Analysis of Silences in Music: Theoretical Perspectives, Analytical Examples from Twentieth-Century Music, and In-Depth Case Study of Webern’s Op. 27/iii

Résumé

Silences have recurrently been a concern for whoever wrote about music. Despite the large amount of musicological literature available on the topic, much of the treatment that silences have received in the past is rather philosophical or speculative: Does silence exist? Is silence music? These musicological discussions sprung out as a reaction to John Cage's provocative and controversial composition 4'33''. Acknowledging the inexistence of an absolute absence of sounds does not eradicate the concept of musical silence. The presence of notated silences can be traced back to Ancient Greek music extending down to present day. These silences are an integral part of a musical composition, but only occasionally they receive some sort of analytical discussion. Are silences susceptible to a deeper music analysis? What constructive functions do silences display in a music composition? How do silences interact with surrounding musical elements? Answering these questions is a major concern for supporting the musicality of silence. The original contribution to knowledge that this dissertation offers is a unification of theoretical perspectives under a common framework with the purpose of suggesting a method for the music analysis of notated acoustic silences. This method provides a foundation for musicologists interested in conducting further research on the silence usage of various composers. Equally, the theory itself is susceptible to further expansion with the creation of new categories or with a rearrangement of existing ones. The method has the potential of stimulating a creative implementation by composers involved in experiments with silences. For performers, analyzing musical silences can lead to an increase in aural awareness, a deeper appreciation of the musical value of silences, as well as a better-informed performance practice. Ten theoretical perspectives for the analysis of musical silences are retrieved, summarized, and discussed. This literature review is illustrative of the diversity of possible interpretations on the functions of silence, but it should not be regarded as representative of all the available writings on the topic. The extensibility of these theoretical approaches to twentieth century music is defended by means of several original analytical examples. Most of these theoretical approaches grant relatively little importance to acoustic silences, since these approaches strongly rely on the examination of sheet music (notated silence). Furthermore, a wide range of terms has been encountered for addressing relatively similar categories, without reaching a consensus between the authors that were surveyed. The issue of terminology is tackled with the proposition of an original method for the analysis of silences. This method aims to unify the perspectives formerly described in three stages: identification, description, and analysis. Identification is conducted on both sheet music and audio recordings with the display of waveforms or spectrograms. In the second stage, notated acoustic silences are compared in terms of length. Also, some specific categories are drawn for describing the timbre and the dynamics in acoustic silences. The final stage, analysis, offers ten pathways for assessing the constructive functions of silence. These functions comprise the interaction of silence with rhythm, dynamics, pitch, timbre, texture, form, expectations, continuity, evocations and the phenomenon of tension-repose. The analysis of Webern's Op. 27/iii reveals how silences are deeply organized in this piece. There is a progressive increase in the frequency of rests towards Variation IV, the climax of the movement. Rhythmic ambiguity as well as the emergence of patterns is triggered through the presence of notated silences. Pitch classes are also assembled through varied types of symmetrical structures. However, in many cases, notated silences are filled by the resonance of the sustain pedal or by the prolongation of preceding sounds. In some cases, this is done to increase the amount of accumulated tension before releasing it by means of a longer silence. Significant levels of discrepancy in the lengths of silences have been registered between the notated and acoustic forms. A particularly remarkable expansion of acoustic durations can be found in the anticlimactic silence that separates the last two variations. Silences also define two contrasting textures (fragmented versus continuous) which progressively evolve across the movement reaching a synthesis in Variation V. These paths are convoluted by the addition and subtraction of silences for expressive purposes as reveals a comparative analysis of five recordings. Some of the notated silences can be interpreted as textural fragmentation or omission. In addition, silences contribute to formal segmentation, acting as joints between the Theme and the ensuing Variations. Repeatedly, silences are used to contradict the expectations of hearing a regular predictable pattern, leaning towards a state of continuous textural development. These numerous changes invoke a highly unstable condition. Silences prove to be a powerful device for molding the flow of tension-repose. Likewise, silences drive a fervent juxtaposition of contrasting emotional states in Webern's Op. 27