timbre and texture in chidori composition
Excerpt coming from Essay:
This lack, particularly in the voices, lends a spectral quality to the piece. Actually later in the piece, if the timbres from the various noises – the strings specifically – grow in richness and fullness, this kind of spectral quality remains. The different timbres in the piece, although necessarily different, sound nearly the same as each other, thanks in part for the repetition in the melodic collection, but mostly because of mindful manipulation of the individual timbres.
You will find far fewer voices in Chidori not any Kyoku, and their timbres are far more distinct from one another. There are still strings and a human voice, in addition to a woodwind, and these three voices are united – though not really identical – in tune, but are entirely unique in timbre. The woodwind, flute-like instrument can be soft but very rich; different from the soft flatness at the beginning of Debussy’s Nocturne and the intense fullness later inside the piece. The stringed device of this part, though not exactly toned, does not develop the same reverberation as a violin, and is performed by plucking in this piece rather than bowing. This instrument’s timbre is closer to regarding a banjo, though the twang is no so pronounced (and the melodies and speeds played on it are significantly different). The singer’s tone in Chidori no Kyoku serves to unite the two other noises of the part. In this way, it is similar to the singers’ timbre in Debussy’s Nocturnes, which comprised similarities towards the timbres adjacent them. The methods used in this kind of piece for doing that effect in the singer’s marque are very several, however. There is also a flatness in some moments and a soft roundness in others; sometimes a twang as if the oral chords are being practically plucked (not a pleasant photo, but an interesting sound), with other times the environment seems to move effortlessly throughout the resonant funnel of the musician, much while through a flute. These vignette form a texture specifically similar to that of Debussy’s Nocturnes.
Both of these two pieces, in spite of the differences in their particular timbres, have textures having a remarkable quantity of commonalities. There is a softness to both bits, even when the Nocturne swells to a fullness and larger volume. From this portion of the piece, the similarity of timbre in the collective voices that Debussy employs provides an impressive fullness of sound that seems even greater than the quantity of its parts. But through all this, the texture from the piece is definitely extraordinarily easy, and the blending together of timbres is smooth. In Chidori no Kyoku, the timbres are not blended, yet the feel remains smooth. Despite the twangy and almost percussive timbre in the stringed instrument, it does not disrupt or harshly counterpoint the soft richness of the woodwind, but rather suits it, developing a consistency with distinct layers, although moving effortlessly as a whole.
Inspite of the disparity in geographical length, musical tropes and rules, and even the instruments used, the music of Debussy’s Nocturnes and Chidori no Kyoku can have got very similar results on the listener. This is typically due to the smoothness of the two pieces, developed by different yet similarly evocative timbres. The balance of richness and flatness, smoothness and contrast, are obtained in different techniques, but both are extraordinary and peaceful components of music.
