THE ELECTRONIC WORKS OF GYÖRGY LIGETI AND THEIR ...

etrograde of the louder, denser, and more wide ranging F Section, I will mark one such
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divisions at 4'54.5", the end of Section F . This span also contains anomalous material,
not generated by the schematic form, in two separate areas.
The striking pizzicato glissando which began the initial B Section is filtered out in
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the reprise, and the end of Section E (which contains the third and final anomaly)
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transfers clearly to Section D , which, coinciding with the reprise of the D Section,
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constitutes a substantial change in material. Thus I will define the span of Section E as
the second major division of Stage 1. These divisions are shown below in a spectrograph
(Figure 2.13).
Retrograde of Section F
The retrograde of Section F is largely audible as such, and while fragmented, it
creates a coherent arch around the midpoint of the piece. Two factors facilitate this
perception, first, the decelerating rhythm of the filtered material which mirrors the
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acceleration towards the midpoint, and second the registral shape of Section F . The
material of Section F was so diverse and spread through such a wide range, that its
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retrograde overwhelms the shape of Section A with which it runs concurrently; moreover,
since Section A is shorter than Section F, A’s rise in register is swallowed within the shape
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of Section F ’s arching descent.
The clipping of material which accelerated through Event 6 of Section F, prepares
the abrupt and interruptive filtering which begins the second half of the piece, and
conversely, the slowly lengthening segments of unfiltered material reverse the accretion
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