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Source!and!nature!of!Lux$aeterna$(1966),!
according!to!!Gyrgy!Ligetis!philosophical!and!
compositional!approaches!
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by!
Jeremiah!Selvey!
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Selvey 1
 Upon!first!hearing,!Gyrgy!Ligetis!Lux$aeterna,!written!for!16!a!cappella!voices,!on!

the!Clare!College!Choir!recording!conducted!by!Timothy!Brown!(1993),!I!stood!in!awe!that!

such!an!effect!could!be!accomplished!purely!through!voices.!!The!more!I!explored!the!world!

of!choral!music,!the!more!I!appreciated!the!creativity!and!novelty!of!the!piece.!!When!I!

finally!got!my!hands!on!a!score!a!few!years!ago,!I!was!perplexed!by!the!seeming!

discrepancies!of!what!I!originally!heard!on!the!recording!and!what!I!was!viewing!in!the!

score.!!I!expected!to!see!blocked!chords!and!some!kind!of!graphic!notation;!rather,!the!

score!was!meticulously!laid!out!in!normal!notation.!!This!confusion!was!anything!but!

frustrating;!in!fact,!I!became!fascinated!and!intrigued.!!Thus!began!the!pursuit!of!

understanding!Gyrgy!Ligeti!and!his!Lux$aeterna.!

Background!

Gyrgy!Ligeti!(1923O2006),!a!Jewish,!Hungarian!composer,!was!born!in!the!

Transylvanian!region!of!Romania!and!came!from!an!artistic!family;!his!fathers!father!was!a!

professional!painter!and!his!fathers!uncle!was!a!violinist.!From!a!young!age!he!studied!music!

and!composition,!but!was!faced!with!two!oppressive!regimes!as!a!youth.!He!escaped!death!

during!World!War!II,!but!his!brother!and!father!were!killed!during!the!Holocaust.!The!

Stalinist!regime!that!overtook!Hungary!also!imposed!strictures!on!the!music!of!its!people;!

thus,!Stalin!hid!away!Ligetis!most!creative!writings!in!favor!of!churning!out!music!that!

would!satisfy!the!ordinances!of!social!realism.!It!is!against!this!backdrop!of!desiring!freedom!

from!the!constraints!of!Stalinism!that!Ligeti!formed!his!own!compositional!style.!!For!

example,!during!the!inhibitions!on!his!musical!innovation!from!1949O53,!Ligeti!still!composed!

Selvey 2
choral!folk!songs!to!meet!the!expectations!of!the!government,!but!furtively!he!composed!

more!adventurous!pieces!like!Musica$reservata,!an!11Omovement!work!for!piano!that!features!

an!additional!pitch!class!set!for!each!successive!movement!(Griffiths,!2011).!!

When!the!Russian!suppression!of!Hungarys!independence!returned!in!1956,!he!left!

Budapest!for!Western!Europe!to!explore!the!avantOgarde!electronic!music,!but!Ligeti!would!

not!be!slave!to!any!regime,!even!a!system!like!the!avantOgarde!regime.!!Even!in!his!

exploratory!years!of!the!avantOgarde!school!(1957O1961),!Ligeti!did!not!quite!agree!with!or!

follow!the!rules!of!the!developing!tradition!of!the!new!style!(Griffiths,!2011).!This!tendency!

toward!subverting!or!reOcreating!a!system!for!his!own!purposes!is!driven!by!his!tendency!

toward!the!sounding!result.!!Through!the!use!of!several!compositional!methods,!Ligeti!

would!develop!his!own!spin!on!each!of!them,!particularly!embodying!a!style!that!would!

typify!him!by!the!juxtaposition!and!interposing!of!these!adjusted!techniques.!!Influenced!by!

sound!and!its!manipulation,!the!compositional!methods!he!chose!were!simply!a!method!of!

portraying!the!sound,!a!lifelong!obsession.!

Style!

This!fascination!with!portraying!a!sound!different!than!the!theoretical!construct!that!

comprises!that!sound!led!to!distinctive!qualities!and!techniques!in!Ligetis!music.!!One!such!

technique!is!the!use!of!micropolyphony,!a!term!used!by!Ligeti!himself!to!describe!polyphony!

that!is!imperceptible!because!imitation!of!individual!lines!is!lost!in!the!aural!experience,!

created!by!the!layering!of!voices!and!the!resultant!clustering!of!sound.!These!clusters!are!

often!described!by!register,!timbre,!density,!range,!and!dynamic!and!sometimes!referred!to!

