These are the slides of a presentation that was held by the author in Darmstadt on August 10 2014 in conversation with composer Fabien Levy.

1. Introduction
NMGS0030-117
`a tue-tˆete
Fruitful
Contradictions
Acknowledgements
Nicola Bernardini 10/08/2014 1 of 24
`a tue–tˆete: Fabien L´evy’s Scelsi Adaption
or:
On the importance of fruitful contradictions
(rel.44c2ed1)
Nicola Bernardini
Fondazione Isabella Scelsi – Roma
Darmstadt August 10 2014
Copyright ©2014 Nicola Bernardini <n.bernardini@conservatoriosantacecilia.it>
This work comes under the terms of the
Creative Commons ©BY-SA 2.5 license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/)

2. Introduction
NMGS0030-117
`a tue-tˆete
Fruitful
Contradictions
Acknowledgements
Nicola Bernardini 10/08/2014 2 of 24
Context
Scelsi Revisited project
Scelsi’s tape NMGS0030-117
Fabien L´evy’s piece `a tue–tˆete, premi`ered in Darmstadt on
August 9, 2014
Not a full fledged musicological analysis of the piece. . .
. . . but rather a meditation upon all the implications of the
Scelsi Revisited project. . .
. . . conducted with the composer himself, using `a tue–tˆete
as “contingent inspiration”

3. Introduction
NMGS0030-117
`a tue-tˆete
Fruitful
Contradictions
Acknowledgements
Nicola Bernardini 10/08/2014 3 of 24
The NMGS0030-117 tape (1)
NMGS0030-117 belongs to what (questionably) is called
the “primary importance” set of Scelsi’s tapes
it carries recorded material for two ondiolas (no
superpositions)
there is some evidence that it is a tape made by Scelsi for
his collaborators

4. Introduction
NMGS0030-117
`a tue-tˆete
Fruitful
Contradictions
Acknowledgements
Nicola Bernardini 10/08/2014 4 of 24
The NMGS0030-117 tape (2)
Fragment divided in three segments
segments are copies from other sources (different noise
backdrops)
specifically, the first segment is a copy from a shellac
recording

5. Introduction
NMGS0030-117
`a tue-tˆete
Fruitful
Contradictions
Acknowledgements
Nicola Bernardini 10/08/2014 5 of 24
The NMGS0030-117 tape (3)

6. Introduction
NMGS0030-117
`a tue-tˆete
Fruitful
Contradictions
Acknowledgements
Nicola Bernardini 10/08/2014 6 of 24
Scelsi’s engraver

7. Introduction
NMGS0030-117
`a tue-tˆete
Fruitful
Contradictions
Acknowledgements
Nicola Bernardini 10/08/2014 7 of 24
The NMGS0030-117 tape (4)
Box indications (which should not be taken for granted):
front:
1a B (2 Vi[o]lini)
back:
fare cl.
Lato B 1a
da fare il ritorno
2a da fare il ritorno
no further indication (when? which piece? etc.)

8. Introduction
NMGS0030-117
`a tue-tˆete
Fruitful
Contradictions
Acknowledgements
Nicola Bernardini 10/08/2014 8 of 24
`a tue–tˆete (1)
To a limited extent, `a tue–tˆete carries out a “philological
revisitation” of Scelsi’s working and compositional
procedures
Bars 1-18 of the beginning are an almost faithful
transcription of the beginning of the tape, orchestrated for
wind instruments

9. Introduction
NMGS0030-117
`a tue-tˆete
Fruitful
Contradictions
Acknowledgements
Nicola Bernardini 10/08/2014 9 of 24
`a tue–tˆete (2)
`a tue–tˆete not a “folklorization of Scelsi’s uncommon
work” but rather. . .
. . . “a questioning our listening habits through the prism
of [L´evy’s] musical language”
L´evy has picked up a number of metalinguistic elements
which are ubiquitous in Scelsi’s production but are also
strongly related to L´evy’s present compositional interests

10. Introduction
NMGS0030-117
`a tue-tˆete
Fruitful
Contradictions
Acknowledgements
Nicola Bernardini 10/08/2014 10 of 24
`a tue–tˆete (3)
IV
Mur Nord
Mur Sud
Mur
Est
Mur
Ouest

11. Introduction
NMGS0030-117
`a tue-tˆete
Fruitful
Contradictions
Acknowledgements
Nicola Bernardini 10/08/2014 11 of 24
`a tue–tˆete (4)
Obvious reference to Scelsi’s conception of sound:
immersing the public in the middle of sound
losing the “edges” of the sonic experience
`a tue–tˆete is also some sort of “sonic theatre” (dark,
playing with the hall and relaying sound to one another)

