Sound search tendency in composer’s practice of the second part of 20th — beginning 21st century

Abstract

Relevance of the study of this article is an attempt to consider the art music of second part of the 20th— beginning of the 21st centuries as a purposeful process inherent for the development of some sounds ideas. One of them concerns some changes at the level of sound material that I propose to define as sound search tendency.The main objective of the study is definition in boundaries of sound search tendency of typical tools of the composer’s work with sound material. In our time these tools have been stabilized and have been widely spread in modern composer’s creativity.Scientific novelty of this article is a proposition of the sound search tendency definition as one of the main ideas that has appeared at the beginning of the 20th century, has been developed in the second part of the 20th century and has the stage of stabilization now. This tendency is demonstrated itself by the sound material research in the process of its creating and working with it.The main attention of composers is focused on experiments with sound and music instruments (or voices) that are produced by means of different timbre mixes, extended techniques and non-typical interpretation of traditional musical techniques. Extended techniques, preparation and amplification of instruments and voices have been emphasized. Traditional music sounds are being used now on equal terms and often even more rarely than different noises.The methodology. In the article the methods of historical, linguistic and structural analysis are used.Results and conclusions. The sound search tendency is directed to creating original acoustic objects. From diversity of methods the most common at the moment are:extended techniques;preparation of instruments;non typical using and original combining of traditional musical techniques;combination of traditional musical techniques, extended techniques and preparation of instruments (in different methods);introduction or making new or non-typical musical instruments;creation of new timbre complexes with aid of using non-musical by their nature sounds, working with electro acoustic material, mixing electro acoustic and acoustic sounds etc.Often result of such work is an original expressive effect that demonstrates main idea of composition. Methods described above are demonstrated by examples of First String Quartet (from “Sei Quartetti Brevi”, 1967–1992) by Salvatore Sciarrino and “Lacrimosa or 13 Magic Songs” for seven violins (2017) by Maxim Shalygin.Understanding the role of sound search tendency in the art music of the 20th –beginning 21st century gives possibility to put in order according certain principle whole variety of composer’s techniques, sound ideas, methods of sound organizing that was created at art music during this time.