Selvey 3
as!clouds.!Rather!than!being!able!to!describe!a!melodic,!harmonic,!or!rhythmic!motion,!

the!stasis!of!Ligetis!gigantic!clusters!is!unique!and!stunning.!

Ligetis!use!of!modernist!writing!is!also!unique.!According!to!Steinitz!(2003,!152).!

Ligetis!compositions!sometimes!use!the!Ligeti!signal,!also!called!the!Ligeti!chord,!a!

perfect!fourth!enclosing!a!major!second!and!minor!third!(025).!While!the!general!use!of!

clusters!in!his!music!was!apparent!from!the!early!stages!of!his!style,!more!mature!

compositions!demonstrate!that!the!intentionality!of!the!clusters!lies!in!the!material!of!which!

they!are!comprised.!Often,!specific!qualities!of!clusters!serve!as!structural!devices!in!his!

composition,!as!well!as!organic!material!to!construct!these!clusters.!!Apparitions,!his!first!

piece!to!use!orchestral!clusters,!contributed!to!his!international!reputation,!solidified!by!

Atmospheres,!which!combined!micropolyphony!with!orchestral!clusters!to!morph!the!

sound!mass!into!a!single!cloud!drifting!through!different!regions!of!colour,!harmony!and!

texture,!whether!in!the!form!of!sustained!tones!(remarkably!for!the!period,!there!is!only!one!

percussion!instrument:!!a!piano!whose!strings!are!brushed!towards!the!close)!or!of!what!he!

called!micropolyphony!(Griffiths,!2011).!

When!harmonic!centers!seem!to!become!more!prominent!in!his!work,!such!as!in!Lux$

Aeterna$(1966),!the!Ligeti!chord!seems!to!become!a!more!central!and!structural!element!

even!in!the!midst!of!micropolyphony.!!As!his!style!developed!and!progressed!beyond!Lux$

aeterna,!Ligeti!became!more!aware!of!other!cultures!methods!of!tuning!and!began!to!

incorporate!nonOWestern!tuning!as!another!element!to!shape!sound.!!Though!he!still!uses!

clusters,!they!are!not!presented!aleatorically!or!simply!as!blocks!of!sound;!rather,!they!are!

calculated,!preOdetermined!and!notated.!!In!general,!Ligeti!cannot!be!categorized!as!

Selvey 4
tonal/modal!or!atonal,!in!spite!of!his!use!of!scalar!or!chromatic!material.!!Perception!of!

harmony!and!melody!is!often!static;!sonically,!however,!his!music!seems!to!be!transforming.!

Concepts!shared!by!attempts!to!classify!other!contemporary!composers!include!new$

melody!and!illusory$rhythm.!New!melody!is!a!cognitive!or!aural!approach!to!melody,!as!

opposed!to!the!more!traditional!constructed!or!theoretically!conceived!approach!to!melody!

(Griffiths,!2011).!For!example,!in!Lux$aeterna,!if!one!listens!to!the!melody,!one!will!not!

perceive!the!composedOout!melody!of!the!canon!(see!Appendix!A:!Example!1!&!4,!

Clendinning,!1995,!pp.!235,!247).!In!other!words,!what!is!aurally!perceived!is!different!from!

what!is!theoretically!conceived.!!At!some!point,!even!a!listener!who!is!listening!to!the!

entrances!of!new!pitches!will!hear!texture!and!beginning!favoring!the!highest!note!at!a!

given!moment!as!the!melody.!In!this!way,!the!listener!creates!a!new!melody!that!is!different!

than!what!the!composer!constructed.!

Illusory!rhythm!as!two!simple!superimposed!sequences!comprising!extremely!

complex!polyrhythms,!which!is!distinguished!from!Ives!polymetrical!layering!of!voices!in!a!

heterogenous!fashion!(Griffiths,!2011).!For!example,!Ligeti!assigns!voices!to!enter!on!

subdivisions!of!the!quarter!note!by!3!(S1,!S4,!A3,!T2,!B1,!B4),!some!by!4!(S2,!A1,!A4,!T3,!B3),!

and!some!by!5!(S3,!A2,!T1,!T4,!B2),!with!only!a!few!exceptions!(m.!24!in!T1,!rehearsal!B!in!B1O3,!

m.!61!in!all!voices!except!T1!and!T3).!

! Lux$aeterna$uses!the!concept!of!clusters!along!with!his!own!device,!

micropolyphony.!!These!compositional!methods!are!built!using!the!Ligeti!chord!as!both!

a!microstructural!tool!and!a!macrostructural!tool,!according!to!Jane!Clendinning!(1995).!

