ISTANBUL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

A CRITICAL LOOK ON GEORGE BENJAMIN'S AT FIRST LIGHT (1982)

M.Sc. FINAL PROJECT

Osman Eren Gümrükçüoğlu

Dr. Erol Üçer Centre for Advanced Studies in Music (MIAM)

Music Programme

Final Project Advisor: Reuben DE LAUTOUR

MAY 2013
ISTANBUL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

A CRITICAL LOOK ON GEORGE BENJAMIN'S AT FIRST LIGHT (1982)

M.Sc. FINAL PROJECT

Osman Eren Gümrükçüoğlu
(409101031)

Dr. Erol Üçer Centre for Advanced Studies in Music (MIAM)

Music Programme

Final Project Advisor: Reuben DE LAUTOUR

MAY 2013
İSTANBUL TEKNİK ÜNİVERSİTESİ SOSYAL BİLİMLER ENSTİTÜSÜ

GEORGE BENJAMIN'İN AT FIRST LIGHT (1982) ADLI ESERİNE

ELEŞTİREL BİR BAKIŞ

YÜKSEK LİSANS BİTİRME PROJESİ

Osman Eren Gümrükçüoğlu
(409101031)

Dr. Erol Üçer Müzik İleri Araştırmalar Merkezi (MİAM)

Müzik Programı

Bitirme Projesi Danışmanı: Reuben DE LAUTOUR

MAYIS 2013
Osman Eren Gümrükçüoğlu, a M.Sc. student of ITU Graduate School of Arts
and Sciences student ID 409101031, successfully defended the final project entitled
“A CRITICAL LOOK ON GEORGE BENJAMIN'S AT FIRST LIGHT (1982)”
which he prepared after fulfilling the requirements specified in the associated
legislations, before the jury whose signatures are below.

Final Project Advisor : Reuben DE LAUTOUR ..............................

İstanbul Technical University

Jury Members : Dr. Adam ROBERTS .............................

İstanbul Technical University

Jury Members : Assoc. Prof. Robert REIGLE .............................

İstanbul Technical University

Date of Submission : 3 May 2013

Date of Defense : 7 June 2013

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................v

ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................... vi
ÖZET.................................................................................................................... vii
1. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................1
1.1 Benjamin's Inspiration .................................................................................... 1
1.2 Turner & Impressionist Connection ................................................................ 2
1.3 Programme vs. Procedure ............................................................................... 4
2. PROCEDURES & TECHNIQUES ....................................................................8
2.1 Orchestrational Approach ............................................................................... 8
2.1.1 Transformation of sounds .........................................................................8
2.1.2 Other techniques .......................................................................................8
2.2 Shifting Perspectives ...................................................................................... 9
2.3 Musical Objects .............................................................................................10
2.3.1 Approaching the oboe melody ................................................................11
2.3.1.1 Percussive hits and glissandi ............................................................11
2.3.2 Oboe melody ..........................................................................................15
2.3.3 Piccolo Flute-Double Bass Duo ..............................................................16
2.4 Dawn Chorus Reference ................................................................................17
3. TEMPORALITIES ...........................................................................................19
3.1 Types of Temporalities ..................................................................................19
3.2 Temporal Usage of Extended Techniques ......................................................20
4. HARMONIC RHYTHM & METRIC CONTINUITY....................................23
4.1 Third Movement Opening .............................................................................23
4.1.1 Symmetries and continuity .....................................................................25
4.1.1.1 First two chords ...............................................................................25
4.1.1.2 Repetitions of the two chords ...........................................................26
4.1.2 Compression and expansion....................................................................27
4.1.3 Creating symmetries with contrasts.........................................................27
4.1.4 Sonic pallette and creating further contrasts ............................................28
5. PIANO TEXTURES .........................................................................................30
6. CONCLUSIONS ...............................................................................................32
6.1 More on the Composer ..................................................................................32
6.2 Final Remarks ...............................................................................................33
REFERENCES .....................................................................................................35
DISCOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................37

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LIST OF FIGURES

Page

Figure 1.1 : Norham Castle, Sunrise J.M.W. Turner © Tate, London. (from "Tate
Collection," 2010).....................................................................................2
Figure 1.2 : Debussy-esque dynamic marking. .........................................................4
Figure 1.3 : Page 1 of flow-chart. ............................................................................ 5
Figure 1.4 : Page 2 of flow-chart. ............................................................................ 6
Figure 1.5 : Page 3 of flow-chart. ............................................................................ 7
Figure 2.1 : Trumpet G5 from the first, second and third movements respectively...10
Figure 2.2 : The second movement begins with three percussive hits. ....................12
Figure 2.3 : String glissandi and percussive hits. ....................................................13
Figure 2.4 : The fragmented and modified percussive hits. .....................................14
Figure 2.5 : The original form of the oboe melody. ................................................15
Figure 2.6 : Brass entrance on left and reiteration of the oboe melody on right. ......16
Figure 2.7 : The second appearance of the flute/double-bass melody. .....................17
Figure 3.1 : Ping-pong ball and fingernail techniques. ............................................20
Figure 3.2 : Brass extended techniques and a large newspaper to be torn. ...............21
Figure 4.1 : Reduction of the third movement opening ...........................................24
Figure 4.2 : Structure of the G suspended chord. ....................................................25
Figure 4.3 : Intervals within the first chord.............................................................26
Figure 4.4 : Compression of the second chord. .......................................................26
Figure 4.5 : Compression of both chords in the second repetition. ..........................27
Figure 4.6 : Last compression of the two chords.....................................................27
Figure 4.7 : The gradual change of techniques in the third movement. ...................29
Figure 5.1 : Reflections of woodwinds on the piano. ..............................................30

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University: Istanbul Technical University
Institute: Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (MIAM)
Discipline: Music (Composition)
Programme: Master of Science
Advisor: Reuben De Lautour
Project type and Date: Final Project – 3 May 2013

ABSTRACT

A CRITICAL LOOK ON GEORGE BENJAMIN'S AT FIRST LIGHT (1982)

This paper tries to provide a detailed look on some of the procedures and processes
that composer George Benjamin employs while composing the piece. Some of the
aesthetic issues that rise from the relationship of the music with the J.M.W. Turner
painting that inspired it as well as transformations, interactions, temporalities,
contrasts and vertical sonorities that serve as reflections of those issues are examined.
Issues of metric continuity and harmonic rhythm are explored. The composer's
connection with French Impressionism is questioned.

