Gérard Grisey (1946-1998)
Like
so many
French composers of the latter third of the twentieth century, Gérard
Grisey began more or less as an academic-style twelve-tone composer but
found, as he moved through his twenties, that only a complete change of
musical scenery -- a break from the ways of serialism and the embrace
of what was to him a more instinctive approach -- would enable him to
achieve his goals as a musician. The result of his new path was a kind
of music-making that eventually became widely known as "musique
spectrale," an exploration into the fundamentals of pitch, harmony, and
musical time that exerted a heavy influence on the next generation of
composers (French ones in particular); but the father of this new
musical syntax was one of the first to have to abandon it -- Grisey
died of an aneurysm in 1998, aged just 52. Born in Belfort, France,
Grisey studied at several eminent French and German institutions:
Trossingen Conservatory, the Conservatoire National Supérieur de
Musique, l'École Normale Supérieure de Musique, the Paris
Conservatoire, IRCAM, and the Darmstadt Summer Courses, all at various
times between 1963 and 1974. While working as a freelance composer,
Grisey co-founded the ensemble L'Itinéraire for the purpose of
promoting and playing new music. From the mid-1970s on, he was active
as a teacher as well, first at the Darmstadt Summer Courses (1976-82),
then on the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley
(1982-85), and finally at the Paris Conservatoire (from 1987 until
his death). According to contemporary scholarship, Grisey's most
significant music is concerned, is contained in a large multi-piece
cycle called Les espaces acoustiques (1974-85). Although the
components this work were composed separately for diverse ensembles and
can be played independently of one another, the music is meant be
performed in its entirety. Throughout Les espaces acoustiques Grisey
inserts tonal elements (harmonies, gestures) into an essentially atonal
atmosphere, and by virtue of carefully planned repetition, allows the
raw sonic substances involved to develop on terms that seem as much
theirs as his.- Blair Johnston/AllMusic
COMPOSITIONS Grisey Links ~ ~ ~ Works by Genre
Etude en fa-majeur, accordian (1964)
Passacaille, accordian (1966)
Echanges, prepared piano and double bass (1968)
Mégalithes, 15 brass players (1969)
Perichoresis, 3 instrumental groups (1969-70)
Initiation, baritone, trombone and double bass (1970)
Vagues, chemins, le souffle, clarinet and orchestra (1970-72)
D'eau et de pierre, 2 instrumental groups (1972)
Dérives, 2 orchestral groups (1973-74)
Périodes, flute, clarinet, trombone, violin, viola, cello and double bass (1974) [no. 2 of cycle "Les espaces acoustiques"]
Partiels, 18 musicians (1975) [no. 3 of cycle "Les espaces acoustiques"]
Manifestations, youth orchestra (1976)
Prologue, viola and optional live electronics (1976) [no. 1 of cycle "Les espaces acoustiques"]
Modulations, orchestra (1976-77) [no. 4 of cycle "Les espaces acoustiques"]
Sortie vers la lumière du jour, electric organ and 14 musicians (1978)
Jour, contre-jour, electric organ, 14 musicians and tape (1978-79)
Tempus ex machina, 6 percussionists (1979)
Transitoires, orchestra (1980) [no. 5 of cycle "Les espaces acoustiques"]
Solo pour deux, clarinet and trombone (1981)
Anubis, Nout, Bb contrabass clarinet (1983)
Les chants de l'amour, 12 voices and tape (1982-84)
Epilogue, 4 solo horns and orchestra (1985) [no. 6 of cycle "Les espaces acoustiques"]
Talea, violin, cello, flute, clarinet and piano (1986)
Le temps et l'écume, 4 percussionists, 2 synthesizers and chamber orchestra (1988-89)
Accords perdus: Cinq miniatures, 2 horns (1989)
Le noir de l'étoile, 6 percussionists, tape, and live electronics (1989-90)
Anubis, Nout, bass saxophone and baritone saxophone (1990) [Anubis et nout]
L'icône paradoxale (Hommage à Piero della Francesca), 2 female voices and 2 orchestral groups (1992-94)
Stèle, 2 percussionists (1995)
Vortex temporum (I-III), piano, clarinet (bass, Bb and A), flute (bass, C and picc.), violin, viola and cello (1994-96)
Quatre chants pour franchir le seuil, soprano and 15 instruments (1997-98)
WORKS BY GENRE Grisey Links ~ top of page ~
Les espaces acoustiques (1976-85)
- I: Prologue, viola and optional live electronics (1976)
- II: Périodes, flute, clarinet, trombone, violin, viola, cello and double bass (1974)
- III: Partiels, 18 musicians (1975)
- IV: Modulations, orchestra (1976-77)
- V: Transitoires, orchestra (1980)
- VI: Epilogue, 4 solo horns and orchestra (1985)
Orchestra
