Characteristics of Choral Writing in György Ligeti’s Late Works

Abstract

Article is devoted to the last vocal works a cappella created György Ligeti in 1980 — the 1990th years: “Drei Phantasien nach Fridrich Hölderlin”, “Magyar Etüdök” and “Nonsense Madrigals”. The author traces relationship between the previous and last choral opuses by the master, between Ligeti’s choral works and choral creativity of his predecessors and contemporaries. So the author reveals features of ligeti’s late choral style: at the levels of relationship between word and music, the texture and timbre organization. The author pays special attention to studying of Ligeti’s neomadrigalism. This phenomenon proves in the organization of musical texture, in interaction of musical and literary texts and also in the general organization of compositions. The opposition of love and death (immemorial categories of human life) is the cornerstone of the dramaturgic organization of a cycle and typical for Ligeti’s vocal works “polyphony of meanings” is shown in the constant present genre and style game with the recipient. The composition intended for “The King’s singers” embodies diverse style hints, corresponding to the wide performing range of this ensemble and own musical interests of the composer. In this last vocal work by Ligeti also his love to literary world of Lewis Carroll with the atmosphere of absurdity, so conformable to the music world of the author of “Le Grand Macabre” was reflected.