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The name Lichtbogen stems from Northern Lights which I saw in the Arctic sky when starting to work with this piece. When looking at the movements of these immense, silent lights, which run over the black sky, first ideas concerning the form and language for the piece started to move in my mind. Which is the dependence — and does it exist at all? — between this phenomenon of nature and my piece, I don’t know.In Lichtbogen I work for the first time with computer in the context of purely instrumental music. Harmony and rhythm, especially, were worked out with two different tools in Ircam. For harmony I worked with the CRIME system developed by Claude Malherbe and Gérard Assayag: the harmonic material is created by analysing short transitions played with a violoncello, starting from artificial harmonic sound and ending in complex, ‘multiphonic’ sounds. The analyses have been made by selecting many small windows in the different parts of the sound. From the results of the analyses I have reconstructed the transitions and made harmonic processes, which are often combined with the original playing manners of the analysed sound, so that harmony and timbral thinking stern from the same source. For the rhythm I use a network of programs which I have realised with Xavier Rodet in the FORMES environment. These programs allow one to construct interpolations and transitions for different musical parameters. The rhythmic interpolations here are created between different patterns by using circular lists, in which every time when repeated, values have changed, and thus modified the general character of the pattern. The calculated results have then been transcribed to musical notation with approximations which allow them to be playable.Lichtbogen is a commission of the French Ministry of Culture and is dedicated to Paul Méfano.© Kaija Saariaho, 1987(for the UK premiere in London, May 13, 1987)Sävellyksen nimi Lichtbogen (Valokaaria) on muisto revontulista, jotka näin pohjoisella taivaalla joulukuussa 1984: katsellessani hiljaisessa yössä värähtelevien hauraantuntuisten valojen valtaamaa taivasta alkoi musiikki muotoutua mielessäni.Käytän tässä teoksessa tietokonetta ensi kertaa työvälineenä puhtaan instrumentaalimusiikin yhteydessä. Erityisesti harmonian ja rytmin työstämiseen on käytetty tietokoneen avulla luotua materiaalia. Harmonian pohjana ovat analyysit sellon huiluäänistä, jotka on särjetty vähittäisesti hälyksi jousen painetta lisäämällä ja sen paikkaa muuttamalla.Rytmimateriaali on luotu omalla ohjelmaverkostollani, joka sallii erilaisten transitioiden tuottamisen musiikin eri parametreille. Kaikki tietokonetyö on tehty Ircamissa.© Kaija Saariaho, 1987El título de Lichtbogen (Arcos de luz) se refiere a las auroras boreales que vi en el cielo ártico al empezar a trabajar en esta pieza. Las primeras ideas sobre la forma y el lenguaje de esta obra comenzaron a moverse en mi mente mientras contemplaba los movimientos de estas luces silenciosas e inmensas que recorrían el firmamento negro. Desconozco sin embargo cuál puede ser la relación –suponiendo que exista– entre este fenómeno de la naturaleza y mi pieza.En Lichtbogen trabajo por primera vez con el ordenador en el contexto de la musica puramente instrumental. La armonía y el ritmo han sido calculados utilizando herramientas del Ircam. El material armónico está elaborado con el sistema CRIME, desarrollado por Claude Malherbe y Gérard Assayag, y se basa en el análisis de diversas y breves transiciones interpretadas por un violonchelo, partiendo de un armónico artificial para llegar a sonidos complejos, ‘multifónicos’. Los análisis están hechos seleccionando numerosas ‘ventanas’ en las diferentes partes del sonido y, a partir de ellas, he reconstruido las transiciones y he elaborado los procesos armónicos que, a su vez, se combinan frecuentemente con las formas de interpretación originales del material analizado, con lo que la ideación armónico y el pensamiento timbrico acaban teniendo una fuente común.En cuanto al ritmo, he utilizado una red de programas que desarrollé junto con Xavier Rodet en el entorno FORMES, programas que permiten construir interpolaciones y transiciones de diferentes parámetros musicales. En esta ocasión se crean interpolaciones entre diferentes parámetros musicales mediante listas circulares en las que los valores cambian con cada repetición y modifican así el carácter general del modelo. Tras el cálculo, los resultados han sido transcritos a notación musical realizando las aproximaciones necesarias que les permiten ser ejecutables.Lichtbogen, escrita para flauta, piano, arpa, percusión, quinteto de cuerda y electrónica, es el resultado de un encargo del Ministerio de Cultura de Francia y está dedicado a Paul Méfano.”© Kaija Saariaho(Internacional de Musica Contemporanea, Spain, September 1993)En commençant à composer Lichtbogen, Kaija Saariaho visitait la Laponie où elle aimait à contempler les aurores boréales et « les mouvements de ces immenses, silencieuses lumières qui traversaient le ciel noir ». Cette sensation lui inspira le titre (« Arches de lumière ») d'une pièce dont l'harmonie est fondée sur l'analyse informatique des sons de violoncelle à l'Ircam.© Risto Nieminen, 1994© Ircam - Centre Georges-Pompidou, 1994(From Kaija Saariaho, Ircam 1995)

