
changes have in fact been made—in rhythm, dynamics, accom-
panying percussion, and use of mutes. These may well be
intended as clues to indicate changed function. Nevertheless,
pitch/registral relationships have been left intact.
Analysis of both passages in light of their respective contexts
becomes crucial at this point. In the earlier of the two (see
Example 19), the excerpt in question is preceded by several
measures (80-93) dominated by a group A 4 -B 6 which alternates
several times with a lower pair of chords: G 1 -F# 2 followed by
D 2 -E3 . Embedded in this lower area are features of the upper,
given in succession instead of simultaneously: the [111-span
G 1 -F#2 , an effect of the interlocked [11f s A 4 -G# 5 and B174 -A 5 ;
and the [14]-span D 2 -E3 , a projection of A 5 -B 6 . The two widely
separated groups converge in a symmetric contraction involving
the "melodic" component of mm. 93-100 in its eventual com-
plete form. The pitches D 4 and E4 are the first two presented in
the melody, and the F# 4 and the C 4 bracket the final interval
(filled in by D4 and E4 ) in m. 100. The repeated trombone chord
 Pitch/Register in Varese 19

Example 18. Deserts, mm. 1-22, reduction and graphic representation

Downloaded from http://mts.oxfordjournals.org/ at The University of Alberta on April 25, 2015

-1

V
W
t

^ VO M • ^ ^ i
20 Music Theory Spectrum

Example 19. Intēgrales, mm. 80-102, reduction and graphic represen-

tation

Downloaded from http://mts.oxfordjournals.org/ at The University of Alberta on April 25, 2015

^
r
C . .

rde

i
c:
a
1INE

^ R.1

^
^
^
/

/
,.r
Lz.

ti.
/n /
//

rl
ao n
t`• V:1 VI

D~2- A~2- E~3 comes about as a partial projection of D2-E3. Note
that the space filled by the entire contents of mm. 93-100
(D~2_F#4) is congruent to the intervals of contraction Gl_C4 and
B6_F#4. Finally, C4, the last pitch given in m. 100, is used
together with B4 in m. 101 to effect a symmetric expansion to the
outer boundaries F#l and F? in m. 102.
In the later passage (Example 20), on the other hand, projec-
tion rather than contraction is the process primarily responsible
for motion to the recurring material from the immediately pre-
ceding eleven-note sonority of m. 126, F#3_C7. This chord can
be partitioned in two ways: first, into overlapping woodwind
and brass groups (B4_C7 and F#3_E6, respectively); second, into
three congruent segments at A~4 and B~5. These three segments
are timbrally determined, too: the lower F#3_A~4 encompasses
trombones and hom and is set far apart from the high trumpets,
and the upper B~5_C7 is defined by the three highest woodwind
instruments (piccolos and piccolo clarinet). In the first partition-
ing, the span B4_C7 corresponds to the distance (marked by
single brackets) delineated by D4 in m. 127f. and the trombone
chord D~2_A~2_E~3; and F#3_E6 corresponds to the interval of
projection, which can be read either as B4_D~2 or as C7-D4
(marked with double brackets). The second partitioning pro-
duces three segments, all congruent to the span of the trombone
chord in mm. 131-34; in Example 20, the lowest of these three is
shown projected to m. 131.
The continuation of this passage emphasizes certain other
features of its structure. The pitch E~6 in m. 135, which remains
the highest pitch for some time, is the same distance above D4 as
D~2 is below, hence another instance of projection. Contributing
as well to the attainment of this high point are the successively
articulated [13]-spans C#4-D5 and D5_E~6 (the latter of which is
divided by A~5 and stands in analogy to E~3 , the upper note of the
trombone chord in mm. 131-34, and A3 and E4, the initial upper
and lower boundaries of the melody in those same measures).
Below, successive [14]-spans are given by the trombones (Fl_G2)
and the distance G2-A3 between the trombones and the lowest
Pitch/Register in Varese 21
pitch of the melody. These are projections of the trombone span
in mm. 131-34. Furthermore, while the double intervallic pro-
jections below A 3 and above C#4do balance one another, the real
(i. e. exact) symmetry existing here is expansion outward to F!
and ~6 not from A3 and C#4 but from A3 and B3, the last two
Downloaded from http://mts.oxfordjournals.org/ at The University of Alberta on April 25, 2015
pitches given in the melody before the introduction of the
"new" C#4.
In summary: the various facets of the "repeated" material
have different structural meanings depending upon location in
the work. In each of the two cases the material is fully integrated
into its context. Without question, the pitch duplications are still
heard, but the effect of the disparity in treatment is to provide
equal emphasis upon the function of the material in the ingoing
process.
Example 21 (Density 21.5, mm. 1-23). This, the most ex-
tended of the examples presented in this paper, also demon-
strates in clearest fashion the application of pitch/registral ideas
to analysis, even though the complete work is not analyzed here.
Density 21.5 is for a solo instrument, but the analytical
approach remains much the same as in preceding examples. The
only real difference is that linear detail is often more crucial here
than elsewhere in Varese. The opening figure articulates a
chromatic trichord (F-E-F#)4.28 This figure, in its various trans-
positions, will be referred to as group (x), and is always en-
closed in solid boundaries in the graph. With the occurrence of
G4 in m. 2, a group (E-F#-G)4 is also articulated. This will be
referred to as group (y), and is always marked by dotted bounda-
ries. By registral association, in fact, group (y) is a succession of
a kind, even in its first appearance in m. 2. The implicit relation-
ship between the pitches (E-F#-G)4 is made explicit in mm. 3-4,
in the fonn of a direct linear succession, and again in mm. 4-5,
28Expressions such as (E-F#-G)4 are abbreviations. The number at the end
applies to each of the pitches within the parentheses. The parentheses them-
selves imply no special association between the notes enclosed beyond their
appearance, at that moment, in the same octave.
22 Music Theory Spectrum

