Pierre Boulez (1925 - 2016)

Introduction
'''Serialist composer Pierre Boulez was born March 26th, 1925, in Montbrison, France. Boulez was a major in Mathematics at Collège de Saint-Étienne and would also take music lessons there. From 1944 - 45, while at the Paris Conservatory, Boulez would be taught by organist and composer Olivier Messiaen. A year after, Boulez would also be fortunate enough to be trained in Arnold Schoenberg's 12-tone system by a student of his, René Leibowitz. '''

Work Analysis
'''In 1952, Pierre Boulez would finish and release his 3 movement piece Structures. He would later add onto it. Structures 1a, as it would be referred to as after the later addition, was a 2 Piano work made from a serialist viewpoint that uses mathematical sequences to create the foundation that the music builds from with the bulk of the piece coming from the Tone matrix and Set pitch succession. Boulez would also also pay homage to those that taught him by implementing a basic series from Messiaen’s Mode de valeurs et d'intensités into the piece while also using Schoenberg's 12 tone row. Even though this work is filled with the influence of those who taught him and uses a system that some deem to create “predetermined” sounds, Boulez’s serialist thought stands out as he would expand onto the ideas given to him by his influencers. In regards to the tone row, Boulez would expand upon Schoenberg's by changing its pitch, duration, and overall dynamics. '''

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmErwN02fX0

Comparisons
Since this piece focuses on Boulez’ influences, it is clear to this the connections to Arnold Schoenberg and Olivier Messiaen with the use of the 12 tone row and series that they used.

Observations
 

Works Cited

http://www.toddtarantino.com/hum/structures.html

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pierre-Boulez

https://www.allmusic.com/composition/structures-book-i-for-2-pianos-mc0002381806