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Arranger

Movements

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Abbreviation	Instrument
Woodwind
acl	alto clarinet
afl	alto flute
arec	alto recorder
asax	alto saxophone
barsax	baritone saxophone
barhn	baritone horn
bcl	bass clarinet
bfl	bass flute
bob	bass oboe
bsax	bass saxophone
bsn	bassoon
cbsn	contrabassoon
cl	clarinet
ehn	English horn
fl	flute
hn	French horn
ob	oboe
pic	piccolo
rec	recorder
sax	saxophone
srec	soprano recorder
ssax	soprano saxophone
trec	tenor recorder
tsax	tenor saxophone
Brass
ahn	alto horn
atrb	altotrombone
barhn	baritone horn
btrb	bass trombone
cornet	cornet
euph	euphonium
fhn	flugelhorn
hn	French horn
tba	tuuba
thn	tenor horn
trb	trombone
trp	trumpet
Percussion
dr	drums
glock	glockenspiel
mar	marimba
perc	percussion
timp	timpani
vibr	vibraphone
xyl	xylophone
Strings
db	double bass
gamba	viola da gamba
str	strings
vla	viola
vlc	cello
vln	violin
Other
acc	accordion
cel	celesta
cemb	harpsichord
chords	chords
elbas	electric bass
elg	electric guitar
elorg	electric organ
elpno	electric piano
guit	guitar
harm	harmonium
hca	harmonica
hp	harp
instr	instrument
kantele	kantele
keyb	keyboard
live electr	live electronics
mand	mandolin
mel	melody
org	organ
pno	piano
synth	synthesizer
tape	tape
Vocal
alto	alto
baryt	baritone
basso	bass voice
ch	choir
chc	childrens choir
chf	female choir
chm	male choir
chx	mixed choir
cten	countertenor
mezzo	mezzo-soprano
sopr	soprano
speaker	speaker
ten	tenor
voc	vocal

Symphony orchestra
2222 4331 11 1, str = 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 French horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, one other percussionist, harp and strings
Wind band
2252 3 423 21212 3 = 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 5 clarinets, 2 bassoons - 3 saxophones - 4 French horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones - 2 cornets, alto horn, 2 tenor horns, baritone horn, 2 tubas - 3 percussionists
Big band
221 4 4, pno, guit, db, dr = 2 alto saxophones, 2 tenor saxophones, baritone saxophone, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, piano, guitar, double bass, drums
Additional codes
+	fl+pic = flutist doubles on piccolo
/	pno/org = can be played on either piano or organ
lib	ad libitum
obl	obligato
str	str: 65432 = specified number of string players
str min	str min: 65432 = at least 65432
str max	str max: 65432 = not more than 65432
solo	vln solo = violin is the solo instrument in a work not obviously for solo violin