Analyzing Perceived Time: A Husserlian Study of Temporal-Consciousness in Gérard Grisey's Vortex Temporum and Morton Feldman's Triadic Memories

Abstract

This essay explores the varying effects of music on the temporal perception of listeners by closely analyzing two 20th century works: Gérard Grisey’s Vortex Temporum and Morton Feldman’s Triadic Memories. Although representative of vastly different compositional styles, these two composers are alike in their preoccupation with time as a compositional element and thus provide a valuable opportunity to evaluate temporal perception in two unique musical contexts. My approach is threefold: 1) I begin with an exposition of Edmund Husserl’s structure of time-consciousness in order to provide the necessary philosophical framework within which the subjective experience of listeners can be accurately described; 2) I analyze Grisey’s Vortex Temporum I & II and explore the phenomenon of compressed and dilated time, specifically in light of the composer’s conception of the harmonic spectrum as an object with inherent temporal qualities; 3) I analyze Morton Feldman’s Triadic Memories as exemplary of a highly recursive musical context that, although dependent upon a single musical object for its entire duration, lacks locatable, surface-level referents.