THE ELECTRONIC WORKS OF GYÖRGY LIGETI AND THEIR ...

hand column of the chart below, the change from 73 to 71 seconds for the final section,
and the addition of 19 seconds of rest does not change this fact.
Table 4.5b. Scale of Section Durations for Atmosphères
4 4
5 1.25 5 1.25
6 1.20 6 1.20
7 1.17 7 1.17
8 1.14 8 1.14
9 1.13 9 1.13
10 1.11 10 1.11
12 1.20 12 1.20
14 1.17 14 1.17
16 1.14 16 1.14
18 1.13 18 1.13
21 1.17 19 1.06
23 1.10 21 1.11
26 1.13 23 1.10
29 1.12 26 1.13
33 1.14 29 1.12
37 1.12 33 1.14
43 1.16 37 1.12
48 1.12 43 1.16
55 1.15 48 1.12
73 1.33 55 1.15
71 1.29
Moreover, when these are arranged in order in the piece, Ligeti reorders these segments,
avoiding any clear trajectory and also never placing two sections with the same proportion
next to one another. Thus while the duration scheme in Apparitions was used to
emphasize the relationship between internal and external changes, in Atmosphères, the
composer fastidiously avoids any proportional similarities that could create a sense of
equivalence or parallelism. Thus the duration scheme here supports the continuous and
gradually changing surface in creating a sense of continual development and reinvention.
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