THE ELECTRONIC WORKS OF GYÖRGY LIGETI AND THEIR ...

the average length of previous events, and the time span of the entirety of the materials’
interaction corresponds to the length of a typical region.
Spatial Location
As shown in Figure 3.12, the stereo version of the piece realizes all of these events
in the left channel, in the quad version, however, the noises were in the left channel and
the pitches in the back. Considering the quad version and the problems of reducing this to
stereo, one should note that this is the first time that an extended dialogue has taken place
in channels that are not diametrically opposed to one another. Since this region itself is a
dialogue (rather than the dialogue between entire regions, as found between A and B), it
also has the most frequent change between the channels yet heard, and represents a
considerable development towards more active spatial motion. While this spatial activity
is not rendered as such in the stereo version, the new development of having two sides of
a dialogue in one channel conveys a similarly profound shift in the use of channel
separation.
Coordination of Sonic Materials (compact vs. diffuse)
A number of factors aid the streaming of compact and diffuse materials into
polyphonic streams; these factors include rhythmic coordination of streams and the
internal consistency within each stream. Despite the more frequent exchanges between
sides of the dialogue, it remains fairly well ordered and balanced between the two types of
material. After the first event, a clear alternation can be seen, where most of the events of
one type (labeled c for compact, d for diffuse in Figure 3.12) fall in the rests of the other,
thus aiding their perception as separate elements.
154