Clendinning!and!Richard!Steinitz!(2003)!focus!minimally!on!the!Ligeti!chord.!However,!in!

Selvey 5
my!attempt!to!attribute!meaning!and!a!conductors!interpretation,!I!have!found!the!Ligeti!

chord!to!be!essential.!Its!use!seems!to!be!the!key!to!unlocking!the!meaning!of!the!piece,!as!

will!be!attempted!through!my!main!analysis!below.!Also,!not!explored!in!the!work!of!

Clendinning!and!Steinitz!are!the!philosphical!ideals!of!Ligeti!and!how!they!might!interact!

with!Lux$aeterna.!I!will!touch!on!both!the!theoretical!and!philosophical!perspectives!with!the!

goal!of!providing!a!foundation!for!a!conductors!interpretation!of!Lux$aeterna.!

In!his!interviews,!Ligeti!gives!many!hints!and!ideas,!but!as!of!yet,!there!is!not!much!

specifically!relating!to!the!Lux$aeterna.!!If!I!had!infinite!amounts!of!time!or!a!more!singular!

focus,!I!would!examine!the!combination!of!vowel!formations!and!their!effect!on!the!aural!

level,!including!timbre!and!fluidity!of!sound.!Perhaps!I!would!compare!recorded!

performances!for!the!contrasted!effects!based!on!vowel!sounds!and!or!tempi!on!the!

formation!of!the!piece.!!While!this!paper!will!extend!the!research!regarding!the!use!of!the!

Ligeti!chord!in!this!piece,!others!may!still!find!opportunity!to!compare!how!its!use!is!

similar!or!not!to!other!works!in!Ligetis!output.!!Because!Lux$aeterna!is!rarely,!if!ever,!

performed!in!the!United!States,!creating!a!conductors!guide!for!approaching!the!piece

perhaps!including!a!voice!chart!with!text!to!assist!with!aural/sonoritous!familiarity!and!

exercises!to!assist!in!vocal!and!aural!efficiency!in!rehearsalwould!be!of!significant!practical!

value.!!Even!ideas!for!how!to!interpret!the!piece!or!how!to!fix!trouble!spots!would!be!

helpful.!!Not!only!would!this!type!of!research!make!the!piece!more!accessible!to!American!

choirs,!but!it!would!also!extend!the!research!of!this!paper.!Finally,!most!theorists!mention!

the!irregular!setting!of!the!text,!but!few!have!spent!time!really!analyzing!its!significance;!

since!Ligeti!(Steinitz!144f.),!along!with!many!of!his!contemporaries!engaged!in!such!

Selvey 6
deletions!of!text!in!their!compositions,!this!could!be!of!value!to!understanding!more!deeply!

Ligeti!and!his!art.!

Basing!my!work!on!the!theoretical!work!of!primarily!Jane!Clendinning!and!Richard!

Steinitz,!I!will!attempt!to!begin!a!dialogue!on!the!meaning!that!can!be!ascribed!to!the!Lux$

aeterna.!!First,!I!will!draw!on!Ligetis!view!of!time!and!space!to!argue!that!this!piece!is!similar!

to!a!painting!of!eternal!light.!!Then!I!will!present!rhetorically!how!the!piece!creates!the!

picture!of!a!light!that!is!never!ending.!!By!focusing!on!the!significance!of!the!Ligeti!chord!

and!the!signifcance!of!the!number!three!in!association,!I!will!draw!further!associations!as!to!

the!source!and!essence!of!this!eternal!light.!

Time!and!Spaceand!Eternal!Light!

Ligetis!view!of!aesthetics!clashes!with!the!Classical!view!(Lobanova,!2002,!p.!58).!!For!

Ligeti,!painting!is!not!limited!to!the!purely!spatial!realm,!nor!is!music!bound!to!the!temporal!

realm.!!According!to!him,!there!are!two!kinds!of!musical!space,!real!space,!in!which!the!

listener(s)!and!performer(s)!are!located,!and!!associated!space,!which!is!hinted!at!by!illusions!

of!movement!(register,!distance,!etc.),!which!are!based!on!typical!methods!of!perception.!!

PreOClassical!music!considered!space!as!highly!significant,!but!not!until!midO20th!century!did!

spatial!considerations!in!music!take!over!temporal!considerations!due!to!abandonment!of!

tonal!constraints.!

In!Ligetis!attempts!to!create!the!desired!timeOspace!aesthetic,!a!key!concept!was!

stasis!in!music,!especially!as!developed!by!Olivier!Messiaen,!which!became,!for!Ligeti,!the!

foundation!for!the!imaginary!to!enter!real!sonic!space,!for!time!to!be!enveloped!by!space!

