Compositional Parameters: "Projection 4" and an Analytical Methodology for Morton Feldman's Graphic Works

Abstract

Compositional Parameters: Projection 4 and an Analytical Methodology for Morton Feldman's Graphic Works 1 Ryan Vigil The revolutionary moment in Morton Feldman's development can be traced to the composition of Projection i, for solo cello, in 1950. Written in a graphic styleof notation, Projection I is specificwith regard to timbre, and rhythm, but general with regard to pitch. The piece carries no dynamic indications, leaving this element of themusic entirely undetermined. As can be seen in Example 1,which reproduces the first page of Projection i, Feldman's notation of pitch reduces the options to three categories: high, middle, and low.Within these ranges, the limits of which "may be freely chosen by the player," any tone may be sounded.1 The significance of this approach in the context of the compositional picture in 1950 can hardly be overstated. At a timewhen 234 PerspectivesofNew Music many composers chose to exert more and more control, devising methods of composition whereby every aspect of the work was thoroughly under their command?or, at least, largely determined by an overarching compositional system?Feldman employed a procedure wherein he had lessdirect control over themusic. Composed between 1950 and 1951, the Projection series represents Feldman's firsteffortswithin this new compositional orientation. Later graph pieces include the Intersection series (1951-53), Altantis (1959) for orchestra, The Straits of Magellan (1961) for flute, horn, trumpet, harp, electric guitar, piano, and double bass, and The King of Denmark (1964) for solo percussion. Throughout this period Feldman continued to write pieces with a traditional approach to notation; yet, while he later expressed misgivings about certain aspects of the graphic approach, the fact that he continued towrite graph pieces for nearly fifteenyears after his firstexperiments with the idiom indicates that he continued to see the graph as a viable and significant compositional tool.2 In addition to Projection i, the Projection series includes Projection 2 (January 3, 1951), for flute, trumpet, piano, violin, and cello; Projection 3 (January 5, 1951), for two pianos; Projection 4 (January 16, 1951), for violin and piano; and Projection 5 (dated simply 1951), for three flutes, trumpet, two pianos, and three cellos. The predilection for piano and cello is clear?the former appears in all but the firstpiece, and the latter is featured in three out of the five. Projection 2 and Projection 5 are scored for the largest ensembles (made up of five and nine players, respectively); Projection 3 and Projection 4 are duets. Each piece in the series presents a unique instrumentation. Not only do all fivepieces use a different assortment of instruments, but each one embodies a different "type" of ensemble: Projection 1 is the only solo piece in the set; Projection 2 is scored for amedium-sized ensemble where no instrument is present more than once; Projection 3 is a duet for two identical instruments; Projection 4 is a duet for two different instruments; Projection 5 is for the largest ensemble and includes multiple parts for flute,piano, and cello (including three parts for both flute and cello). It appears as ifFeldman is testing the graphic approach to see if it can accommodate these very different combinations. But it is clear that the goal isnot sheer variety?in fact, the number of different instruments he uses is rather small.While the various combinations do seem to ensure that the series, taken as a whole, inhabits a range of different timbral regions and various types of musical space (from solo instrument to nine-piece chamber ensemble), Feldman seems concerned that the music not get too far away from itself. In this sense, the only piece whose instrumentation cannot be explicitly linked to all of the others is Projection i, since it is the only solo piece, and itdoes not include piano. PHOJtCJtONl n o3 pT~d p~1 !M ! I r?-i r~B I i_"_q _s L_i... xu p-CLJ a !j| *L_i b_I L_a.ia. s EXAMPLE 1: PROJECTION i, PAGE 1 uj 236 PerspectivesofNew Music In general, the notational approach remains consistent throughout the series. Each instrument reads a line ofmusic that proceeds from left to right through a series of equal-sized rectangles; each rectangle...