Pointillistic scoring

[Jeff Hayat]

Just found out what this is. Ick. You write a melody line, and assign a different instrument for each note, without a "continuity" instrument. Ick.

[dcoscina]

Ick? Anton Webern didn't seem to think so.

[ewkarl7777]

I think you are probably referring to "klangfarben Melodie" (sound color melody), where each note in a phrase might be assigned to a different instrument. This goes back about 80 years. Check out Webern's arrangement of Bach's Musical Offering.

"Pointillism" (in music) usually refers to the early music of Stockhausen, Boulez, etc. (~1950's), where melodies, phrases, motives, etc., were replaced by varying densities of individual notes (dynamics, durations, timbres, etc.).

Lots of interesting things happened in 20th century Classical music. You should check it out sometime.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_century_classical_music

[V o n h ö g e n]

Perhaps you are referring to the 13th/14th Century playing style of the HOKETUS?
:D

- Jerome Vonhögen

[Jeff Hayat]

Ick? Anton Webern didn't seem to think so.

Who?

I think you are probably referring to "klangfarben Melodie" (sound color melody), where each note in a phrase might be assigned to a different instrument.

Klangfarbenmelodie (one word) literally translates into "tone color melody" - a continous phrase where every pitch is a different instrument. Ick.

[JaapVisser]

Webern was a composer from the beginning of the 20th century. He was one of the founders together with composers like Schoenberg and Alban Berg of the a-tonal movement that was an interlude to the serialistic movement from the 50's.

Webern was the most drastic composer of the 3 and he could let go tonal music a bit easier then Schoenberg en Berg, who kept struggling with tonal structures etc. Webern experimented on a more advanced level. He has been a great influence for composers after WW2 (Webern could not live that, he got tragically shot in the last days of ww2)

P.s. what is "ick"?

[Jeff Hayat]

I know who Webern is - I was being facetious. Thanks for the explanation, tho. :)

'ick' is a derivative of 'yuck'.

Cheers.

[JaapVisser]

Ahh :) I was already wondering why you did not know Webern, but this makes sence now.

[dcoscina]

If I am not mistaken, Frank Zappa also dabbled in this technique. I myself would not use it for an entire piece but have applied it to some passages to create a sense of contrast. It can be very effective. Mahler foreshadowed its use with his complex and stunning orchestrations, especially found in The Song of the Earth.