Selvey 7
(Lobanova,!2002,!p.!59f.).!!The!possibility!that!music!could!be!frozen!time!is!fundamental!!for!

Ligeti!as!a!composer,!particularly!in!Lux$aeterna.!!Music!as!frozen!time,!as!an!object!in!the!

imaginary!space!evoked!in!our!imagination,!as!a[n]!object!which!in!a!real!sense!unfolds!over!

time!and!yet!in!an!imaginary!way!is!simultaneously!present!in!all!its!moments.!!The!exorcism!

of!time,!the!abolition!of!its!passing,!and!its!inclusion!in!the!present!moment!is!my!main!

intention!as!a!composer!(Gyrgy$Ligeti$in$Conversation,!1983,!p.!15).!!Ligetis!music!not!only!

reflects!on!spatial!associations!metaphorically,!but!also!actually!embodies!time!as!space,!to!

portray!everything!as!if!simultaneously!present,!such!as!in!Atmosphres,!Volumina,!Lontano,!

and!Ramifications!(Lobanova,!2002,!p.!62).!

This!timeOspace!perspective!is!foundational!to!interpreting!the!meaning!of!Lux$

aeterna!and!is!also!valid!for!at!least!two!reasons.!!First,!the!title!of!the!piece!suggests!the!

lack!of!time!(eternity).!!How!does!Ligeti!portray!the!absence!of!an!element!(i.e.,!time)!that!is!

required!for!the!execution!of!the!medium!(music)!being!used!to!portray!it?!!On!the!aural!

level,!there!is!no!dynamic!movement!in!a!temporal!sense;!rather!it!is!static.!!Its!dynamism!

stems!from!elements!normally!associated!with!painting,!such!as!color!changes,!dimensional!

variety,!textural!expansion.!!

Perceiving!Lux$aeterna!

Aural$Level$

! The!aural!level,!according!to!Jane!Clendinning,!who!has!provided!three!levels!for!

analyzing!the!microcanonic!works,!including!Lux$aeterna,!of!Gyrgy!Ligeti,!is!the!perceived!

Selvey 8
level.!!It!is!on!this!level!that!I!first!experienced!Lux$aeterna!and!was!drawn!to!the!piece.!!

Elements!that!I!heard!when!I!was!blown!away!by!Timothy!Brown!and!the!Clare!College!

Choirs!performance!and!that!are!reOinforced!by!Clendinnings!view!include!include!registral!

expansion!and!contraction,!textural!thickening!and!thinning,!pacing!of!vocal!entries.!!

According!to!Clendinning!(1995,!242ff.),!essentially!the!audible!motion!is!analogous!to!

harmonic!rhythm.!!Even!in!the!midst!of!what!seems!to!be!static,!the!morphing!of!the!sound!

by!all!the!aforementioned!elements!results!in!a!harmonic!prolongation,!basically!of!the!

Ligeti!chord!and!accompanying!elements.!!Perhaps!the!broadest!effect!is!one!of!creating!a!

calmness!when!the!trichord!appears!homophonically!as!an!escape!from!micropolyphony!

(Steinitz,!2003,!p.!186).!!Before!discussing!in!more!detail!the!significance!of!the!Ligeti!

chord!in!Lux$aeterna,!it!is!important!to!use!Clendinnings!two!other!levels!of!analysis!to!

begin!seeking!the!meaning!of!the!work.!

Macrostructural$Level$

On!a!macrostructural!level!(see!Appendix!B:!Figure!1,!Clendinning,!1995,!p.!235),!

where!sections!of!the!work!combine!to!create!the!overall!structure,!Clendinning!graphs!the!

piece!into!three!sections,!separated!by!the!repeated!word!Domine,!which!only!appears!as!a!

nonOarpeggiated,!homophonic!trichord!(mm.!37O39,!mm.!80O90).!Roughly!measures!1O37!

feature!a!canon!in!the!eight!upper!voices,!connected!by!the!word!Domine!in!the!bass!part!to!

the!second!section!(mm.!39O84),!also!a!canon!in!the!eight!lower!voices,!accompanied!by!a!

microcanon!that!creates!a!prolongation!(sustained!pitches!according!to!Clendinning,!1995,!

p.!235)!on!the!Ligeti!chordG,!BBflat,!and!C$(in!the!alto!voices)and!a!third!canon!in!the!

