THE ELECTRONIC WORKS OF GYÖRGY LIGETI AND THEIR ...

two regions. At the beginning of the region these are punctuated with low impulses, such
as the prominent one at 32", occupying a very diffuse position between 73-91 Hz. By the
end of the region, this more diffuse material has largely moved into the middle register
above 150 Hz, with a strong region at about 294 Hz at the end of Event 2b. This type of
material remains in this region during the second pair of events. Thus while Region C uses
a mixture of noise and pitch, moving towards a greater diversity of elements, rather than
occupying a consistent mid-level value, as in Region A.
Mixture versus Moderation and the Presage of Polyphony
The use of material which mixes sonic opposites rather than exists as an
intermediate state, is in one way a precedent to polyphony–especially as the material above
900 Hz operates differently from the material below it. At this point, however there are
criteria that mitigate the perception of a true polyphony. First of all, the upper register’s
material is louder and more prominent, and is also organized into coherent gestures. This
relegates the softer material below 900 Hz into a background role. The use of heavy
reverberation also tends to blend the materials together making the perception of separate,
more or less equal, strands difficult at this point. This is nonetheless, an important
precedent to Region F, which will achieve this polyphonic effect quite clearly.
Dynamics and Attack Strength
The initial noise glissando creates a very prominent attack, and the subsequent
decreases in dynamics, and corresponding decrease in attack strength directly contradict
the trends of the opening. The sense of growth and acceleration in Regions A and B is
reversed, and the motion of Region C, gradually becomes softer and slower. The heavily
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