Keywords:

fragmentation, transformation, temporality, contrast, Kramer, George, Benjamin,

linearity, vertical-time, moment-time

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Üniversite: İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi
Enstitü: Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü (MIAM)
Anabilim Dalı: Müzik (Kompozisyon)
Program: Yüksek Lisans
Danışman: Reuben De Lautour
Tez türü ve Tarihi: Bitirme Projesi – 3 Mayıs 2013

ÖZET

GEORGE BENJAMIN'İN AT FIRST LIGHT (1982) ADLI ESERİNE

ELEŞTİREL BİR BAKIŞ

Bu proje besteci George Benjamin'in besteleme usul ve süreçlerinin ayrıntılı bir

görünümünü sağlamak için çalışır. İlham aldığı J.M.W. Turner tablosu ile olan
ilişkisinin yanı sıra içerdiği dönüşümleri, etkileşimleri, zamansallıkları, zıtlıkları,
dikey ses yapıları ve bu unsurların yansımaları yakından incelenip müzik ile
arasındaki estetik ilişki irdelenir. Metrik süreklilik ve armonik ritim unsurlarına
değinilir. Fransız Empresyonizmi ile bestecinin bağlantısı sorgulanmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimler:

fragmantasyon, dönüşüm, zamansallık, zıtlık, Kramer, George, Benjamin,

doğrusallık, dikey-zaman, anlık-zaman

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1. INTRODUCTION

British composer George Benjamin was recognized by his country as a child prodigy
early on and is mostly a composer of the acoustic domain (Toronyi-Lalic, 2010). He
has vast experience in composing for a variety of settings including an opera,
chamber ensembles, large scale orchestras and anything in between. He composed At
First Light in 1982 when he was only 22. At First Light is a piece in three
movements that is composed for a chamber orchestra of 14 players and it is one of
the important landmarks in Benjamin's career as a composer. It is a great example of
Benjamin's orchestrational virtuosity and his knack for developing ideas. He projects
his ideas with a good amount of anguish but without disregarding beauty. The piece
is a combination of contemporary and traditional compositional approaches as well
as a unique take on different types of temporality and continuum.

1.1 Benjamin's Inspiration

The inspiration for this piece came to Benjamin from a late Joseph Mallord William
Turner painting called Norham Castle, Sunrise. Benjamin expressed his admiration
for the painting in the programme notes for At First Light:

In the Tate Gallery there is a late Turner oil painting, Norham Castle, Sunrise. The 12th
century castle in this picture is silhouetted against a huge, golden sun. What struck me
immediately about this beautiful image was the way in which solid objects – fields, cows and
the castle itself – virtually appear to have melted under the intense sunlight. It is as if the
paint were still wet. Abstractly, this observation has been important to the way I have
composed the piece ("At First Light," 2013).

Benjamin admits that the initial inspiration came from the Turner painting and one
can certainly sense the similarities between the painting and the music. How those
similarities are percieved by the listener is another issue. The effects that are
achieved by Benjamin's compositional inspiration could be related to the an
Impressionist aesthetic or a certain interest in experimenting with temporalities.

1
1.2 Turner & Impressionist Connection

One of the most revered British painters, J.M.W. Turner was an artist from the
Romantic era but he also played a role after his death as an ancestor of the
Impressionist movement due to his immense talent of rendering light and to make
forms dissolve in that light in his paintings. Norham Castle, Sunrise was unexhibited
in his lifetime and was discovered by wider audiences much later after Turner's death
(“Tate Britain," 2002). The loose brushwork and the attention given to the
atmosphere rather than descriptive detail, make this painting quite important in
creating a pathway to modernism (see figure 1.1). The painting is also featured on
the cover of the published score and the compact disc recording for Benjamin's At
First Light.

Figure 1.1 : Norham Castle, Sunrise J.M.W. Turner © Tate, London. (from
"Tate Collection," 2010).

What is striking about At First Light is that it dwells around the same kind of
aesthetics that the painting conveys. Neither the painting nor the music is from late
19th century France but both share some of the important aspects of the aesthetic that
are synonymous with the Impressionist style. Both demonstrate that ". . . value is

2
self-sufficient for the art, which would, incidentally, contribute toward identification
of, instead of distinction between, the artistic process and the artistic result" (Venturi
1941: 35). The value that Venturi mentions is the idea of an Impressionist value
which is different from a view of Impressionism as a purely historical phenomenon.
In other words, a piece of art can have many stylistic influences within it but it can
still have an Impressionist aesthetic value at its essence. Rather than looking at the
limits of defining Impressionism in terms of era and geography when determining if
a piece of art is Impressionist or not, Venturi believes if the essence of
Impressionism is found in the creation of art during different eras and in different
countries, then the aesthetic value of the art is enough to realize the existence of an
Impressionist moment in the creation. Venturi states: "The coincidence between that
value and the historical Impressionism signifies that the Impressionistic moment in
the creation of a work of art was the entire art created by Impressionists" (1941: 36).

This draws the esthesic and the poietic processes closer to each other. The poietic
processes in a piece of art consists of sketches, plans, intentions and everything else
that helped its creation. On the other hand, the esthesic processes deal only with what
is perceptively relevant and occur only when an observer/listener is present. Most
often in Impressionist paintings, the poietic process leads to the treatment of objects
and colors in terms of one determining factor which is light. It is quite easy to notice
this with a painting but things get a bit more complicated with music. Well known
composers from the era of musical Impressionism such as Claude Debussy and
Maurice Ravel achieved the effect by giving utmost importance to harmonic colors,
different shades of subtle dynamics and interesting timbres or articulations.
Naturally, one can sense the French connection in Benjamin's music, be it
contemporary or not. This may be mainly due to the fact that Benjamin studied with
Olivier Messiaen extensively and made a name early on for himself as one of the
favorite pupils of Messiaen. Benjamin's work in general and the piece in hand have
many similarities with the French Impressionists. One of the superficial similarities
is apparent in the opening of the first movement of the piece. It is a very Debussy-
esque use of the trumpet player using the practice mute (see Figure 1.2). This is
quite similar to the lointain markings that Debussy made use of in his compositions.