Selvey 9
soprano!voices.!!The!second!and!final!sections!are!seamed!together!by!the!overlapping,!

extended!Domine!(mm.!80O90),!this!time!spread!over!the!texture!of!the!lower!eight!voices.!!

The!third!section!is!similar!to!the!first!in!that!it!has!only!one!canon!(in!the!alto!voices),!and!is!

accompanied!by!the!other!four!voices!use!of!the!Ligeti!chord!as!sustained!pitches!

(Clendinning,!1995,!p.!235)!and!new!melody,!including!overlapping/interlocking!Ligeti!

chords,!as!in!mm.!111O112.!

The!melody!used!in!Lux$aeterna!as!a!cantus!firmus!in!micropolyphony!is!the!one!Ligeti!

also!utilized!in!his!orchestral!piece$Lontano!(see!Appendix!C:!Example!15,!Steinitz,!pp.!156O

157).!Another!related!and!significant!work!is!the!Requiem.!Originally,!Ligeti!planned!on!

making!the!Lux$aeterna$part!of!his!Requiem,!so!when,!in!the!summer!of!1966,!he!accepted!a!

commission!for!an!unaccompanied!choral!work!for!the!Schola!Cantorum!Stuttgart!and!its!

conductor!Clytus!Gottwald,!it!was!to!one!of!the!remaining![not!set!or!not!used]!sections!of!

the!Mass!that!he!turned!(Steinitz!150).!

Contextual$Level:$Out$of$the$Requiem$and$into$the$Light$

Ligeti!composed!the!Requiem!between!1963!and!1965!on!a!commission!from!Swedish!

Radios!Contemporary!Music!concert!series,!which!premiered!the!work!on!March!14,!1965,!in!

Stockholm.!In!1997,!Ligeti!revised!the!work.!The!score!calls!for!soprano!and!mezzoOsoprano!

soloists,!two!mixed!choruses,!three!flutes!(second!and!third!doubling!piccolo),!three!oboes!

(third!doubling!English!horn),!three!clarinets!(doubling!EOflat,!bass,!and!contrabass!clarinets,!

respectively),!two!bassoons!and!contrabassoon,!four!horns,!four!trumpets,!three!

trombones,!tuba,!three!percussionists!(Basque!drum,!bass!drum,!glockenspiel,!side!drum,!

Selvey 10
suspended!cymbal,!tamOtam,!whip,!and!xylophone),!celesta,!cembalo,!harp,!and!strings.!

Ligeti!chose!to!set!only!three!portions!of!the!Mass!text!and!divides!the!Dies!Irae!sequence!

into!two!movements.!The!resulting!movements!are:!Introitus,!Kyrie,!Dies$Irae,!and!Lacrimosa!

(May,!2010).!

Similarities!of!style!and!compositional!approach!are!abundant!between!the!Requiem!

and!the!Lux$aeterna.!Both!the!Introitus$and!the!Kyrie$utilize!various!aspects!of!Ligetis!

textural!clusters!of!sound.!The!former!movement!accomplishes!these!textures!through!a!

more!linear!ascending!line!(like!a!soul!ascending!from!the!grave!to!the!afterlife),!while!the!

latter!deploys!micropolyphony,!the!melodies!of!which!become!subsumed!in!and!

indiscernible!by!the!dense!texture.!After!the!hovering!sonorities!of!the!first!two!movements,!

the!Dies$Iraes!rapid!shifts!and!chaotic!outbursts!of!agitated!emotion!are!much!more!

dramatic,!as!Ligeit!depicts!pictorially!and!perhaps!caricaturally!the!Day!of!Judgment.!Then!

Ligeti!returns!to!the!texture!of!the!opening!two!movements!in!the!final!movement,!the!

Lacrimosa.!The!reduced!orchestral!texture,!the!ethereal!beauty!of!the!two!female!soloists!

writing,!and!the!grand!pauses!create!a!meditative!and!unsettling!ending!to!the!Requiem,!

particularly!considering!the!absence!of!the!prayer!for!salvation!that!usually!finishes!the!

Lacrimosa!(May,!2010).!This!sense!of!incompleteness!is!also!exemplified!in!the!Lux$aeterna,!

which!will!be!discussed!for!its!significance!later.!

Microstructural$Level$

! The!microstructural!level,!where!analysis!of!the!details!that!make!up!the!larger!

sections!of!the!composition!and!an!examination!of!specific!pitch!succession!and!

Selvey 11
combination!of!lines!takes!place,!reveals!that!the!first!sections!canon!spans!only!a!major!

seventh!in!range,!though!doubled!voices!expand!the!texture!(see!Appendix!A,!Example!1).!