Example 20. Intēgrales, mm. 126-35, reduction and graphic represen-

tation

Downloaded from http://mts.oxfordjournals.org/ at The University of Alberta on April 25, 2015

r_- ^

I lf
••n•--_ ,
r'

,o .^, ^
N ^
v .ri
4.4

P
P ^„11^111
MEIN

VZ. ^

M

N "'Netz `Vgro
 Pitch/Register in Varese 23

Example 21. Density 21.5, mm. 1-23, score and graphic representation

Downloaded from http://mts.oxfordjournals.org/ at The University of Alberta on April 25, 2015

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn I:Mnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
nnnMnMMMMMMnnnnnMMnMMnnMnnar MEMOnn MnOMnUM.IEMnOMMMnMMnnOMM
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn E7nnnnnMnnnnnn/IMCMm nnnnnnEnMnnn
nnnnnMEEOOMnnnnnMMnnMnnMni nnnOMEMnEnnnnN^ n!I/n nMMEnnnnnnnn
A MMMMnMnnnMMnnnnnMMnnnMMnmNn►Mnn!nnnnnnnMincnnnnnnnnnnn MMM
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn R^^"^•_*\
^^....^ E'nMEnnMnnnnnnn1rEMnMnOnnnnnnnn
nnnMnMnnnnMOnnMnnnnn 11 nMIInnmt'o nnnnnnnnnnnnnwnnnnn nEnnn nnnn
^11 nnnnn MMnnnMnEnEMn M nnilnMUn[snIin nnnnnnnnnn /!M!nnnnnnnnnnnnn
nnnnn MnnMMMnnnEnMMnn11nnnNE!ZnnnnEnMMEM nM^nnAMnOOnnnOnnnnn
111 nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn M nn 1 1nnnMnMnnnnMMnnnnnnM%T45vaM=9 nMnMMnnn
r ll 11111111111111111i111111111111111111111110l:1i11111111111111
nnnnnnnnMMMOMnnnnnEnIIMnnnnnnnnnn MnnnnnIIMOr.illi nnnnEnn nMME nn
nnnMnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn11nOnOMnnnnnn MnnMMO\;RI nnnMMMnnnnnMnn
"
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnMMM11MnnMMMEMnnMMnMMMMMIN īMEMnMMMNMnMnMMEM
UI I;i
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn TMMEnMMnnnnnMEnOMnnnnnnEMMMMiInnnnnnnn
11111111111111111111e11iC1111111111111111111111M11111111
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn MM nnnnnnncMnrimCMEnMnEA!!cyMmnnnnnnnn

tll c^1 IIIIIIIIIIIII1IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIhIiflhIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

nnnnnOnnnMMMnnnnOMEMnIMnnnOMnEMn M^.E_ OMMMEnMMnan,IMEMMnMMM

1111
; nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn oMMMOnnOnnMr.naMnMnnMnnMfiEnlnnM nnnnn
nnnnnnnnnnMnnnnnnMOOnnf'nnnnnnnnn•mnm = mnMMMMnnnMnunnnnnnnn
nMMnnMnMnnnnnMnMMMnnnnI nMMMMniJīīīīS7M%MMnMMMMElMM nMnnnnnM
nnnnnMEMEnMnOMnEMMMnnnIIAnEMMMnnnn MnEMEnnMnnnnMMINOMMMnnMn
nnnnMMnnnnMMnOMnnMnEnOIlT n MME nIIMEMM nMMnnMnEnnMnMi11nnEnEnMn
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn MnnnnMMamnnnECmownn nnnMnnM nnnnMunnnnnnnn
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn MMMMnnnnnmsMnnnMEMrnlii=c
^---- , , nnnM!!11nnnMOnnn
nnnnnnn MMnOOnnMEnMEnnnr000r.^i^^OMMnMnnnn MlĪIOOOnOnnn
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn OnMnnnMMn Mnn nO,!nE_mommmummomm.MnnMnnnn

IIIIIIuIIuIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIuIIIIIiIuhI:IIIILIIIIIIII
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnOnnnnMMMMMnnnEmsnnnnummnnn--i7n
n OnnMnnnMMnn
nMMMnMMnnMMMMnMMnMMMMnMnMnMMnOM*' nMMMMnMMMMnznOMMnMnnnMMME
nnEMMMEnnnMMMnMnMOMnnEMnMMnMEMOTM nOnn=`MMnOnMnnMnnMnnnnMnn
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn OnnnnMnMMnnMMnMMnnnEMMMMMMMOMM nMMMMnnMnn
nnnnnnnnnnMMnnnnnMnnnnnnnnnnnnnn MnEWA=M►`OnnnEMMnnnnnnMMMM
Ill' 111111111111111111111111111111111111111, 111111111111111111
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn EEn\\^•D'!!!!......MEnnMnn
III' nOnnnnMOnnMnnEOMMMnnnnEMMMn M nMMOM nnnnl^:. AnMMnMMnnnnMnnnnMn
nnnnnnEnnMMMnnnnEMMnnnnnnnnMnnnn EEnMMV=MOMnnMMMnnMnMMnnnn
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn n nnnnnMnnnMNManaiMnnnnMnnnnnMnnn
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnMnnnnnnnMnMnOMMMMMMn\mM nMrnMMMMnEnnnnEEM
nMMMEnnMOMMEMnnMMMMMEnnMMnMMnn MMMMMMMEMOMī -rMnnMnOMnMnnnEM

11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
01
9ļi
1
,.
nnnnEMMnnnMnMMMnnnnnnMnnMMnMnnOnnnnnnnn MOnnnMimMMnMnMnnnn
nnnMnnnnnnMnnnnMnMnnnnMMMnEMnnnnMnMMnnM nnMnnt>tMWMnnnnnnMM

110
24 Music Theory Spectrum
in reverse order. Symmetrical properties also suggest assign-
ment of structural importance to (E-F#-G) 4 , for the articulation of
space bounded by C#4 and G 4 , divided evenly by E 4 , also
becomes clear in the course of the opening measures (see m. 5).
Group (y) outlines the interval (E-G) 4 and thus serves to fill an
interstice of this symmetry. Given this opening, it is not at all
surprising that expansion of occupied space proceeds from here
by extensions of group (y): (G-A-B0 4 , then Bb4 -(C-D17) 5 . Up to
the point where DO is reached, in m. 9, total space employed so
far in the work is [ 12] in extent, double the initial [6] covered by
(C#-G) 4 . The initial high point, G 4 , now stands in the same
relationship to outer boundaries C# 4 and D175 as did E4 to C#4 and
G4 at the beginning—that is, it bisects the space in use.
Expansion of space by one more half step, to D 5 in m. 11, at
once completes a second (x) group—completing a chain of three
linked (y)'s with an (x) on each end—and sets off a new series of
developments. With D5 , a sudden, radical change occurs: rapid
expansion of delineated space through articulation of larger
intervals, in the form of projections of previously presented
structures. The structural framework (C#-G) 4 -D175 serves as the
template for these new formations. Notice that G#4 -(D-G#) 5 and
(D#-A) 4 -D# 5 , both of which are bracketed in the graph, are
projections of that original configuration. Further, A 5 appears in
m. 13, which enlarges the previous [6][6] formation by one
more [6]. This results in a pair of interlocked [6][6]'s, which
share the common segment A 4 -D#5 . The repetition of A 4 in m.
13 emphasizes the [12]-span A 4 -A5 as a significant segment.
The E 6 in mm. 13-14, which constitutes a climax of sorts and
a major structural articulation, has two distinct functions: (1) In
retrospect, we note that D 5 is a point of rest before the burst of
activity leading up to m. 14, by virtue of its temporal value in
comparison to the notes that precede it. D# 5 and E6 are similarly
situated with respect to their immediate surroundings; thus they
duplicate the relationship between C# 4 and D 5 . (2) B17 5 -E6 is the
counterpart to (D#-A) 4 , in that these two segments form a mirror
symmetry about A 4 and Bb 5 . Note that A 4 -B17 5 is given as a direct
succession in m. 13.
The appearance of the [6]-span Bb 5 -E6 introduces the possi-
bility that another [6][6] structure will be formed. This possibil-
ity is realized with E 5 in m. 15, the first note of that measure. It is
also the first note of a new instance of (x), given in the distinc-
tive rhythmic pattern of the opening. Again, too, (x) is suc-
Downloaded from http://mts.oxfordjournals.org/ at The University of Alberta on April 25, 2015
ceeded by (y), but in rotation this time: (D#-E-F#) 5 in m. 16.
Thus, some similarity is maintained with the opening of the
piece, but the altered manner of presentation suggests that
something different will happen in consequence. In fact, this
proves to be the case, as a new high point is reached in m. 17.
Gestural similarity with mm. 13-14 is evident. Attainment of G 6
is accomplished through a symmetrical operation centered about
F# 5 , for the interval F# 5 -E#4 is equal to the interval F# 5 -G 6 . This
symmetry is shown in the diagram by the dotted lines radiating
from F# 5 .
Articulation of the interval F# 4 -G 6 , as a direct succession,
reflects the gestural parallel with mm. 13-14 noted above: the
distance D# 4 -E 6 , [25], was formerly expressed as a symmetrical
configuration involving several pitches, but now appears as a
single, linearly presented interval. Just as the quick attainment
of a new high point G 6 reflects a condensation of musical motion
compared to what immediately precedes it, so do the actual
details of spatial manipulation.
In terms of temporal order of presentation, what happened at
mm. 15-16 now occurs, in mm. 18-19, in reverse. Group (y)
follows group (x) within the space of [3], but this span of [3] is
given as a descent rather than as an ascent: that is, (B-G#) 4 . The
(x)-group that follows, C# 6 -B# 5 -D6 , is a rhythmically elaborated
version of the initial motive and is significant spatially, in that
the outer edges of the new space, G#4 and D 6 , stand in symmetri-
cal contradiction to the composite of D# 4 -E 6 , of mm. 12-14, and
F#4 -G6 of mm. 16-17. The union of these two large spaces is
justified by the procedural links between them discussed above.
In the last two measures (22-23) of this excerpt from Density
21.5, the size of the lower group first presented within the space
(B-G#) 4 undergoes progressive shrinkage, in two stages: first to
 Pitch/Register in Varese 25