3
 Figure 1.2 : Debussy-esque dynamic marking.

It is interesting to see a dynamic marking such as this because the pianississimo

dynamic is achieved by actually playing the trumpet in mezzo forte with a practice
mute on. The resulting sound is supposed to be distant and blurred into the space and
atmosphere that the piece is trying to create.

1.3 Programme vs. Procedure

Another similarity with the Impressionist aesthetic is that At First Light focuses on
the atmosphere rather than an implicit story or a narrative that draws the listener to
follow the music from left to right, with certain expectations to be satisfactorily met.
A narrative in the tonal sense is absent because by nature, the piece is not gravitating
towards a tonic. A narrative in the formal sense is not apparent with the first
impression because events that happen in each movement are not exclusive to their
initial locations in time and they transform in such a way that the perception of the
unfolding of these events drives the listener towards a shifted understanding of the
timeline. However, one could say that the narration is not of a story in timeline but of
a story in a moment. This idea would work with Benjamin's initial inspiration
because the Turner painting is also trying to capture a certain moment during time of
dawn. It is as if Benjamin tried to capture the essence of dawn and present the
colors, transformations, contrasts and interactions it represents in a musical fashion.

Therefore, the main focus of the piece seems to not depend on a programme or a
schedule of events that need to happen one after another, but depend rather on a
procedural system that Benjamin sees fit to reflect the atmosphere that he wants the
listener to experience. The components of this procedural system that this paper
focuses on are outlined in the following chart (see Figures 1.3, 1.4 and 1.5).

4
Figure 1.3 : Page 1 of flow-chart.

5
Figure 1.4 : Page 2 of flow-chart.

6
Figure 1.5 : Page 3 of flow-chart.

7
2. PROCEDURES & TECHNIQUES

2.1 Orchestrational Approach

Out of the three movements of the piece, the second one is the longest. Spanning
about 10 and a half minutes, the second movement shows the brilliance of
Benjamin's skills. It also is very indicative of the certain procedures that he likes to
employ in this composition.

2.1.1 Transformation of sounds

The general approach in the beginning of the second movement is to blur the
characteristic attack of each instrument group so that an interesting amalgam of
sound is produced. The main effect here is to transform the transient noises of
instruments' attacks. This is a very delicate treatment of noise where the composer is
not focusing on noise for the sake of noise but the noise that is produced as an
artifact of the timbre of each instrument. Therefore, he likes to blend the different
instrument noises into one big timbre that is unique to his momentary orchestrational
choices. This transforms the sounds and also further alludes to the atmosphere that
inspired Benjamin in the first place.

The movement starts off with three sforzando cymbal hits that are in line with 32nd
note piano gestures on intervals of a second. These piano stabs slightly blur the clear
punctuations of the cymbal hits. With the third hit, rest of the ensemble enters with
fortissimo low notes with the brass instruments transforming the transient of the
cymbal. The sustain of the brass is then merged with the inherently noisier sustain of
the strings which further exaggerate the noise by pressing hard on the strings with the
bow.

2.1.2 Other techniques

This section of the music is reminiscent of the winds that blow just moments before
the first light of dawn. A feeling of suspense is created with a dark atmosphere along
with sharp and bright attacks in the ensemble for a contrast similar to that special

8
quality of light during dawn. Usage of enveloped dynamics in the orchestration
creates a wind-like effect in the overall sound of the ensemble demonstrating
Benjamin's orchestrational skill. The score is meticulously clean throughout the piece
and the instrumentational ideas are very effective. The writing is very idiomatic and
conventional but the ensemble of 14 players sounds surprisingly big. Benjamin
achieves this big sound by the use of juxtaposed entrances, dove-tailing, double-stops
on strings, contrary motion on concerted rhythms and his precise dynamic markings.

There are clear groupings in orchestration which contribute to the ease of evolution
and transformation of Benjamin's ideas. The piano and the percussion is one group
that strictly stays together. The distribution of roles among the strings are also quite
fixed where the two violins form a group, the cello and the viola form a group and
the double bass is free to form a group with other instruments or to act alone. The
brass and the woodwind instruments are free to switch partners among themselves
but they mostly form groups of two. The level of activity is nicely distributed among
these 3 main groups: percussions, wind/brass instruments and strings (in order from
least active to most active). The piano is treated as part of the percussion in this
section since it does not have any melodic intent. This percussion ensemble of two
players acts as the initiator for the musical phrases in this section.

2.2 Shifting Perspectives

As events unfold, the piece does not tend to be directionally oriented in its
temporality. The description of the atmosphere is quite detailed but neither a program
nor a narration of a story that unfolds from left to right exist. Even after the evolution
of certain musical ideas, there comes a time where the original unevolved idea is
reintroduced in a similar way but with a different perspective (see Figure 2.1). This
can be clearly heard with the brilliant entrance of the trumpet in the beginning of the
piece that returns in the other two movements of the piece, sounding very close to its
original version. The exact same note in very distant parts of the piece becomes a
significant landmark for the ear to perceive. Each time the trumpet note is re-
introduced, the underlying orchestration changes as well as the dynamic of the note
itself. This is much like the technique used in many contemporary movies where a
certain event is re-explained several times through various characters' point of view.
Benjamin likes to zoom in and out of events in this piece by shifting perspectives. In

9
order to do that, he employs easily recognizable fragments of music. He takes a
simple high G on the trumpet and makes the light shine with different shades and
angles on it.

Figure 2.1 : Trumpet G5 from the first, second and third movements respectively.