Additionally,!Section!1!(mm.!1O38)!begins!and!ends!in!unison.!!According!to!Clendinning!(see!

Appendix!B),!the!second!section!(mm.!39O84),!features!three!canons!(see!Appendix!A,!

Example!4).!!In!contrast!to!the!range!of!the!first!sections!canon,!Canon!A!occurs!imitatively!

two!times!in!Section!2!(eight!lower!voices)!and!spans!enharmonically!a!minor!tenth!and!

ends,!having!descended!more!than!an!octave!to!a!lower!register.!While!this!canon!begins!

and!ends!in!unison!as!well,!it!is!temporarily!hidden!by!the!Ligeti!signal!at!measure!61,!at!

which!point!all!16!voices!combine!homorhythmically;!at!this!point,!the!soprano!voices!begin!

the!third!canon!of!the!second!section,!which!Cledinning!labels!Canon!B,!the!range!of!which!

spans!only!a!major!sixth.!!Against!this!backdrop,!Clendennings!graph!shows!that!the!

sustained!pitches!G,!BOflat,!and!C!accompany;!I!label!this!Ligeti!chord!in!imitation!as!Canon!

C,!the!fourth!canon!of!Section!2.!This!trichord!emerges!and!is!limited!strictly!to!these!three!

pitches!of!the!Ligeti!chord.!!The!significance!of!my!divergence!from!Clendennings!analysis!

will!become!clearer,!but!it!should!be!noted!that!no!superfluous!material!exists!in!this!central!

section.!!Furthermore,!the!existence!of!three!(A,!B,!and!Cinstead!of!two!accompanied!by!a!

trichord)!canons!in!this!section!will!also!yield!meaning!for!the!essence!of!this!eternal!light.!

! Section!3s!canon!(in!alto!voices)!is!similar!to!that!of!Section!1!in!that!it!begins!and!

ends!in!the!same!register;!the!main!difference!is!that!the!canon!in!Section!1!ends!above!the!

beginning!pitch!while!that!of!Section!3!(mm.!90Oend)!ends!below!the!first!pitch.!Of!more!

notable!distinction,!however,!is!that!the!canon!in!this!final!section!arguably!never!finishes!

(see!measures!114O126).!!First,!the!text!does!not!complete!the!phrase!luceat$eis!in!any!of!the!

Selvey 12
voices.!!Additionally,!the!musical!polyphony!never!finishes!in!the!A1!and!A2!voices,!which!end!

on!the!syllable!OceO!and!on!the!note!G!(not!Oat!and!F,!respectively,!as!in!the!A3!and!A4!

voices).!!The!word!Domine,!which!up!to!this!point!has!been!structurally!signifcant,!

traditionally!follows!the!text!luceat$eis!in!the!Requiem!text.!!The!absence!of!the!word!Domine$

is!one!more!aspect!of!broad!incompleteness!textually,!and!the!lack!of!musical!completeness!

of!the!canon,!along!with!the!missing!trichord!on!the!word!Domine!as!a!structural!element,!

are!a!composedOout!partial!picture.!Finally,!the!composed!sevenOmeasure!rest!(equivalent!to!

about!30!seconds!of!silence),!combined!with!all!these!other!elements,!seems!to!solidify!an!

intentional!unfinished!quality!to!Ligetis!portrayal!of!eternal!light.!

Richard!Steinitz!!(156)!continues!by!saying!that!after!reading!Gottwalds!letter,!Ligeti!

had!a!vision!of!extremely!clear!euphonious!harmonies,!and!wrote!an!outline!of!the!pitch!

structure!(see!Appendix!D,!Example!14,!Steinitz!150).!In!his!explanation!of!Ex.!15!(see!

Appendix!C),!which!outlines!the!hidden!melodies!in!Lux$aeterna$!and!Lontano,!Richard!

Steinitz!even!comments!on!the!peculiarity:!Note!that!the!last!three!pitches!in!section!C!of!

Lux$aeterna!are!as!they!appear!in!the!sketch;!the!finished!composition!ends!differently!

(156).!The!fact!that!the!initial!intention!of!Ligeti,!according!to!his!own!outline,!was!to!begin!

and!end!the!piece!on!a!unison!F!(with!registral!doubling!at!the!end)!seems!only!to!add!to!the!

case!for!a!purposed!incompleteness!of!Ligetis!portrayal!of!eternal!light.!!

Towards!Meaning!

