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Abstract. George Crumb is a twentieth century American experimentalism composer. During Crumbs
career, he wrote a few pieces for violin and piano before 1976. Three selected chamber works of Crumb
composed between 1966 and 1976 are Eleven Echoes of Autumn (Echoes I) (1966), Four Nocturnes (Night
Music II) (1964) and Dream Sequence (Images II) (1976). In these pieces, Crumb utilizes both western and
non-western conventional instruments including Japanese temple bells and the Thai buffalo bell. Through
them, he discovers the volume of the sonority, the color of the timbre and the way of the performance. The
center focus in this three selected works is the quiet mood, imagination and reflection of life. He attempts to
convey the sound between reality and fantasy by the use of the instrument. In each piece, he indicates
different concepts and expects individual performers to portray the shape of the music to fulfill the space.
Crumb not only explores the timbre of the instrument but also extends the performance from on-stage to offstage. Although, this way of performance was unusual and strange in the 1960s or 1970s, today it sounds not
too peculiar to the audience. These pieces are full of challenge for the performer, yet have not been
performed as often as other pieces such as Black Angels (1970). In exploring these issues, this research will
examine the challenges of performance and the historical and cultural forces that characterized these works.
Keywords: George Crumb, Violin, Graphic Notation, Experimental Music.
1. Introduction
The repertoire of string compositions by George Crumb has evolved greatly over the course of the
century. New compositional ideas emerged in the second half of the century. These techniques were created
by composers to express their musical ideas. Composers were influenced by each other and the advent of
technology, particularly computer. For example, Luciano Berio (1925-2003) is noted by his computer music.
Iannis Xenakis (b. 1922) was one of pioneer composers who use architectural designs to switch conventional
musical thinking with new concepts of sound composition. In 1960, Krzysztof Penderecki (b. 1933) used
non-conventional notation, graphic notation in his Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima. He is famous by
his avant-garde musical techniques and complex textures of notation. These European composers had
influence on the non-conventional notation of American composers.
Contemporary notation is innovated and developed by different composers in the twentieth century.
Crumb, Berio, Xenakis and Penderecki are examples of it. They develop, create and define their symbols to
notate their music. As defined by Stone in Music Notation in the Twentieth Century: A Practical Guidebook
(1980), [1] these notation types consist of symbolic notation, improvisational notation, graphic notation,
metric notation and spatial notation. Crumb utilizes these designs and concepts in his writing. Particularly,
Crumb uses it as a tool to draw and depict his soundscape, leads the performer and the audience into a realm
that takes inspiration from the world, but which transforms it into slightly different dimensions. Among all
his music, from the start, he has mesmerized and enchanted broad audiences as well as fellow musicians.
Most of Crumbs music has to be prepared and rehearsed considerably as many times as possible before it is
recorded in the studio or performed in public. The stage setting has to consider the application of sound and
atmosphere defined by Crumb. It is normally explained and described in the first page of the score.
George Crumbs music is economical and elegant from the beginning and followed by the development
of the music which has mesmerized and enchanted wide audiences as well as fellow composers and
musicians. [2] Crumbs music challenges audience and musicians in both two aspects: listening and
performance. Listening or performing his music is like an unexpected journey or sitting in a rollercoaster,
starts from gentle and moderate speed, gradually increases the speed and diversification of the timbre and
sonority completed in a surprise ending. This paper is to exemplify three pieces written between 1966 and
1976 for violin with piano or ensemble. In Crumbs music, the ideas of the music may not be found in a
distinctive and discernible way.
Fig. 1: Contrasting of simplicity and complexity, George Crumb, Four Nocturnes for Violin and Piano. 1971 C. F.
Peters Corporation. All rights reserved. Used by permission. [6]
amplify the sound of the instrument though microphones. Amplified violin is not meant to be played on
electric violin.
Fig. 2: breathing =60 and phrases = 10-13 sec. Violin and Cello, Dream Sequence (Images II). 1976 C. F. Peters
Corporation. All rights reserved. Used by permission. [9]
3.2.1. Notation
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Graphic notation, a compositional skill, uses visual and innovative symbols on the musical writing,
outside the realm of conventional notation. It evolved in the 1950s, and is often used in combination with
traditional music notation, particularly in the experimental music. [10] Relied on the conventional notation,
Crumb applies his own ideas into the music such as visual symbols and altered notation. He presents music
on the score in a graphic or unconventional manner such as spirals or circles. (See Figure 3).
Fig. 3: An example of graphic notation. Eleven Echoes of Autumn, 1965 (Echoes I) for violin, Alto flute, Clarinet and
Piano. 1972 C. F. Peters Corporation. All rights reserved. Used by permission. [11]
Fig. 4: An example of timbral possibility in Echo 3 Prestissimo, Eleven Echoes of Autumn, 1965 (Echoes I) for violin,
Alto flute, Clarinet and Piano. 1972 C. F. Peters Corporation. All rights reserved. Used by permission. [14]
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4. Conclusion
Since Crumbs first composition, he has composed over sixty pieces, but only few used violin as main
instrument in the music. Most of them are his early works and the time he starts showing his maturity in his
compositions. Crumbs contribution to violin music has challenged performers to re-think and change the
way of performance practice and execution. He has raised the awareness of new manner of performing the
twentieth century music.
5. Acknowledgements
I am grateful to United International College, Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University
for their generous 2013 UIC research grant without which this investigation could not have been completed.
6. Reference
[1] K. Stone. Music Notation in the Twentieth Century: A Practical Guidebook. New York: W.W. Norton & Company,
1980.
[2] L. Botstein. George Crumb. American Symphony Orchestra, 2013, accessed on 10 March 2013,
http://www.americansymphony.org/concert_notes/george-crumb.
[3] Yale School of Music, Concerts: New Music New Haven Hosts Renowned Composer George Crumb Nov. 15,
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