Physical Balance, Gravity, and Tension in Contemporary Piano Works

• Published in: Theory and practice Vol. 44; pp. 1 - 38
• Main Author: DUGUAY, MICHÈLE
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ithica Music Theory Society of New York State 01-01-2019
• Subjects: Musical composition; Musical performances; Musicians & conductors; Piano music
• ISSN: 0741-6156; 2328-2665

This article posits that a pianist’s physical balance functions as a mode of structuring in some contemporary works. Drawing on Suzanne Cusick’s (1994) call for a critical engagement with the performing body and Judy Lochhead’s (2016) reconceptualization of structure in contemporary music, the present approach shifts the analytical focus from the score to a pianist’s bodily experience. To engage with this aspect of musical organization, I outline a methodology that models the way in which recent piano repertoire creates tension and resolution for the performer and listener. The methodology focuses on the sense of physical balance—understood as shifts in center of gravity—experienced by a pianist. A body experiences a sense of tension when it sits in an unbalanced state, leaning, for instance, toward one side of the keyboard. It strives toward resolution, which is attained by returning to a balanced center of gravity. I illustrate the methodology through analyses of recent compositions that foreground these issues: Dux, by Zosha Di Castri (2017); Garage, by Alice Ping Yee Ho (2005, rev. 2006); the third piece of Drei Klavierstücke, by Beat Furrer (2004); and Glass Houses No. 15, by Ann Southam (1981, rev. 2009).