Ligeti$signal$and$025ness$as$ESSENCE$

Selvey 13
! Richard!Steinitz!labels!these!calming!Ligeti!chords,!which!appear!at!the!structural!

points,!interval!signals.!While!Steinitz!really!does!not!discuss!in!much!detail!the!use!of!the!

Ligeti!chord!in!Lux$aeterna,!he!does!spend!signifcant!time!showing!the!parallels!between!

Lontano!and!Lux$aeterna!in!the!use!of!the!cantus!firmi!and!the!use!of!the!interval!signal.$!

Since!both!Steinitz!and!Clendinning!give!so!much!credence!to!the!permeation!of!the!Ligeti!

chord!in!this!style!period!and!in!this!piece!specifically,!it!is!reasonable!to!contribute!

scholarship!that!explores!the!permeation!of!this!chord!on!a!microstructural!level.!!Besides!

the!obvious!structural!uses!of!the!Ligeti!chord,!it!has!a!tendency!to!diffuse!itself!in!the!

resultant!harmony!of!the!micropolyphonically!set!cantus!firmi.!!For!example,!the!cantus!

firmus!is!constructed!and!set!in!measures!1O24!in!a!way!that!uses!the!pitch!F!as!the!central!

note!of!the!trichord!EOflat,!F,!and!AOflat;!the!effect!is!that!from!measure!8!to!measure!24,!the!

trichord!is!always!present!regardless!of!other!activity.!!I!will!label!this!as!LC!1!(for!Ligeti!

chord!1).!!In!measure!11,!the!trichord!DOflat,!EOflat,!and!GOflat!emerges!and!is!present!

through!measure!16,!henceforth!LC!2.!!Yet!another!trichord!(LC3)!emerges!(G,!BOflat,!and!C)!

in!measure!15,!upon!the!soprano!entrance!on!GOnatural!and!is!interrupted!both!times!the!G!is!

not!present!in!the!texture!(mm.!16O18,!22O23)!before!its!disappearance!in!measure!24.!!

Because!of!the!continued!presences!of!the!note!F!from!LC1!in!mm.1!O24!and!of!the!note!BOflat!

as!part!of!LC2!in!mm.!15O24,!the!intermittent!addition!of!the!GOnatural!contained!in!LC3!forms!

LC4!(F,!G,!and!BOflat)!interposed!onto!LC3s!every!appearance.!!

! The!middle!sections!canon!in!the!mens!voices!produces!even!more!overlapping!

Ligeti!chords,!including!the!following:!BOflat,!C,!and!EOflat;!A,!B,!and!D;!G,!BOflat,!and!C!(LC3,!

displaced!by!octave);!and!EOflat,!F,!and!AOflat.!!Signficantly,!the!whole!alto!canon!uses!the!

Selvey 14
LC3!in!the!latter!half!of!the!middle!section.!!The!final!sections!canon!has!a!few!shortOlived!

appearances!of!the!Ligeti!chord!toward!the!middle!of!the!cantus!firmus,!and!it!is!not!until!

m.!101!that!two!unambiguous!Ligeti!chords!appear.!!These!interlocking!chords!share!the!

two!notes!comprising!the!outlining!perfect!fourth!(!FOsharp!and!B),!differing!only!by!their!

inner!voices!(GOsharp/AOflat!and!A).!!At!measure!110,!two!more!interlocking!chords!(A,!B,!and!

D;!G,!A,!and!C)!are!created!by!the!addition!of!the!COnatural,!this!time!sharing!only!one!

common!tone!(A).!

! All!of!these!Ligeti!chords!!in!their!various!manifestations!present!a!025ness.!

Ligetis!setting!the!structurally!significant!word!Domine!to!this!025ness,!as!well!as!the!fact!

that!this!is!the!only!word!set!purely!homophonically!in!the!whole!piece,!seems!to!draw!

attention!to!the!source!of!the!construction!of!his!musical!material.!!In!addition,!by!shuffling!

the!text!so!that!the!word!Domine!appears!out!of!order!and!serves!as!a!structural!and!

dividing!line!between!the!three!larger!sections,!it!would!appear!that!the!source!of!the!

textual!meaning!is!Domine,!that!the!origin!of!eternal!light!literally!and!metaphorically!is!

the!Lord.!!Furthermore,!the!Lord!permeates!and!is!the!essence!of!every!manifestation!of!

that!eternal!light,!as!demonstrated!by!musical!associations!of!025ness!showing!up!in!each!

section.!Even!in!the!third!section,!where!the!025ness!may!seem!elusive,!one!may!sense!

the!third!person!of!the!Trinity,!the!Holy!Spirit.!