2.3 Musical Objects

This approach that Benjamin takes to create audible events in this composition is
another adoption from his inspiration that came from the Turner painting. In the
programme notes, Benjamin states:

A ‘solid object’ can be formed as a punctuated, clearly defined musical phrase. This can be
‘melted’ into a flowing, nebulous continuum of sound. There can be all manner of
transformations and interactions between these two ways of writing. Equally important,

10
 however, this piece is a contemplation of dawn, a celebration of the colours and noises of
daybreak ("At First Light," 2013).

Most of the piece and the whole second movement revolves around the "punctuations
vs. continuum" idea and this brings forward many other aspects that cannot be
caused merely by an inspiration from a painting. It is Benjamin's talent and his
attention to detail that he is able to convey this contrast in his music. He likes to
introduce an object then create reflections of its sound by the other instruments. An
approach that almost mimics the mechanics of reverberation. This not only creates a
musical space but also results in a deception of continuity. As a result of this
"punctuations vs. continuum" approach to composing, the piece exhibits differing
temporal characters that coexist within long-term and short-term perceptions of time.

2.3.1 Approaching the oboe melody

There are a limited amount of recognizable melodies in the piece but once they are
introduced for the first time in the piece, they inherit the role of contributing to the
continuum of the piece. One such melody that is exploited in the second movement is
the mysteriously yearning oboe melody. The way the composition gives birth to this
melody is predictive of the type of process the melody will go through its lifespan.
What this means is that if a procedure takes place to give birth to a musical idea, then
that same procedure will also take place to evolve that musical idea further. This is
worth examining closely because it is very indicative of the way this piece unfolds;
and a closer look at this oboe melody is helpful in understanding the temporality of
this piece only if one looks at the evolution of the objects that lead to it.

2.3.1.1 Percussive hits and glissandi

The whole process of evolution depends on the initiation, presentation, fragmentation

and the dissolution of the musical phrase which will give rise to another musical
phrase (next musical phrase). The uniqueness lies however, in the expectations that
the piece sets. These expectations are not in the tonal sense. They come from the
experience of what has been heard in the piece up to the time where a certain
understanding has been established with the listener about the inner workings of the
piece. The way in which a musical idea is presented and developed carries a cloud of
possibilities within itself. With each fragmentation and repetition of the idea, the
listener gets a grasp of the scenario and what could possibly happen next. However,

11
the next time the listener is presented with a seemingly similar scenario, Benjamin
turns cards and changes the places and functions of the initiation, presentation,
fragmentation and even the dissolution of the musical phrase.

In this case, the musical phrase in focus is the oboe melody. The percussive hits of
the cymbals and piano at the beginning of the second movement are good points in
starting to examine the section’s pacing. At first there are three hits that start the
movement. If one were to assign each hit (fragment) a letter, then their form would
be A+B+A (see Figure 2.2).

Figure 2.2 : The second movement begins with three percussive hits.

Their next appearance is about seven beats later but this time only B+A appear, thus
the fragmentation is already in process (see Figure 2.3). This is initiated by the viola
and the cello executing the eccentric task of playing a staccato line with double-stops
during glissandi. With each initiation, these glissandi are repeated until the fragments
get smaller and smaller. The string glissandi serve as tension builders with the
percussive hits in between to serve as punctuations. This is a perfect example of the
"punctuations vs. continuum" contrast that Benjamin tries to achieve. The percussive
hits are further blurred by the addition of the cello and double bass with fortissimo
dynamics and extreme bow pressure. This is another example of the transformation
of sounds that was mentioned in the previous sections. Immediately after the
percussive hits, the strings switch to pizzicato technique and treat the hits as musical
objects that are to be reflected in a musical space. The pizzicato also serve the
purpose of creating ever changing colors which melt into each other. The techniques

12
and the procedures not only create the circumstance for the evolution of ideas but
also help to establish the aesthetics that Benjamin was initially inspired by.

Figure 2.3 : String glissandi and percussive hits.

As the movement proceeds, further fragmentation takes place. In order to achieve the
fragmentation, Benjamin opts to separate the A+B+A into two parts: B’ and (A+B)’.
The (A+B)’ phrase is like a compressed and modified version of the original A+B
(see Figure 2.4).

13
 Figure 2.4 : The fragmented and modified percussive hits.

Another thing to point out is the apparent symmetrical nature of the material that
Benjamin chose to start the second movement with. The symmetries of A+B+A and
B'+(A+B)' are significant because they are not only just symmetrical horizontally.
There is a vertical symmetry involved within the each fragment. The fragment A
consist of whole tones that mirror each other. Also, the top notes of fragment A (F 5

and B4) which create a perfect-fifth interval are mirrored as a perfect-fourth interval
in fragment B (G4 and C5). It is even more apparent when the fragment B gets
modified into B' and the hit is played in a broken fashion.

As the phrases are further fragmented, the B’ phrase takes the role of initiating the
musical phrases that are played by the rest of the ensemble and the phrases get
shorter and shorter overall. During this process, the distance between B’ and (A+B)’
gets shorter as well. Once the distance gets too short after three iterations, Benjamin
tosses out the B’ and continues to repeat the (A+B)’ phrase. The strings are
consistent with this decision of Benjamin, because the ubiquitous glissandi of the
strings are thrown out as well. The feeling of angst gets larger and larger as the
ensemble bursts out with 16th notes which give way to the solo oboe melody to
appear dramatically. Once the oboe melody is presented, the melody itself becomes
the initiator and a similar process to what preceded it starts.

14
 2.3.2 Oboe melody

Once the oboe melody is heard for the first time (see Figure 2.5), its fragmentation
follows immediately. This time it is accompanied by repeated high notes on the
piano and repetitive pizzicato notes on the strings. The backdrop that the
accompaniment creates is an atmosphere of its own. Each of the phrases that make
up this section gets fragmented, repeated and juxtaposed just like the phrases in the
previous section leading up to the entrance of the oboe melody.

Figure 2.5 : The original form of the oboe melody.

The oboe melody finally dissolves into the complex texture of the piece. It is helped
by a significant brass section chord crescendo followed by a decrescendo. The next
time the oboe melody appears is about three and a half minutes after its dissolution.
The brass chords which foreshadowed the dissolution of the oboe melody in the
beginning of the second movement are presented again but this time the melody does
not dissolve. The horns stop playing and the expectation is not met. The brass section
is not even on the score on the next page (see Figure 2.6).