12. Introduction
NMGS0030-117
`a tue-tˆete
Fruitful
Contradictions
Acknowledgements
Nicola Bernardini 10/08/2014 12 of 24
`a tue–tˆete (5)
`a tue–tˆete is built over a small number of musical
constraints:
sonic center revolving over an ubiqutous b and a small set
of clustering adjacent notes (peculiar to this piece)
(strongly related to Scelsian writing)
constantly re-iterated sixteen note pulse arranged through
the generalized “cross–rhythm” technique which is
absolutely characteristic of L´evy’s writing

13. Introduction
NMGS0030-117
`a tue-tˆete
Fruitful
Contradictions
Acknowledgements
Nicola Bernardini 10/08/2014 13 of 24
`a tue–tˆete (6)
Figure: Generalized cross-rhythms (courtesy of Fabien L´evy)

14. Introduction
NMGS0030-117
`a tue-tˆete
Fruitful
Contradictions
Acknowledgements
Nicola Bernardini 10/08/2014 14 of 24
`a tue–tˆete (7)
-
etc.CR 1
-
etc.CR 2

15. Introduction
NMGS0030-117
`a tue-tˆete
Fruitful
Contradictions
Acknowledgements
Nicola Bernardini 10/08/2014 15 of 24
`a tue–tˆete (8)
these constraints lead to the most evident “outer form” of
the piece which. . .
(even humoristically) oscillates between a “scelsian” and a
“l´evyesque” character

16. Introduction
NMGS0030-117
`a tue-tˆete
Fruitful
Contradictions
Acknowledgements
Nicola Bernardini 10/08/2014 16 of 24
`a tue–tˆete (9)
the generalized cross–rhythm technique was developed by
L´evy after a period of ethnological studies with Simha
Arom
the idea is to transcend the analytical logic of occidental
musical writing (and structuralism) to create music that is
actually closer to perception
looking at other cultures (central Africa, China, etc.) to
find new solutions
how closer can you get to Scelsi’s thinking?

17. Introduction
NMGS0030-117
`a tue-tˆete
Fruitful
Contradictions
Acknowledgements
Nicola Bernardini 10/08/2014 17 of 24
`a tue–tˆete (10)
Even subtler still:
L´evy “deconstructs” and “transcends” occidental writing
using a lot of new techniques and technologies available
today (“trans–parametric music inflection” suggested by
samplers, “generalized cross–rhythms” assisted by
software, etc.)
much like Scelsi, which was using the new techniques of its
time (engravers, tape recorders, ondiolas, etc.)

18. Introduction
NMGS0030-117
`a tue-tˆete
Fruitful
Contradictions
Acknowledgements
Nicola Bernardini 10/08/2014 18 of 24
Fruitful contradictions (1)
More correlations between Scelsi and L´evy stem from a
number of contradictory elements that both composers
have (and had to) face
Contradictions are bad in logic and natural language, but
they are very fertile and prolific in music

19. Introduction
NMGS0030-117
`a tue-tˆete
Fruitful
Contradictions
Acknowledgements
Nicola Bernardini 10/08/2014 19 of 24
Fruitful contradictions (2)
How do we deal with the problem of logocentrism and
music?
Can we “talk” about music? and how?

20. Introduction
NMGS0030-117
`a tue-tˆete
Fruitful
Contradictions
Acknowledgements
Nicola Bernardini 10/08/2014 20 of 24
Fruitful contradictions (3)
The composer’s “career”: does such thing exist?
How to make a successeful “career” without jeopardizing
its own end (writing original, personal, representative
music)?

21. Introduction
NMGS0030-117
`a tue-tˆete
Fruitful
Contradictions
Acknowledgements
Nicola Bernardini 10/08/2014 21 of 24
Fruitful contradictions (4)
is the relation between Scelsi and L´evy purely contingent
or does it carry out at deeper levels?

22. Introduction
NMGS0030-117
`a tue-tˆete
Fruitful
Contradictions
Acknowledgements
Nicola Bernardini 10/08/2014 22 of 24
Fruitful contradictions (5)
the relation with non–occidental cultures:
isn’t it a form of escapism? How genuine can it be?

23. Introduction
NMGS0030-117
`a tue-tˆete
Fruitful
Contradictions
Acknowledgements
Nicola Bernardini 10/08/2014 23 of 24
Fruitful contradictions (6)
the relation with history:
is it possible to situate oneself in history? does it make
sense?

24. Introduction
NMGS0030-117
`a tue-tˆete
Fruitful
Contradictions
Acknowledgements
Nicola Bernardini 10/08/2014 24 of 24
My grateful thanks go to Fabien L´evy, Giacinto Scelsi, Nicola
Sani, Alessandra Carlotta Pellegrini, Sandro Marrocu, Irmela
Heimb¨acher, the Fondazione Isabella Scelsi, the Istituto
Centrale dei Beni Sonori e Audiovisivi, his director Massimo
Pistacchi, his technicians Bruno Quaresima and Carlo Cursi,
Thomas Sch¨afer, Bj¨orn Gottstein, Michael Kunkel, Sven
Hartberger, the Scelsi Revisited project and the Darmstadt
Ferienkursen.