Incises (Boulez)
Encyclopedia
Incises and Sur Incises (1996/1998) are two related works of the French
composer
Pierre Boulez
.
Incises is Boulez's first work for solo piano since his third piano sonata
of 1955–57/63. Originally written in 1994, it has been revised twice, most recently in 2001. It plays with contrasts of gestures and textures, for instance, repeated pitches or chords in an even tempo interrupted by violent melodic arcs, or sparse chordal interjections without discernible rhythm over long held sonorities.
Sur Incises followed a few years later as a two-movement work based on the material of Incises. This work is for 3 piano
s, 3 harp
s, and 3 percussion parts (covering a variety of tuned percussion instruments: vibraphone
, marimba
, glockenspiel
, steel drums, tubular bells
, and crotales
). Here the sounds of the piano are broken into component parts played by the harps and percussion, and stretched across space as well by having the three groups spread apart in the performance space. This kind of reworking of an earlier piece is characteristic of Boulez, the first instance being Structures
. Sur Incises was awarded the Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition given by the University of Louisville
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Pierre Boulez
Pierre Boulez
Pierre Boulez is a French composer of contemporary classical music, a pianist, and a conductor.-Early years:Boulez was born in Montbrison, Loire, France. As a child he began piano lessons and demonstrated aptitude in both music and mathematics...
.
Incises is Boulez's first work for solo piano since his third piano sonata
Piano sonatas (Boulez)
Pierre Boulez has composed three piano sonatas. The First Piano Sonata in 1946, a Second Piano Sonata in 1948, and a Third Piano Sonata was composed in 1955–57 with further elaborations up to at least 1963, though only two of its movements have been published.-First Piano Sonata:Boulez's First...
of 1955–57/63. Originally written in 1994, it has been revised twice, most recently in 2001. It plays with contrasts of gestures and textures, for instance, repeated pitches or chords in an even tempo interrupted by violent melodic arcs, or sparse chordal interjections without discernible rhythm over long held sonorities.
Sur Incises followed a few years later as a two-movement work based on the material of Incises. This work is for 3 piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
s, 3 harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
s, and 3 percussion parts (covering a variety of tuned percussion instruments: vibraphone
Vibraphone
The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
, marimba
Marimba
The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
, glockenspiel
Glockenspiel
A glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
, steel drums, tubular bells
Tubular Bells
Tubular Bells is the debut record album of English musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1973. It was the first album released by Virgin Records and an early cornerstone of the company's success...
, and crotales
Crotales
thumb|right|Crotales are often used with other mallet percussionCrotales , sometimes called antique cymbals, are percussion instruments consisting of small, tuned bronze or brass disks. Each is about 4 inches in diameter with a flat top surface and a nipple on the base. They are commonly...
). Here the sounds of the piano are broken into component parts played by the harps and percussion, and stretched across space as well by having the three groups spread apart in the performance space. This kind of reworking of an earlier piece is characteristic of Boulez, the first instance being Structures
Structures (Boulez)
Structures I and Structures II are two related works for two pianos, composed by the French composer Pierre Boulez....
. Sur Incises was awarded the Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition given by the University of Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
.
- Moment I
- Moment II