15
 Figure 2.6 : Brass entrance on left and reiteration of the oboe melody on right.

Surprisingly, the oboe melody is reiterated several times again which makes this
section like a recapitulation of the first time that it was heard. Another interesting
point is that the staccato glissandi of the strings that paved the way for the oboe
melody to appear in the beginning of the movement is reintroduced with the piano
when the brass chords finally resolve in the way that the piece imposes the listener to
expect.

2.3.3 Piccolo Flute-Double Bass Duo

Other than the oboe melody there is one other recognizable phrase that has merits of
being called a melody. However, this melody is not a solo melody but one that is
played with a duo. Benjamin creates an interesting orchestration by giving a melody
to piccolo flute and harmonics on the double-bass. The arrangement is not in unison
and the double-bass harmonics are used to harmonize the melody. This melody
appears twice in the second movement just like the oboe melody but its function is
quite different. The oboe melody is used as a means to achieve the effect of

16
transformation through repetitions and distortions of continuity. The flute and
double-bass melody however, is used within the confines of a more traditional
understanding of melody. The French Impressionism connection is very much on the
surface with its first appearance and the duo is in the foreground. The second time it
appears, it is accompanied by the processes akin to the oboe melody. The duo is no
longer in the foreground but rather sharing the stage with the rest of the ensemble
building up the tension with the usual initiation and reiteration techniques of
Benjamin. While the first appearance of the melody is creating a unity in the
ensemble, the second appearance creates a vast contrast (see Figure 2.7).

Figure 2.7 : The second appearance of the flute/double-bass melody.

2.4 Dawn Chorus Reference

The idea of celebrating the noises of daybreak shows itself through mimicry at times.
One example of this is in the second movement shortly after the second occurrence
of the flute/double-bass melody. Benjamin might be under the influence of his master
Messiaen’s obsession with ornithology here. The flute, oboe and the clarinet are

17
playing glissandi that are reminiscent of seagulls at dawn. Moreover, many times
after the procedure of reiterations of fragments, there appears moments similar to a
dawn chorus of birds. A similarity could be drawn even between the oboe melody
and a rooster’s morning call.

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3. TEMPORALITIES

The aesthetic idea of this piece is made clear with the nature of its harmonies and the
picturesque atmosphere of its orchestration. This aesthetic idea draws a lot of
elements from French Impressionism as well as 20th century classical music in
general. Nevertheless, the striking quality of the piece is the way in which it evolves.
There is an abundance of fragmentation, stretching and compression of musical
phrases which play with the listener’s sense of time. A lot of times, there is a new
phrase that is reiterated and fragmented which evolves into another phrase which
evolves into another. This could be called a non-directed linearity (Kramer 1981).
However, there are other types of transformations and presentations of the sense of
time.

3.1 Types of Temporalities

This piece employs a lot of different temporalities. These temporalities could be

called non-directed linearity, multiple-time and vertical-time as Kramer (1981: 539-
56) names them. On smaller hierarchic levels, At First Light exhibits a temporality
which is a kind of non-directed linearity. With non-directed linearity the implication
in the middleground is localized and each section results from implications heard
only in the immediately preceding section (ibid., 554). On larger hierarchic levels,
there is a multiple-time sense because of the reordering of some phrases in
unexpected places. Kramer states: " In multiple time, the adjacent middleground
implications are ignored in favor of larger time spans: a section's nature depends on
previous but not immediately adjacent music" (1981: 554). It is not a goal-oriented
piece in the tonal sense, but there is transition, tension and release on smaller
hierarchic levels. It could be said that it has an evolutionary goal so the whole piece
is made up of ever-changing illusions of goals that are never really achieved. The
feeling of suspense is created with which the listener is pulled towards momentary
expectations. The whole piece might not be in vertical-time or moment-time but in
terms of its goal, it is non-teleological. The transition, tension and release patterns

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present themselves in places at the larger hierarchic level that do not meet the
expectations that have been suggested to the listener by the flow of events at the
smaller level.

The piece jumps back and forth between temporalities especially in the second
movement. After the dissolution of the oboe melody, there comes a time where a sort
of vertical-time temporality is observed. This is the section that marks the end of the
second movement. It starts with the brilliant trumpet on G5 that the listener is now
very familiar with. However, the expectation of what is to come next is not met once
again.

3.2 Temporal Usage of Extended Techniques

This time around, the listener is given a chance to enjoy the music solely for the
sounds. There is a feeling of discontinuity that is provided by the string harmonics
that are played as a bed for the sound effects. This is where the ping-pong ball in the
percussionist's arsenal comes into play (see Figure 3.1). The piano player also joins
the percussionist by tapping fingernails on the lid of the piano. The use of extended
techniques here are significant and original. It is quite unusual for the percussion
player to have ping-pong balls and cocktail glasses available to him/her in a
traditional setting. These unexpected and original sounds from Benjamin, breathes
fresh air into the already varied sonic world of the piece.

Figure 3.1 : Ping-pong ball and fingernail techniques.

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An atmosphere of quiet sounds at dawn is depicted and there is no way to expect
what is to come next in any traditional sense. The lack of any gravitational pull in the
music and the stasis provided with the string harmonics puts the music on a limbo.
Only thing left to stimulate the listener are the timbres and different waveforms that
hit the ear. Maybe a wink to Helmut Lachenmann and musique concrète
instrumentale is present here which forces the listener to guess what these sounds
mean. Was Benjamin trying to imitate his own experience of the dawn soundscape or
was he simply creating a texture to assist the flow of the piece with purely abstract
reasons for the sounds?

Several extended techniques are used in this section including playing with
fingernails on the piano lid like a percussion instrument, dropping a ping-pong ball in
a glass, playing the brass instruments with no mouthpiece, playing without the body
of the instrument and only with the reed and mouthpiece of the woodwinds and a
large newspaper torn (see Figure 3.2).

