# Ametrics



## Xinver

Hi

I see that in this subforo there are many threads dealing about atonality, which I like because I find this part of contemporary music fascinating.

Besides that, with the 20th century, and together with atonality of the liberation of dissonance, there were other music parameters that were expanded.

Henry Cowell explained the "dissonant counterpoint" when he developed his clusters.

Reading Messiaen's book _The Technique of my Musical Language_, I noticed he begins with "ametric" music, which is defined (Kostka) as _music that exhibit no perceivable metric organization_, rejecting the term "arhytmic" asuming rhythm as "all aspects of musical movement as ordered in time"...., then music cannot be arhythmic, but only ametric.
It seems that there are examples of ametric music in Gregorian Chant..., also in electronic music...

Messiaen gives many clues for making a music ametric, and gives the example of Stravinsky, among others, he also deals with several ways of notation:








Do you think all these "emancipations" came together? In some way, there were different composers working on different aspects of music.

Do you like this ametric music? Have you any favorite examples?


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## millionrainbows

Xinver said:


> Hi
> 
> I see that in this subforo there are many threads dealing about atonality, which I like because I find this part of contemporary music fascinating.
> 
> Besides that, with the 20th century, and together with atonality of the liberation of dissonance, there were other music parameters that were expanded.
> 
> Henry Cowell explained the "dissonant counterpoint" when he developed his clusters.
> 
> Reading Messiaen's book _The Technique of my Musical Language_, I noticed he begins with "ametric" music, which is defined (Kostka) as _music that exhibit no perceivable metric organization_, rejecting the term "arhytmic" asuming rhythm as "all aspects of musical movement as ordered in time"...., then music cannot be arhythmic, but only ametric.
> It seems that there are examples of ametric music in Gregorian Chant..., also in electronic music...
> 
> Messiaen gives many clues for making a music ametric, and gives the example of Stravinsky, among others, he also deals with several ways of notation:
> View attachment 88534
> 
> 
> Do you think all these "emancipations" came together? In some way, there were different composers working on different aspects of music.
> 
> Do you like this ametric music? Have you any favorite examples?


I've been wanting that book for ages.

Yes, the development of rhythm is an important aspect of modern music. Elliott Carter used a technique he called "metric modulation" which involved changing the proportions of sections.

Boulez and Stockhausen (and Frank Zappa) used "irrational rhythms" such as 7:5 bracketed over a phrase of 7 notes, which meant playing 7 notes in the space where 5 normally fit. The net effect of such rhythms is a gradual speeding-up or slowing-down. Throw in some rests within those figures, or use a dotted note, and it can really get complicated.

For good examples of "irrational rhythms," Zappa's "The Black Page" is a good example, off of "Live In New York."


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