Course number G71.2198
Special Topics: Xenakis, Fall 2004, E.Hoffman

Some themes of this course:
-- Xenakis's major technical constructs, especially sieves, screens, group theory, and
musically mapped probability distributions, as implemented in the music

-- X's views, and his musical developments, regarding pitch, rhythm, meter, timbre,
and density

-- The relation of Xenakis's mathematically driven and "reasoned" thought to his
intuitive thought

-- His motivations for using complex and systematic procedures to generate musical
irregularities and mass events

In sum, we'll explore Xenakis's use of elements from mathematics, probability, and architecture;
his rethinking of elements from Western music; his attempts to evoke new aural
and social listening experiences, and his efforts to manifest philosophic thought in sonic form.


PRIMARY READINGS:
Baltensperger, Andre. 1987. "Im Atelier von Le Corbusier" and "Xenakis als Architekt
im Atelier von Le Corbusier" from Xenakis und die Stochastiche Musik.
(Bern: Verlag Paul Haupt).

Bois, Mario. 1967. Iannis Xenakis: the Man and His Music. A conversation with the
composer and a description of his works. (London: Boosey and Hawkes).
English edition.

Boettinger, Peter. 1987. "Zeitgestaltung: Die kompositorische Bewaltigung rhythmischer
und formaler Probleme im Werk von Iannis Xenakis."
Musik-Konzepte. Vol. 54/55: 43-70.

Matossian, Nouritza. 1986. Xenakis. (London: Kahn & Averill).

Squibbs, Ronald. 1996. "An Analytical Approach to the Music of Iannis Xenakis."
Ph.D. dissertation, Yale University. (Ann Arbor: UMI).

_____. 2003. "Xenakis in Miniature: Style and Structure in à r. (Hommage à Ravel) for
Piano (1987)." Perspectives of New Music. 41/1 (Winter): 120-153.

Varga, Balint Andras. 1996. Conversations with Iannis Xenakis. (London: Faber and
Faber).

Vriend, Jan. 1981. "Nomos Alpha: Analysis and Comments." Interface, vol 10: 15-8.

Toop, Richard. 1981. Stockhausen’s Electronic Works: Sketches and Work-Sheets
1952-1967. Interface, vol 10: 149-157.

Xenakis, Iannis. 1992. Formalized Music. (New York: Pendragon Press).
Revised edition. Edited by Sharon Kanach. Chapters 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10

_____. 1976. Musique, Architecture. (Tournai, Belgium: Casterman).
"Formalisation et axiomatisation de la composition musicale" (ch. 3)
"Les trois Paraboles" (ch. 2)

PROBABILITY/CHAOS/STATISTICS:

Beltrami, Edward J. 1999. What is Random? Chance and Order in Mathematics and
Life. (New York: Springer-Verlag). Chapters 1 and 2.

Chung, Kai Lai. 1979. Elementary Probability Theory with Stochastic Processes.
(New York: Springer-Verlag). Third Edition. Chapter 7.

Clarke, A. Bruce. 1985. Probability and Random Processes. (New York:
John Wiley & Sons):
ch. 7 "Special Distributions"

Isaac, Richard. 1999. The Pleasures of Probability. (New York: Springer-Verlag).
Chapters 9-12.

Stewart, Ian. 1989. Does God Play Dice? The Mathematics of Chaos. (Cambridge,
MA: Basil Blackwell), especially chapters 3, 4, 8, 9
SUPPLEMENTARY:

Ariza, Christopher. 2000-2004. Algorithmic and analytic tools utilizing X. sieve models.
http://www.flexatone.net/athenaInfo.html#athenaFeatAlgo
http://www.flexatone.net/computer.html#athenaNetTools
http://www.flexatone.net/athenaInfo.html#athenaFeatAnalytic

______. 2004. Onomato. 2004. Musical composition utilizing sieve processes applied to
rhythm: http://www.flexatone.net/concert.html#onomato

______. 2004. An Object-Oriented Model of the Xenakis Sieve for Algorithmic Pitch,
Rhythm, and Parameter Generation. Computer Music Journal, 2005.

Borges, Jorge Luis. 1964. "The Library of Babel" in Labyrinths: Selected Stories and
Other Writings. (New York: New Directions). Edited by Donald Yates.
Augmented edition.

DeLio, Thomas. 1980. "Iannis Xenakis's Nomos Alpha: the Dialectics of Structure and
Materials." Journal of Music Theory 24/1: 63-95.

Gallop, David. 1984. Parmenides of Elea: fragments. (Toronto: Toronto University
Press).

Johnson, Robert Sherlaw. 1975. Messiaen. (Berkeley : University of California Press.)

Kaletha, Holger. 2004. "Decomposition of the Sound Continuum." Perspectives of New
Music. 42/1 (Winter 2004): 84-128. Translated by Jerome Kohl.

Taran, Leonardo. 1965. Parmenides. A Text with Translation, Commentary, and
Critical Essays. (Princeton: Princeton University Press).

Lacroix, Marie-Hortense Pléiades (Paris: Michel de Maule, 2001).

WORKS STUDIED

Metastaseis 1953-54 orchestra (61) : serialism, sound masses,
glissandi, geometric ratios
Pithoprakta 1955-56 orchestra (50) : stochastics
Concret PH 1958 4-channel tape (stereo version)
Nomos Alpha 1966 solo cello : sieves, group theory
Antihkthon 1971 (ballet music) orchestra (88)
Mikka 1971 solo violin : random walks using glissandi
Pleiades 1978 six percussion : time formations, sieves
Mists 1980 solo piano : random walks+ stochastics
à r. 1987 solo piano : random walks + simultaneities
Tracees 1987 orchestra (94)