Figure 3.2 : Brass extended techniques and a large newspaper to be torn.

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It is curious as to why Benjamin chose to have the large newspaper torn specifically
out of sight of the audience. It is as if Benjamin is trying to provocate the listener
especially in the concert setting. This is definitely in the realm of musique concrète
instrumentale even though Benjamin's main purpose may be something else that is
related with the time sense in this section of the piece. Within the context of the
piece, his purpose could simply be not to disturb the audience's sense of time with
the odd display of a musician with a newspaper in hand on the stage. Nevertheless,
the usage of extended techniques is significant and true to their nature.

Although this section is not an entire body of work on its own but a mere 90 seconds
in the piece, it fits into the vertical-time definition of Kramer’s:

A vertical piece does not exhibit cumulative closure: it does not begin but merely starts, does
not build to a climax, does not purposefully set up internal expectations, does not seek to
fulfill any expectations that might arise accidentally, does not build or release tension, and
does not end but simply ceases. It defines its bounded sound world early in its performance,
and it stays within the limits it chooses. Respecting the self-imposed boundaries is essential
because any move outside these limits would be perceived as a temporal articulation of
considerable structural import and would therefore destroy the verticality of time (1981: 549-
50).

The contrast that Benjamin creates by plugging in extended techniques in a

somewhat traditionally orchestrated piece provides the basis for a multi-level
contrast that exists in both the sound world of the piece and the time domain.

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4. HARMONIC RHYTHM & METRIC CONTINUITY

The nature of the process that Benjamin puts the piece through reveals another aspect
of the music which is the harmonic rhythm. Since there are repetitions and
fragmentations all over the piece, the harmonic rhythm gets its fare share of
compression and expansion as well. Even though the piece strikes the listener with
its intricate inner workings the inherent harmonic sensibility of Benjamin flows
through the piece at all times. The time sense is made further ambiguous by
manipulation of the harmonic rhythm.

4.1 Third Movement Opening

After all the contemporary approaches in the first two movements, the third
movement opens with Benjamin’s taste for traditional beauty. This traditional beauty
does not last very long but it shows strong roots in the Debussyste spirit. It also
provides another chance to examine the kind of transformations and interactions
found in this piece. What Benjamin does here is to cycle through two vertical events
with an aim to further expand his technique of stretching and compressing the time
sense in this piece. The strings stay on a constant G-suspended second chord (G-A-
D) like a bed for the music. The rest of the ensemble helps to decorate this bed with
two alternating sheets of sound. They alternate between darker and brighter shades of
harmonic colours which amplify the ambiguity of the overall harmony at each
moment. The choice of instruments and very subtle dynamics is very important in
this section to achieve the effect of a stasis in the foreground but a build-up of
tension in the background. The score in this section is marked with the sentence:
“The Tempo must be very flexible, and must ‘breathe’ with the crescendos and
harmonic movement”. This also helps to achieve the overall organic feel of this
section. The alternating harmonies could also be considered like a switch between
chord tones and non-chord tone as well. The ambiguity of intervals like the second,
eleventh and thirteenth without a third contributes to the effect that Benjamin wants
to achieve (see Figure 4.1).

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Figure 4.1 : Reduction of the third movement opening.

24
 4.1.1 Symmetries and continuity

In the figure in the previous page beats per harmony are calculated regardless of the
bar lines. Sometimes a new harmony is introduced an eight note before the bar line
as seen in the last measure of the first line in the reduction. As the movement opens
there is certain symmetry between the first two alternating chords: (7+7=14).

4.1.1.1 First two chords

This means that the first two chords occupy 14 beats in the first two bars. Notice that
the score is also marked with 3/4+4/4 time signature for the first measure and
4/4+3/4 time signature for the second measure. There is symmetry within the time
signature markings as well. Although the brass and woodwinds are changing the
chord they play, the underlying strings keep the G suspended second chord intact.
This creates a feeling of duality on top of the symmetry that is present. The reason
for this is that the harmony that is played by the strings (G suspended second chord)
usually implies a major triad that has its third substituted with an interval of a second
from the root. This interval cannot be considered a ninth because it is right on top of
the root note. Since it is within the triadic range, it is treated as a third substitute (see
Figure 4.2).

Figure 4.2 : Structure of the G suspended second chord.

Meanwhile the first upper structure harmony that is executed by the brass and
woodwinds is the culprit of the duality feeling. They play a G minor chord with a
major seventh on top. The minor third (G3 to B 3) in this chord clashes sweetly with
the suspended second interval (G3 to A3) that is being played by the strings. It also
creates a minor second interval that creates tension within this sonorous harmony
(A3- B 3) (see Figure 4.3). There is a slight release from the minor third and the
major seventh clashes in the second bar when the B 3 on the strings move to C4 and
the F 4 moves to E4. The harmony then forms a G-A-C-D-E chord. In other words, a
1-2-4-5-6 chord is formed. This is almost like a pentatonic scale that all the notes in

25
the scale are played at the same time. It has an unusual consonance within all the
whole step dissonances (with the exception of a minor third between A and C). This
time Benjamin applies his Impressionistic ways to building harmonies.

Figure 4.3 : Intervals within the first chord.

4.1.1.2 Repetitions of the two chords

In the following two measures, the same chords are repeated but this time the
symmetry is broken and a slight compression of the repetition as a whole is achieved
(7+6.5=13.5). This means that now the first chord occupies 7 beats (the whole bar of
3/4+4/4) but the second chord ends prematurely just before the last eighth note of the
second bar of 4/4+3/4. The second chord is compressed and the feeling of motion is
set into place rather than the time stasis illusion that was created by the symmetry in
the previous two measures (see Figure 4.4).

Figure 4.4 : Compression of the second chord.

Following this, there is a re-organization of the broken symmetry in favor of the first
chord and a further compression of the repetition (3.5+5.5=9). As the movement
moves forward the beats allotted to the two chords get less in number. The
movement starts with the two chords occupying 14 beats. In the first repetition they
occupy 13.5 beats. In the second repetition they occupy only 9 beats (see Figure
4.5). The compression of the repetition is similar to the fragmentation processes in
the second movement. However, there is fragmentation within this repetition as well.

