Morton Feldman - Crippled Symmetry (1983)

Crippled Symmetry (1983) for flute, piano and percussion
Composer: Morton Feldman (1926-1987)
Performers: The California EAR Unit: Dorothy Stone, flutes; Arthur Jarvinen, percussion; Vicki Ray, piano and celesta.
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"A growing interest in Near and Middle Eastern rugs has made me question notions I previously held on what is symmetrical and what is not. In Anatolian village and nomadic rugs there appears to be considerably less concern with the exact accuracy of the mirror image than in most other rug-producing areas. The detail of an Anatolian symmetrical image was never mechanical, as I had expected, but idiomatically drawn. Even the classical Turkish carpet was not as particular with perfect border solutions as was its Persian counterpart.
A disproportionate symmetry, whether rhythmic or in phrase lengths, characterizes twentieth-century musical development. Webern’s spregelbild (mirror image) in his last works was integral to his twelve-tone procedure and any imbalance had to do with a slight variation of rhythmic or chordal distribution in its mirror. The post-Webern tendency with rhythm was to effect a compromise between symmetrical and asymmetrical beats. A typical example would be five notes played in the time of four equal beats (5:4), or other similar patterns. Unlike Stravinsky, whose “raw” syncopation articulated tight harmonic rhythm patterns, post-Webern rhythmic usage stemmed from a twelve-tone polyphonic concept of continuous variation in which a rhythm - not dependent on harmony - varied the motivic shape of the music.
Rugs have prompted me in my recent music to think of a disproportionate symmetry, in which a symmetrically staggered rhythmic series is used: 4:3, 6:5, 8:7, etc., as the point of departure. For my purpose, it “contains” my material more within the metric frame of the measure; while in post-Webern arhythmic language, lopsided acceleration results from the directional pull of one figure to another. What I’m after is somewhat like Mondrian not wanting to paint “bouquets, but a single flower at a time.”
[...]
I was once in Rothko’s studio when his assistant restretched the top of a large painting at least four times. Rothko, standing some distance away, was deciding whether to bring the canvas down an inch or so, or maybe even a little bit higher. This question of scale, for me, precludes any concept of symmetry or asymmetry from affecting the eventual length of my music. As a composer I am involved with the contradiction in not having the sum of the parts equal the whole. The scale of what is actually being represented, whether it be of the whole or of the part, is a phenomenon unto itself. The reciprocity inherent in scale, in fact, has made me realize that musical forms and related processes are essentially only methods of arranging material and serve no other function than to aid one’s memory.
[...]
I’m being distracted by a small Turkish village rug of white tile patterns in a diagonal repeat of large stars in lighter tones of red, green, and beige. [...] Everything about the rug’s coloration, and how the stars are drawn in detail, when the rectangle of a tile is even, how the star is just sketched (as if drawn more quickly), when a tile is uneven and a little bit smaller - this, as well as the staggered placement of the pattern, brings to mind Matisse’s mastery of his seesaw balance between movement and stasis. Why is it that even asymmetry has to look and sound right? There is another Anatolian woven object on my floor, which I refer to as the “Jasper Johns” rug. It is an arcane checkerboard format, with no apparent systematic color design except for a free use of the rug’s colors reiterating its simple pattern. Implied in the glossy pile (though unevenly worn) of the mountainous Konya region, the older pinks, and lighter blues were my first hint that there was something there that I could learn from, if not apply to my music.
The color-scale of most nonurban rugs appears more extensive than it actually is, due to the great variation of shades of the same color (abrash) - a result of the yarn having been dyed in small quantities. As a composer, I respond to this most singular aspect affecting a rug’s coloration and its creation of a microchromatic overall hue. My music has been influenced mainly by the methods in which color is used on essentially simple devices. It has made me question the nature of musical material. What could best be used to accommodate, by equally simple means, musical color? Patterns."
~Morton Feldman, Crippled Symmetry (1981)
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[@whatsthatnoise5955]

Such a beautiful piece

[@johnnyfx82]

SO GREAT!!!!! THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!!! :))

[@junyoungkim6077]

Il est tellement dur de comprendre des pièces de Morton Feldman. En réalité, sa musique a quelque chose dans une très longue durée, mais nous ne pouvons pas bien "supporter" sa pièce étant donné qu'elle inclut des éléments musicaux absolument restreints.
Je fais souvent une lecture de Feldman avant de dormir, malheureusement, je n'ai jamais entendu une cadence de Feldman bien qu'il soit l'un des compositeurs géniaux aux États Unis. Je défierai de l'écouter maintenant avec cette pièce, mais je sais pas que je sois capable de réussir à tout terminer la lecture..

[@carlquestad9096]

the talking at 1:10:00 scared the crap outta me

[@NGS712]

Maybe I need to use stronger headphones, but I didn't notice any voices?