Dérives, 2 orchestral groups (1973-74)
Manifestations, youth orchestra (1976)
Modulations, orchestra (1976-77) [no. 4 of cycle "Les espaces acoustiques"]
Transitoires, orchestra (1980) [no. 5 of cycle "Les espaces acoustiques"]
Soloist(s) w/Orchestra
Vagues, chemins, le souffle, clarinet and orchestra (1970-72)
Epilogue, 4 solo horns and orchestra (1985) [no. 6 of cycle "Les espaces acoustiques"]
Le temps et l'écume, 4 percussionists, 2 synthesizers and chamber orchestra (1988-89)
Choral
Les chants de l'amour, 12 voices and tape (1982-84)
Chamber
Echanges, prepared piano and double bass (1968)
Mégalithes, 15 brass players (1969)
Perichoresis, 3 instrumental groups (1969-70)
D'eau et de pierre, 2 instrumental groups (1972)
Périodes, flute, clarinet, trombone, violin, viola, cello and double bass (1974) [no. 2 of cycle "Les espaces acoustiques"]
Partiels, 18 musicians (1975) [no. 3 of cycle "Les espaces acoustiques"]
Sortie vers la lumière du jour, electric organ and 14 musicians (1978)
Jour, contre-jour, electric organ, 14 musicians and tape (1978-79)
Tempus ex machina, 6 percussionists (1979)
Solo pour deux, clarinet and trombone (1981)
Talea, violin, cello, flute, clarinet and piano (1986)
Accords perdus: 5 miniatures, 2 horns (1989)
Le noir de l'étoile, 6 percussionists, tape, and live electronics (1989-90)
Anubis, Nout, bass saxophone and baritone saxophone (1990) [Anubis et nout]
Stèle, 2 percussionists (1995)
Vortex temporum (I-III), piano, clarinet (bass, Bb and A), flute (bass, C and picc.), violin, viola and cello (1994-96)
Solo Instrument
Etude en fa-majeur, accordian (1964)
Passacaille, accordian (1966)
Prologue, viola and optional live electronics (1976) [no. 1 of cycle "Les espaces acoustiques"]
Anubis, Nout, Bb contrabass clarinet (1983)
Vocal
Initiation, baritone, trombone and double bass (1970)
L'icône paradoxale (Hommage à Piero della Francesca), 2 female voices and 2 orchestral groups (1992-94)
Quatre chants pour franchir le seuil, soprano and 15 instruments (1997-98)
Electronic
Prologue, viola and optional live electronics (1976) [no. 1 of cycle "Les espaces acoustiques"]
Jour, contre-jour, electric organ, 14 musicians and tape (1978-79)
Les chants de l'amour, 12 voices and tape (1982-84)
Le noir de l'étoile, 6 percussionists, tape, and live electronics (1989-90)
GRISEY LINKS Works by Genre ~ top of page ~
Gérard Grisey, A New Phenomenon After Grammatology Sound (Fabien Lévy)
Gérard Grisey: Ecrits ou l'invention de la musique spectrale (musiquefrancaise.net)
Gérard Grisey Obituary (The Independent)
Gérard Grisey Obituary (Paul Griffiths, The New York Times)
Gérard Grisey’s Spacetime Epic Receives Its U.S. Premiere at REDCAT (Culture Monster, Los Angeles Times)
A Guide to Gérard Grisey's Music (Tom Service, The Guardian)
Interview with Gérard Grisey (David Bündler)
Composer website [@ Casa Ridordi] . . . inquire about Gérard Grisey: here
Grisey @ Wikipedia
Grisey @ Wikipedia.fr (in French)
Grisey @ Answers.com
Grisey @ Articulate Silences
Grisey @ Atonality.net
Grisey @ Boston Modern Orchestra Project
Grisey @ Classical Archives
Grisey @ Classical Composers Database
Grisey @ Classical Iconoclast
Grisey @ The Classical Source
Grisey @ composition:today also here
Grisey @ Education Musicale en Aquitaine
Grisey @ Ensemble Contrechamps
Grisey @ Ensemble Zeitfluss
Grisey @ Facebook (1)
Grisey @ Facebook (2)
Grisey @ Ellen Fishman-Johnson's Blog
Grisey @ I Care If You Listen (via Google Advanced Search)
Grisey @ IRCAM (in French) also here
Grisey @ InstantEncore
Grisey @ Kairos Music Production
Grisey @ Los Angeles Times also here
Grisey @ Lucid Culture
Grisey @ Lux Aeterna
Grisey @ Monash Composers
Grisey @ Monday Evening Concerts
Grisey @ musiquecontemporaine.info
Grisey @ MusicalCriticism.com
Grisey @ MusicWeb International
Grisey @ The New York Times
Grisey @ On An Overgrown Path
Grisey @ Radio France
Grisey @ The Rambler
Grisey @ Sequenza 9.3 (in French)
Grisey @ SMCQ
Grisey @ Talea Ensemble
Grisey @ A Thousand Composers You Need to Know About
Publisher
Grisey @ Gerard Billaudot
Grisey @ Helbling
Grisey @ Manuskriptearchiv der Bundesakademie
Grisey @ Casa Ricordi
Grisey @ Salabert
Grisey @ Universal Edition
Streaming Audio
Grisey @ Classical Archives
Grisey @ Classical Music Online
Grisey @ last.fm
Grisey @ La Musique Contemporaine
Grisey @ MySpaceMusic (1)
Grisey @ MySpaceMusic (2)
Grisey @ SoundCloud
Recordings
Grisey @ Amazon.com
Grisey @ ArkivMusic
Grisey @ CD Universe
Grisey @ ClassicsOnline
Grisey @ Discogs
Video
Grisey @ YouTube
Grisey @ Google Video
Grisey @ MySpaceMusic
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