Incompleteness$as$Painting$of$Eternity$

Perhaps!Ligetis!choice!not!to!portray!a!finished!version!of!eternal!light!is!due!more!

to!its!source!than!to!anything!else,!which!may!be!seen!as!Trinitarian!by!associations!with!the!

Selvey 15
number!three.!!The!macrostructure!is!clearly!in!three!sections,!sharing!the!same!essence!

(based!on!Ligeti!chord)!and!clearly!forming!a!single!concept.!!The!threeOinOone!can!also!be!

seen!by!the!use!of!three!canons!in!the!central!section!of!the!piece.!!On!the!most!basic!level,!

the!use!of!a!trichord!(three!notes)!as!the!main!foundation!for!the!piece!gives!further!

credence!to!the!Trinitarian!associations!as!the!origin!of!the!Lux$aeterna.!!

The!whole!piece!begins!on!F5!and!ends!on!F4!and!G4,!an!incomplete!trichord,!

followed!by!approximately!30!seconds!of!silence.!!Throughout!the!piece,!the!intense!

repleteness!of!and!striving!for!the!Ligeti!chord!is!similar!to!the!use!of!motivic!generation!

and!tonality!in!commonOpractice!composition.!!Could!it!be!that!the!fact!that!it!never!really!

circles!back!home!is!a!portrayal!of!both!the!eternal!light!and!the!inability!to!capture!such!

huge!concept?!!Lux$aeterna!just!exists!and!we!can!catch!but!glimpses!of!it.!Perhaps!it!is!this!

portrayal!of!the!eternal!light!that!does!more!than!just!pray!for!the!dead!to!have!perpetual!

light!and!to!be!granted!eternal!rest.!!More!than!that,!a!glimpse!into!the!spiritual!realm!of!

that!eternal!light!creates!a!sense!of!awe!and!hope!for!both!the!dead!and!living!alike.!

Selvey 16
 Bibliography!
!
Bernard,!Jonathan!(1987).!Inaudible!structures,!audible!music:!Ligetis!problem,!and!his!
solution.!Music$analysis,$6(3).!207O236.!
Bernard,!Jonathan!(1994).!Voice!leading!as!a!spatial!function!in!the!music!of!Ligeti.!Music$
analysis,$13(2,3).!TwentiethOcentury!music!double!issue.!227O253.!
Brown,!Timothy,!director!(1999).!Illumina.!The!Choir!of!Clare!College,!Cambridge.!CD.!
Collegium!Records.!
Clendinning,!Jane!Piper!(1995).!Structural!factors!in!the!microcanonic!compositions!of!
Gyorgy!Ligeti.!Concert$music,$rock,$and$jazz$since$1945.!Rochester:!U!of!Rochester!
Press.!229O256.!
Griffiths,!Paul!(1993),!Gyorgy$Ligeti,!London:!Robson!Books,!1983.!
Griffiths,!Paul!(2011):!Gyorgy!Ligeti,!Grove$Music$Online!ed.!L.!Macy!(Accessed!January!20),!
http://grovemusic.com.!
Gyorgy$Ligeti$in$conversation$with$Peter$Varnai,$Josef$Hausler,$Claude$Samuel,$and$himself!
(1983).!London:!Ernst!Eulenburg,!Ltd.!
Lobanova,!Marina!(2002).!Gyorgy$Ligeti:$Style,$ideas,$poetics.!!Shuttleworth,!Mark,!transl.!!
Berlin:!Kuhn.!
May,!Thomas!(2010).!LIGETI:$Requiem.!Program!Notes.!San!Francisco!Symphony.!(Accessed!
March!4,!2011),!http://www.sfsymphony.org/music/ProgramNotes.aspx?id=37544.!
Richart,!Robert!W.!(1990),!Gyorgy$Ligeti:$A$bioBbibliography.!!New!York:!Greenwood!Press.!
RoigOFrancoli!(1995).!Harmonic!and!formal!processes!in!Ligetis!netOstructure!
compositions.!Music$theory$spectrum,$17(2).!242O267.!
Steinitz,!Richard!(2003).!Gyrgy$Ligeti:$Music$of$the$imagination.!London:!Faber!and!Faber.!

Selvey 17
Appendix!A:!Example!1!&!Example!4!(Clendinning,!1995,!235,!247)!

Selvey 18
Appendix!B:!Figure!1!(Clendinning,!1995,!p.!235)!

Selvey 19
Appendix!C:!Example!15!(Steinitz,!pp.!156O157)!

Selvey 20
!

Appendix!D:!Example!14!(Steinitz!150)!

Selvey 21