Density 21.5

Density 21.5
Artist's Biography

Note: Please excuse the lack of accents, I haven't figured out how to make the Mac keyboard shortcuts work in the context of this programming.

Edgard Varese (1883-1965) is a curious figure in modern music, and has long been a favorite of mine.  He harbored a deep interest in the journey of sound and light through space, which is characterized by his avant-garde style and experimentation with electronic resources.  Varese employed a fantastic "boomerang" dynamic style which at times resembles the Doppler effect.  He toyed with the idea of "tiny music", or music on an atomic level, when composing.  This "tiny music" is made by air currents, dust falling on a table, or atoms striking each other.  If there is indeed a Great Universal Music, he was determined to replicate or represent it to the best of his artistic ability.  One good example of this concept is his piece for 13 percussionists, Ionisation (1931).

I've barely touched on his style or influences; but let it be said that he is recognized as the Father of Electronic Music.  His compositions shattered preconceived notions of the very nature of music itself and inspired generations of artists to stretch the boundaries and find our language in every aspect of life.

Density 21.5 was commissioned by Georges Barrere in 1936 in honor of his platinum flute; platinum has an approximate elemental density of 21.5 grams per cubic centimeter.  The piece itself uses two separate motivic "particles": a two note modal figure and three note atonal figure.  I'm still not entirely sure how he managed to distribute 2 tiny motives throughout the flute's entire register, but the presentation and timbral exploration are masterful to say the least.  George Perle does a complete analysis of the work in "The Listening Composer" (1990), which I do not intend to duplicate here.  It is quite an enjoyable review, should you have an hour and the sheet music.

The harmonic and rhythmic control belies the freedom of dynamic and intensity inherent in this work.  This control is partially based in Varese's appreciation for Schoenberg's music.  In pieces such as this, the focus is on the composition itself and the process of discovery experienced by each performer and listener it encounters.  The structure, melody, and contrast are there... you just have to pay attention.