In Search of Spectral Harmonies: The Evolution of Gérard Grisey’s Harmonic Language between 1970 and 1975
Résumé
Gérard Grisey is one of the key figures in the spectral movement, which emerged in France at the beginning of the 1970s. Exploring the notion of musical processes and auditory thresholds, Grisey succeeded in developing an innovative musical language in which traditional harmonic categories gradually give way to new concepts one can summarize as ‘spectral harmonies’. In what music-historical context did this paradigmatic change take place? How did the composer shape this new manner of organising harmony, drawing on the spectral characteristics of acoustic signals and exploring singular properties of the human auditory system?
To answer these questions, we will discuss the evolution of Grisey’s harmonic thinking in the construction of his mature style, from the composition of Vagues, chemins, le souffle (1970-72) to the composition of Partiels (1975), the latter of which is viewed as emblematic of spectral aesthetics. Inspired by many different composers and retaining an independent mindset, Grisey worked to develop a new approach to dissonance and built a ‘liminal’ harmonic world in which harmony and timbre are closely interconnected. We will demonstrate how instrumental synthesis and processes of transformation reimagined the role of harmony within the compositional process of post-tonal music. We will also show how Grisey’s musical language is based on natural harmonic models while also being deeply structuralist.
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