The basic framework for a recurrence-based approach is illustrated in Figure 1. Sound identity correspondence deals with the possible ways in which sounds might appear to be related.
Figure 1: Basic framework for a recurrence-based approach
Temporal relationships range from lower-level (those operating over more localised timescales, based around repetition and variation) to higher-level (those operating over longer timescales). Sound identity correspondences and temporal relationships are interrelated. For example, two sounds that are perceived to correspond in terms of spectromorphology, yet appear at different points within a work, will establish a temporal relationship of some sort. In this examination of Novars, we are concerned with the higher-level relationships at play, i.e. those occurring among recurrent phenomena that provide a more global sense of structure. Higher-level relationships may be conveyed by discrete identities or events as well as the spatial environments of a work, and are founded on the notion of return, which implies that an earlier instance has been ‘left behind’ in some way. Return is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as:
1. come or go back to a place or person . . . (return to) go back to (a particular situation) . . . (return to) divert one’s attention back to . . . reoccur after a period of absence [1].
Meyer describes the principle of return in terms of an established, coherent whole that is subsequently departed from and left incomplete, prompting the expectation of an eventual return to the coherent whole. This recurrence relationship represents a delay of expectation and subsequent fulfilment [2].
Over larger timescales, general impressions of similarity become more significant than the accurate diagnosis of what is a variation and what is a repetition. The fact that two events appear to be similar, and are therefore related, may be more important than whether or not they are exactly the same. Indeed, Meyer has observed that “immediate repetition tends to emphasize the differences between like events, while remote repetition – that is, return – tends to call attention to their similarities” [3]. Snyder adopts a similar view, maintaining that “the farther apart in time two patterns of events are, the stronger their similarity will have to be in order for that similarity to be recognized” [4].
[1] "Return", Oxford Dictionaries [Online], Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2010 [http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/return?q=return (1st September 2012)].
[2] MEYER, Leonard B., Emotion and Meaning in Music, Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1956, p. 151-153.
[3] MEYER, Leonard B., Explaining Music, London, University of California Press, 1973, p. 51.
[4] SNYDER, Bob, Music and Memory: An Introduction, Cambridge, MIT Press, 2000, p. 203-204.