THE ELECTRONIC WORKS OF GYÖRGY LIGETI AND THEIR ...

Region H
Region H, General Features
As the piece continues to increase the amount of overlapping between regions, it
does so on a larger scale. The events of Region H enter in the right channel at about
1'42", taking immediate advantage of the space left by the channel transfer of Region G.
Region H is another long (30 second) stretch of relatively consistent sonic character, and
includes two large events which overlap with Region G for a span of over 10 seconds
from 1'42"-1'53"; this length and consistency is really required to balance the weight of
Region G and is necessary for Region H to operate as an equal partner in the newly
emerging polyphony. After the weakening of the power of channel separation to define
regions, Region H’s events must be consistent to each other and maximally contrasting
with continuation of Region G to establish a new region rather than a return of Region G’s
material to its original channel. These events are largely impulses, containing a mixture of
pitch and noise and moving in clouds of rapid succession over a wide register from 65 to
4810 Hz, though the loudest impulses seldom occur above 3,000 Hz. Region G’s spectra
concurrently range up to 6,000 Hz, with much stronger elements situated higher in the
spectrum. They are, also, in contrast to Region G, generally soft and without
reverberation. Furthermore while the sustained sounds of Region G allow for dynamic
gestures and glissandi, the elements of Region H are short, never longer than about .6
seconds and clipped.
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