THE ELECTRONIC WORKS OF GYÖRGY LIGETI AND THEIR ...

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other hand, while balanced in what Ligeti calls “conditions of aggregation” progresses in
a more globally straightforward path, but locally presents a collection sounds whose basic
elements are more complex, and are not given immediately at the beginning of the piece or
section, but come to be recognized as significant as they are articulated through continual
recombination along this basic trajectory. Ligeti describes this as “an investigation of the
degree of opposition and permeability of these characters... which could be mixed and
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which resisted mixture.” Identifying different steps along this process will be a major
concern of the analysis that follows.
III. Analytical Caveats
A few other words of warning are in order before embarking upon an analysis of
Artikulation. These considerations will involve issues which are not addressed by Ligeti in
his other compositions for tape, including the use of different spatial locations, the limits
of perception, increased sensitivity to the categorization of sound types, and finally to the
play with language that this piece suggests, finally posing the question of how this effects
our perception of larger scale form.
Artikulation uses spatial distribution in a more dynamic manner than either
Glissandi which was created as a monophonic composition or Pièce électronique no. 3,
for that matter, which although quad, involves only a few slight motions or as an
enveloping effect. The spatial location of sounds, while included along with the
21Ligeti,
“Metamorphosis,” 15.
22Ibid.
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