26
As can be seen in the reduction figure and the figure below, the duration of each
chord gets smaller as the movement moves forward in time.

Figure 4.5 : Compression of both chords in the second repetition.

The repetition is then further compressed in the next measure and the broken
symmetry is less out of balance (4+3.5=7.5). This time the first chord occupies
slightly more time than the second chord and the time ratio is closer to the equal
symmetry that started the movement (see Figure 4.6).

Figure 4.6 : Last compression of the two chords.

4.1.2 Compression and expansion

Compression and expansion of metric-continuity are used here to draw the listener
into a slow and pendulum-like motion perception. Moreover, the equal amounts of
compression between the first and the third (14-9=6) and the second and the fourth
(13.5-7.5=6) sets are proportional. Both sets have a difference of 6 beats
(compression) between them. An occurrence of quasi-metric continuity could be
considered here depending on the listener.

4.1.3 Creating symmetries with contrasts

Benjamin is either extremely calculated with his composing or has an immense

intuitive talent for what he is doing here. This proportionality of the relation of
compressions he applies to the harmonic rhythm creates a surprisingly audible effect
which is very captivating. Besides, the contrast that is created by opening the third
movement in such a way is contributing to the general approach of the composition
in a very effective way. Furthermore, the symmetrical nature of this opening is

27
somewhat reminiscent of how Benjamin opens the second movement. The
percussion and piano hits also carry a certain symmetry within them. This creates a
duality in a higher hierarchical level which manipulates the contrasts in the smaller
scale. While symmetries open movements, the symmetries are created by contrasts in
which the contrasts are created in a proportional way. Benjamin's processes in this
piece are like a Möbius strip and become more sophisticated as one looks deeper in
them.

4.1.4 Sonic pallette and creating further contrasts

Another approach that Benjamin takes in the opening of the third movement is to use
intricate score markings and gradual changes in technique for the instrument groups
(see Figure 4.7). This supports the time-stasis feel that the section has by adding to it
with an unstable sonic world. This instability is created by treating the woodwinds,
brass and the string section separately and giving them the appropraite idiomatic
means of going from one end of the sonic pallette to the other.

The woodwinds alternate between a non-vibrato and a vibrato style while the brasses
are using the harmon mute and gradually opening it up while the dynamic of
pianississimo goes down to niente. Each time the harmon mute is fully closed on the
horns of the instruments, the dynamic gets louder and as the mute is gradually
opened the dynamic gets quieter as well.

Strings on the other hand employ a variety of different techniques. The first violin is
playing a double-stop cycling between a niente and a piano dynamic marking. Both
the second violin and the viola are playing with a muted bridge. They both start with
a vibrato style in a pianissimo dynamic gradually changing to non-vibrato and
quieting down to niente. Only two bars into the movement, a contrast is already
apparent in the orchestration. The contrast is within the gradual changes in the
vibrato technique for the woodwinds and the second violin and viola. As the
woodwinds start with non-vibrato, the strings start with a vibrato style. They both
gradually change towards the opposite ends of the vibrato range. The contrast is
apparent in the dynamics as well. While the woodwinds start from niente and go to
pianissimo, the strings start with pianissimo and go to niente.

28
Figure 4.7 : The gradual change of techniques in the third movement.

29
5. PIANO TEXTURES

George Benjamin as both a composer and a pianist gives the piano an interesting role
in At First Light. While most of the instruments are having fairly idiomatic parts
assigned to them, the piano is not treated in the traditional way that it is thought of.
In this case, the piano is part of the percussion ensemble. The reason for this is that
the piano never plays a melody or a chord progression throughout the whole piece. It
is a tool Benjamin uses to add to the textural domain of the piece. This is interesting
because having a pianist as a composer one might think that there will be a showcase
of virtuosic piano writing. Not that the piano part is easy to play on this piece. It is
fairly hard to play and has very rapid movements. However, there are no long runs or
things like passages with big leaps during long arpeggios.

The writing for the piano in this piece could be called a gestural/textural way of
writing. Gestures that are rapid and arpeggiated are treated like musical objects or
punctuations. The textures that are created by the piano are mostly repetitions of one
high note or a trill that goes on for a couple of measures. The repetitive type textures
that are played by the piano mostly serve as reflections of the attacks of other
instruments. For instance, the reflections of woodwinds on the piano (see Figure
5.1). Just like the reverberation effect that was mentioned earlier. Sometimes the
piano shares this task with strings playing pizzicato hits along with it.

Figure 5.1 : Reflections of woodwinds on the piano.

30
The piano almost never plays continuously for more than a page and a half in the
score. Sometimes it adds to the low end of the string and brass instruments. At other
times, it adds to the high register of the woodwinds. Many times in the piece, such as
in the beginning of the second movement, the piano is absolutely one with the
percussions hitting everything together and creating a rich sonorous percussive
sound.

The textures that are created by the piano seem to be one of the most important
contributing factors to the sonic world of this piece and Benjamin as a
composer/pianist succeeds at it.

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6. CONCLUSIONS

At First Light is a challenging piece of music to explain. Benjamin’s idea of

dissolving solid sound objects into a continuum of sound might have contributed to
yet another effect that is close to the effect that Turner achieves with Norham Castle,
Sunrise. The sound objects are not the only things to dissolve. The continuity and the
temporality of the piece are exhibiting such contradictory attitudes sometimes that
the sense of time and pacing of the piece dissolves as well. However, this
schizophrenic temporality creates another contrast like the contrast of “punctuations
vs. continuum” in the overall form of the piece. Experiencing the flow of At First
Light is close to observing a certain object from different angles with different
intensities of light. All the Impressionism similarities, the inspiration from the Turner
painting, Kramer’s temporality categorizations could be flushed down the drain when
it comes to the listener’s experience. In the end, the poietic process is only relevant if
the esthesic process is leaving a parallel trace. Although the aesthetics and the
philosophy behind the piece may be important as Benjamin states in the programme
notes, the processes that are present in the piece to create the contrasts and
transformations are equally important.

