Nocturnal is a musical composition by the French-American composer Edgard Varèse, notable as one of his final and incomplete works. It was composed between 1959 and 1961, with a revised version appearing in 1964. The work is particularly significant as it represents Varèse's continued exploration of sound, timbre, and spatial music in his late period.
Composition History and Context
Following a long period of relative inactivity after completing Déserts in 1954, Varèse embarked on Nocturnal. The work was initially commissioned by the Koussevitzky Music Foundation. Varèse drew inspiration from Anais Nin's 1947 novel House of Incest, specifically her dream-like prose and exploration of psychological states, which resonated with Varèse's own interest in the subconscious and raw expression. He incorporated text fragments from Nin's novel into the vocal parts.
Despite its initial completion, Varèse was dissatisfied with the first version of Nocturnal. He extensively revised it in 1964, a year before his death, leaving the piece ultimately unfinished. His ongoing revisions highlight his meticulous approach to composition and his ceaseless pursuit of his sonic ideals. The unfinished state of Nocturnal contributes to its mystique, often viewed as a testament to his never-ending artistic quest.
Instrumentation
The instrumentation for Nocturnal is characteristic of Varèse's preference for unconventional and powerful combinations of instruments to achieve specific sonic textures and effects. The score calls for:
- Soprano voice
- Bass clarinet
- Horn
- Two trumpets
- Trombone
- Tuba
- Percussion (a substantial and varied battery)
- Contrabasses
The prominent role of the percussion section and the often-isolated, stark timbres of the wind instruments are hallmarks of Varèse's style, creating a sense of dramatic tension and spatial depth.
Musical Characteristics
Nocturnal embodies many of the stylistic traits associated with Varèse's music:
- Dissonance and Atonality: The piece operates outside traditional tonal harmony, embracing dissonant sonorities as fundamental building blocks.
- Rhythmic Vitality: Rhythms are often complex, irregular, and driving, contributing to the work's energetic and sometimes aggressive character.
- Emphasis on Timbre and Texture: Varèse meticulously orchestrates each sound, focusing on the unique color and character of individual instruments and their combinations. He treats sound masses and individual timbres as distinct entities, shaping them in space.
- Spatial Music: Varèse was deeply interested in the spatialization of sound, creating the impression that sounds are moving and interacting in a three-dimensional acoustic space. This is achieved through careful placement of instruments and dynamic contrasts.
- Fragments and Juxtaposition: The music often unfolds through a series of juxtaposed sonic blocks or fragments, rather than traditional melodic development. This contributes to the dream-like, sometimes unsettling atmosphere suggested by its title and literary inspiration.
- Vocal Writing: The soprano voice is treated instrumentally at times, often employing Sprechgesang (speech-singing) and highly expressive, even anguished, vocalizations of Nin's text.
Performance and Legacy
The first performance of Nocturnal occurred in 1961, with the 1964 revised version premiered posthumously. Despite its unfinished nature, Nocturnal is considered an important work in Varèse's limited output. It showcases his continued innovation late in life and serves as a poignant example of his uncompromising artistic vision. Scholars and performers have studied the work for insights into his compositional process and his ultimate aesthetic goals, solidifying its place as a significant, albeit incomplete, masterpiece within 20th-century avant-garde music.