Abstract—Estonian composer Arvo Pärt (b. 1935) and
American composer Philip Glass are composers who have
shown their similar musical influences yet different
compositional styles in their 1970s works written for amplified
violin and violin and piano.
Strung Out (1967) is an example of
minimalist music and use of amplification.
Spiegel im Spiegel
(1978) is an example of tintinabuli compositional technique and
minimalist music. This research will examine
Strung Out (1964)
and
Spiegel im Spiegel (1978), two selected examples for
learning and performing experimental music. Both composers
applied minimalist ideas and applied different techniques into
their compositions. In
Strung Out, Glass uses circular rhythmic
patterns and varied these patterns by groups. Pärt utilizes
simple harmonic tone and structure, varied by repeated and
unchanged rhythm in
Spiegel im Spiegel. Both works challenge
the performer’s musical interpretation, performance flexibility,
and appreciate a new way of musical execution.
Index Terms—Experimentalism, minimalist music,
tintinnabuli, violin.
Ang-Cheng Kris Ho is with the General Education Office, Beijing
Normal University, Hong Kong Baptist University United International
College, Zhuhai, China (e-mail: krisho@uic.edu.hk).
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Cite: Ang-Cheng Kris Ho, " Calm or Tension? The Musical Demands in Strung Out (1967) and Spiegel im Spiegel (1978)," International Journal of Social Science and Humanity vol. 6, no. 7, pp. 557-560, 2016.