Pensato
Encyclopedia
In music
, a pensato (Italian
: "thought") is a composed
imaginary note, a written note which is not played
or heard.
Anton Webern
is credited by some with the first use of pensatos, while others argue he did not use them at all. George Perle
(1990), noting that, "no composer has ever been more concrete, explicit, detailed, and subtle in his notation
," argues that if Webern did use a pensato, it would have been a pitch, "with all the attributes that give a note actuality: pitch
, duration, mode of attack and release, timbre
, intensity
," and not a pitch class
. He also points to a "verifiable pensato" in the last bar of Alban Berg
's Lyric Suite: "The instruments drop out one by one, the four parts converging into a single line that continues into an ostinato
on the last two notes of the derived series and becomes inaudible on the penultimate note of the series, seemingly continuing into the silence beyond." (Perle, 1985)
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, a pensato (Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
: "thought") is a composed
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
imaginary note, a written note which is not played
Musical performance
Musical performance may refer to:* Concert* Performance* Recital* Audition: a performance in front of a panel of judges* Concerto: a virtuoso solo work * Musical technique...
or heard.
Anton Webern
Anton Webern
Anton Webern was an Austrian composer and conductor. He was a member of the Second Viennese School. As a student and significant follower of Arnold Schoenberg, he became one of the best-known exponents of the twelve-tone technique; in addition, his innovations regarding schematic organization of...
is credited by some with the first use of pensatos, while others argue he did not use them at all. George Perle
George Perle
George Perle was a composer and music theorist. He was born in Bayonne, New Jersey. Perle was an alumnus of DePaul University...
(1990), noting that, "no composer has ever been more concrete, explicit, detailed, and subtle in his notation
Musical notation
Music notation or musical notation is any system that represents aurally perceived music, through the use of written symbols.-History:...
," argues that if Webern did use a pensato, it would have been a pitch, "with all the attributes that give a note actuality: pitch
Pitch (music)
Pitch is an auditory perceptual property that allows the ordering of sounds on a frequency-related scale.Pitches are compared as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies,...
, duration, mode of attack and release, timbre
Timbre
In music, timbre is the quality of a musical note or sound or tone that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices and musical instruments, such as string instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instruments. The physical characteristics of sound that determine the...
, intensity
Dynamics (music)
In music, dynamics normally refers to the volume of a sound or note, but can also refer to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic or functional . The term is also applied to the written or printed musical notation used to indicate dynamics...
," and not a pitch class
Pitch class
In music, a pitch class is a set of all pitches that are a whole number of octaves apart, e.g., the pitch class C consists of the Cs in all octaves...
. He also points to a "verifiable pensato" in the last bar of Alban Berg
Alban Berg
Alban Maria Johannes Berg was an Austrian composer. He was a member of the Second Viennese School with Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern, and produced compositions that combined Mahlerian Romanticism with a personal adaptation of Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique.-Early life:Berg was born in...
's Lyric Suite: "The instruments drop out one by one, the four parts converging into a single line that continues into an ostinato
Ostinato
In music, an ostinato is a motif or phrase, which is persistently repeated in the same musical voice. An ostinato is always a succession of equal sounds, wherein each note always has the same weight or stress. The repeating idea may be a rhythmic pattern, part of a tune, or a complete melody in...
on the last two notes of the derived series and becomes inaudible on the penultimate note of the series, seemingly continuing into the silence beyond." (Perle, 1985)
Sources
- Perle, George (1990). The Listening Composer California: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-06991-9.
- Perle, George (1985). The Operas of Alban Berg. Vol. 2: Lulu, p. 14. California: University of California Press.