György Ligeti

The first part of the book centers on questions of biography, art and music theory, the psychology of creation and general aesthetics and concerns basic traits of Ligeti's personality and work. The more extensive second part comprises discussions of his most representative works, with special emphasis on the processes of creation.

This monograph is an authoritative study of the uvre of one of the most important composers of our time. For the first time, Ligeti's key works are presented in the context of their drafts and sketches. His personal and artistic development is set forth and illuminated, and his principal compositions are analyzed and reinterpreted, based on detailed studies of the scores and drafts, as well as on personal conversations with the composer. In addition, numerous questions concerning today's composing are raised and discussed. Music does not have to be puristic: Ligeti's spheres of interest are close to universal, embracing history, natural science, and visual arts, as well as music of diverse eras and ethnicities. This expanded world of the musical comprises not just tones and sounds, speech and music, the vocal and the instrumental: Ligeti conceives music as a cosmos of acoustic form.

Autorentext

Constantin Floros is professor emeritus of Musicology at the University of Hamburg. Among his works are volumes on the origin of Gregorian neumes, about Gustav Mahler, Anton Bruckner, Johannes Brahms, Ludwig van Beethoven and Alban Berg. Ernest Bernhardt-Kabisch is professor emeritus of English and Comparative Literature at Indiana University. He has translated several books by Constantin Floros.

Klappentext

This monograph is an authoritative study of the oeuvre of one of the most important composers of our time. For the first time, Ligeti's key works are presented in the context of their drafts and sketches. His personal and artistic development is set forth and illuminated, and his principal compositions are analyzed and reinterpreted, based on detailed studies of the scores and drafts, as well as on personal conversations with the composer. In addition, numerous questions concerning today's composing are raised and discussed. Music does not have to be puristic: Ligeti's spheres of interest are close to universal, embracing history, natural science, and visual arts, as well as music of diverse eras and ethnicities. This expanded world of the musical comprises not just tones and sounds, speech and music, the vocal and the instrumental: Ligeti conceives music as a cosmos of acoustic form.

Zusammenfassung
«This study excels all previous monographs on the subject of Ligeti in factual thoroughness and breadth of aesthetic horizon, in fineness of intellectual portraiture and authority of musical analysis.» (Lutz Lesle)
«The most exciting, comprehensible, analytically profound and conceptually lucid study to date, which, in addition, for the first time incorporates the sketches in the discussion and thereby elucidates the basic ideas underlying many of the works.» (Fonoforum)

Inhalt
Contents: Biographical Sketch Questions of Identity Towards an Intellectual Physiognomy A «non-Puristic» Music Metaphors, Allusions and Synästhesias Time and Space New Sound Images Popularity Going beyond Serialism Apparitions Atmospheres Requiem Lux aeterna Continuum Le Grand Macabre The Turning-point 1980 Epater l'Avant-garde The Piano Etudes The Concerti for Piano, Violin and Horn Afterword.