George Crumb: Expressiveness and Timbral Exploration in Vox Balaenae and An Idyll for the Misbegotten
George Crumb: Expressiveness and Timbral Exploration in Vox Balaenae and An Idyll for the Misbegotten

Summary/Abstract: This paper is part of a doctoral research project and deals with the analysis of two important pieces from the contemporary flute repertoire belonging to the American composer George Crumb. The pieces in question are Vox Balaenae for flute, cello and piano and An Idyll for the Misbegotten for flute and percussion. The paper begins with a short biographical sketch of the composer, followed by the presentation of several stylistic features of Crumb`s music. The proposed analytical approach encompasses both the compositional aspects of the two pieces (especially the techniques of varied repetition and permutation, or the conception of musical time) presented in detail and accompanied by relevant examples, and aspects related to the extended techniques used by the composer in his flute music, or to the interpretive suggestions offered from the perspective of the musician who has gone through the often difficult task of learning and performing the above mentioned pieces.

• Details
• Contents