(A-B) 4 , then to (A-M) 4 . As a pitch entity, (A-B) 4 has already
been presented, in m. 19, and there is no need to account for its
origins at this point. However, its placement in this context can
be interpreted as an effect, or projection, of the span B# 5 -D6 . In
turn, when (A-B) 4 contracts to (A-A0 4 , there is a response in the
music had been overwhelmingly pitch-oriented. Even a great
revolutionary cannot change everything at once, if indeed he
should want to. Even Varese, I think, would not have denied this
inherent limit upon the evolution of compositional practice. One
of the compromises, then, that Varese had to make was to

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higher register, as we see in m. 23: B# 5 -0#6 . The net effect of acknowledge the sovereignty of pitch. Nevertheless, as we have
this attenuation above and below is to reduce occupied space by seen, he was able to mitigate this sovereignty somewhat by
means of another symmetrical operation: that is, contraction by introducing register as a vital factor in the definition of structure.
one half step on each end. From the original outer boundaries Furthermore, Varēse's use of timbre and dynamics as agents
D#4 and G 6 , then, the size of space in use has been reduced by of delineation represents a considerable advance beyond their
[12]: [6] above and [6] below. The fact that these two interval largely ornamental function in most earlier music. Thus Varese
sizes have already played major roles in the spatial organization pointed out the path leading away from extreme pitch orienta-
of this work is probably significant. tion, even though he did not venture very far along it himself.
But his "dream of instruments obedient to my thought" and
Conclusion "their contribution of a whole new world of unsuspected
sounds" 29 helped that dream become a reality for his heirs.
This theory, in the form presented here, is by no means
complete. The symmetrical operations described above do em-
brace many aspects of structure in Var ēse's music, but certain
matters of internal order are only sketched. As it happens,
another, substantial component of pitch/registral theory, de-
signed to take measure of internal structure, does exist. How-
ever, to have included its exposition here would have made the
present paper too long.. I hope to bring forth a sequel sometime
in the near future.
There remain a few words to say concerning the nature of
assumptions made in formulating this theory. We began with the
idea that pitch, in tandem with register, is the primary determi-
nant of structure in Varese, and that other compositional factors
must be relegated to secondary status, however much of a role
they may play in shaping the decisions made about pitch and
register. Is this assumption warranted for Varese, who after all
has long been famous for emphasizing—in words and in
music —the importance of timbre, dynamics, and rhythm? The
answer—affirmative—is inevitably bound up with historical 29 Varēse, "391," Number 5, June 1917, New York; included in the epigraph
context. For many centuries, up to Varēse's present, all Western for "The Liberation of Sound."