6.1 More on the Composer

George Benjamin is a composer that is constantly inspired by books and visual art.
The first spark in his life to start composing was with watching Walt Disney’s
Fantasia at age 7 (Dunn, 2010). His leap into the realm of contemporary music was
with yet another movie: Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey thanks to György
Ligeti’s Atmospheres that was used in the film ("In the realm," 2007). Through
Ligeti’s love of Debussy and Benjamin’s love of Ligeti, At First Light’s
expressiveness and sensuality gains more significance. There is a certain luminosity
and enchantment to George Benjamin’s music. His talent for projecting vivid
imagery in his music is something that he culminated very early in his life when he
got a job accompanying silent movies on the piano (Veltman 2010).

32
In the British tradition of creating early successes and child prodigies ─ not just in
music ─ Benjamin too had an early arrival to the music scene. He remembers his
years in Paris fondly as he states: “I met everybody ─ Pierre Boulez, Karlheinz
Stockhausen, Berio. Paris was such an exciting place for new music at that time. And
Messiaen was the most caring and delightful teacher” (Hewett 2010).

Benjamin entered the music scene fast but that did not parrallel the amount of his
creative output. As a perfectionist and a meticuluous worker he spends enormous
amounts of time finishing a score. As much as he is talented, he is also a slow
composer who sometimes gets the writer's block. He entered an especially fruitless
period after completing At First Light. He tells Hewett: “It was a very difficult time
for me. Something told me the very French way of thinking with its emphasis on
harmony wasn’t right for me. I needed to find a more horizontal way of writing, to
do with melodic lines, but I just didn’t have the technical means to do it” (2010).

He acknowledges the big influence of the French aesthetic that he was under while
writing At First Light.

An excerpt from his conversation with fellow British composer Luke Bedford reveals
Benjamin’s look on composing where he draws a connection between composing
and the British sit-com Fawlty Towers:

. . . In the beginning of a Fawlty Towers episode, reality is disturbed. You get about five
different types of character, and they all send out their tendrils, and by the end of half an
hour, they're all connected in the climax in the most atrocious ways. It's a mix of inevitability
and awful, agonising surprise: and that really is a lesson in composition. You set up things
that disturb normality in the beginning; by the end it's culminated in something surprising.
It's as if in bar five of a piece, you plant a tiny little detail which shouldn't be there, and that
little moment grows into the biggest element in the music 10 minutes later (Service, 2005).

This makes some sense after examining At First Light closely. The tiny details which
he speaks of could be thought of the musical objects which are very small at first but
through compression, expansion, fragmentation and evolution they become an
integral part of the music and create climaxes and sectional landmarks.

6.2 Final Remarks

Today, George Benjamin lives in London and is currently the Henry Purcell
Professor of Composition at King’s College, London. He is celebrated in his

33
homeland as one of Britain’s most important composers and has his music performed
widely in Europe and America. At First Light is one his earlier compositions but it
demonstrates Benjamin’s immense talent in utilizing evocative ideas with unusual
harmonic colours, vibrant timbres with masterful orchestration that cultivates such a
big sound from an ensemble of 14 players. The unique flow of time and the brilliant
transformation of ideas really make At First Light a deep subject to contemplate on.

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REFERENCES

Benjamin, G. (1985). At First Light for Chamber Orchestra. London, UK: Faber
Music Limited.
At First Light – Chamber/Ensemble works – Repertoire. (2011). In Faber Music
Online. Date retrieved: 02.05.2013, address:
http://www.fabermusic.com/Repertoire-Details.aspx?ID=761
Dunn, J. (2010). Into a charged atmosphere, George Benjamin brings his music. In
San Fransisco Classical Voice. Date retrieved: 02.05.2013, address:
http://www.sfcv.org/article/into-a-charged-atmosphere-george-
benjamin-brings-his-music
George Benjamin: List of works. (2009). In Faber Music Online. Date retrieved:
02.05.2013, address: http://www.fabermusic.com/resources/pdfs/2-
worklist.pdf
Hewett, I. (2010). George Benjamin Interview. In Telegraph Online. Date retrieved:
02.05.2013, address:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/classicalmusic/7798595/Ge
orge-Benjamin-interview.html
In the realm of senses. (2007). In Guardian News and Media Online. Date
retrieved: 02.05.2013, address:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2007/feb/23/classicalmusicandopera
1
Kramer, J. D. (1981). New temporalities in music. Critical Inquiry. 7(3), 539-556.
Date retrieved: 02.05.2013, from the JSTOR database.
Service, T. (2005). I'm inspired by Stockhausen, Xenakis ... and Seinfeld. In
Guardian News and Media Online. Date retrieved: 02.05.2013,
address:
http://arts.guardian.co.uk/fridayreview/story/0,,1404819,00.html
Tate Britain: Turner online – Biography. (2002). In Tate Britain Online. Date
retrieved: 02.05.2013, address:
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/turner/biog_reputation.htm
Tate Collection: Norham Castle, Sunrise by Joseph Mallord William Turner.
(2010). In Tate Britain Online. Date retrieved: 02.05.2013, address:
http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?workid=14822&tabview=w
ork
Toronyi-Lalic, I. (2010). London Sinfonietta, George Benjamin, QEH. In The Arts
Desk Ltd. address: Date retrieved: 02.05.2013
http://www.theartsdesk.com/classical-music/london-sinfonietta-
george-benjamin-qeh-0

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Veltman, C. (2010). George Benjamin – the composer as improviser. In Los Angeles
Times Online. Date retrieved: 02.05.2013, address:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/05/george-
benjaminthe-composer-as-improviser.html
Venturi, L. (1941). The aesthetic idea of impressionism. The Journal of Aesthetics
and Art Criticism. 1(1), 34-45. Date retrieved: 02.05.2013, from the
JSTOR database.

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DISCOGRAPHY

Benjamin, G. (1997). At First Light [Recorded by London Sinfonietta]. On George

Benjamin: Orchestral Works - At First Light / A Mind of Winter /
Ringed by the Flat Horizon. [CD]. Monmouth, UK: Nimbus Records.
(1986)

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