Skip to content
The IFCM Magazine

Your Choral Voice in the world

Secondary Navigation Menu
Menu
  • Home
  • ICB Collection
    • 2020
      • October 2020
      • July 2020
      • April 2020
      • January 2020
    • 2019
      • October 2019
      • July 2019
      • April 2019
      • January 2019
    • 2018
      • October 2018
      • July 2018
      • April 2018
      • January 2018
    • 2017
      • October 2017
      • July 2017
      • April 2017
      • January 2017
    • 2016
      • October 2016
      • July 2016
      • April 2016
      • January 2016
    • 2015
      • October 2015
      • July 2015
      • April 2015
      • January 2015
    • 2014
      • October 2014
      • July 2014 – WSCM10 Program Book
      • April 2014
      • January 2014
    • 2013
      • October 2013
      • July 2013
      • April 2013
      • January 2013
    • 2012
      • October 2012
      • July 2012
      • April 2012
      • January 2012
    • 2011
      • October 2011
      • July 2011
      • April 2011
      • January 2011
    • 2010
      • October 2010
      • July 2010
      • April 2010
      • January 2010
    • 2009
      • October 2009
      • July 2009
      • April 2009
      • January 2009
    • 2008
      • October 2008
      • July 2008
      • April 2008
      • January 2008
    • 2007
      • October 2007
      • July 2007
      • April 2007
      • January 2007
    • 2006
      • October 2006
      • July 2006
      • April 2006
      • January 2006
    • 2005
      • October 2005
      • July 2005
      • April 2005
      • January 2005
    • 2004
      • October 2004
      • July 2004
      • April 2004
      • January 2004
    • 2003
      • October 2003
    • 1991
      • October 1991
      • April 1991
  • Translators needed!
  • Propose an article
  • ICB Sections
    • Message from the President
    • Message from the Editor
    • FocusPosts about the ICB dossier content
    • IFCM News
    • Choral World News
    • Choral Technique
    • Impossible Interviews
    • Repertoire
    • Composers’ Corner
    • Book Review
    • CD Review
  • ICB Space Order
  • ICB STAFF
  • Events
  • Français Français
    • English English
    • Deutsch Deutsch
    • Español Español
    • Русский Русский

A Conductor’s Guide to Ligeti’s "Lux Aeterna"

Grant Gershon, Director of the Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, USA

György Ligeti’s Lux Aeterna is one of the most extraordinary and iconic choral works of the 20th Century. Written in 1966, it is arguably Ligeti’s purest example of “microtonality”, a term and technique that he himself invented. The piece is scored for 16-part a cappella choir (SSSS-AAAA-TTTT-BBBB), with a typical performance lasting 9-10 minutes. It became well-known outside of the world of new music when Stanley Kubrick utilized part of it (famously unauthorized by the composer) in the film 2001 A Space Odyssey. With its other-worldly, disembodied atmosphere, it’s hardly surprising that Lux Aeterna would suggest to Kubrick the weightless and mysterious quality of deep space.

I have had the great pleasure of working on many of Ligeti’s vocal works over the years, and I am always struck by the combination of extreme rigor and creative fantasy in his compositional process. I’ve come to understand that with Ligeti, even more so than with most composers, the clearer a performer understands the compositional technique the more effectively one can rehearse and perform his music. There is no work of which this is truer than Lux Aeterna.

Sony Classical CD of Le Grand Macabre, from left to right: Willard White, Grant Gershon, György Ligeti © Guy Vivien

Compositional techniques and Guide to Rehearsing

Lux Aeterna is one of the most tightly constructed works in the choral repertoire. It is fundamentally a series of strict canons at the unison. The pitch material and sequence of each vocal part in the various canons is identical. Ligeti creates the cloud-like sonorities that characterize the piece by closely stacking the individual entrances of each vocal part, and by varying the subdivisions (and therefore the speed) of each individual line. For instance, in the opening section which is scored for the four soprano and four alto parts, S1, S4 and A3 are in permutations of septuplets, S2 and A3 are in quintuplets; and S3 and A2 are in sixteenths. Every vocal part is rhythmically independent, and the sense of time is obscured for the listener because the note changes very rarely occur on the beat. In fact, in a footnote on the first page of the score Ligeti requests that the singers “Sing totally without accents: barlines have no rhythmic significance and should not be emphasized”.

 

The large scale structure of the piece is essentially in four overlapping sections, each with its own unison canon:

Lux Aeterna luceat eis m1-37 sopranos and altos
Cum sanctis tuis quia pius es m39-88 tenors and basses
Requiem aeterna dona eis m61-79 sopranos
Et lux perpetua luceat eis m90-119 altos

Additionally, the basses have two brief homophonic moments, both on the word “Domine”. The first is in their highest falsetto range (m37-41), while the second (m87-92) “resolves” to a D# minor triad (the only such chord in the entire piece).

Once one understands these compositional principles, a strategy for rehearsing the piece becomes clear. I have created a two-page summary of the musical material which I call “Lux Redux”. Whenever I rehearse an ensemble in Lux Aeterna I distribute this to the singers in advance. I have found that utilizing this chart can save an enormous amount of rehearsal time, and it quickly makes the structure of the piece clear to the performers.

Because it’s critically important that each singer be absolutely confident with the pitch material, at the first rehearsal I ask the singers to refer to “Lux Redux”. We begin with all sopranos and altos singing the first section (“Lux aeterna…”) several times in unison on dictation. Once the intervals of this long line are secure, a useful next step is to practice overlapping the entrances like a round (i.e. S1/A1 begins, S2/A2 enters as S1/A1 sings their 2nd note, etc.). By doing this, the singers feel what it’s like to “hold their own” against the other neighboring notes, and some of the implicit harmonies begin to emerge. We can then work through the opening section as printed. We follow this same principle with tenors (“cum sanctis…”) joined by the basses (“…in aeternam”) and so on until we have worked through the whole piece. The goal of this process is for the pitch material to be secured with clarity and confidence. The more pristine the intervals are within each vocal line, the more the overarching magic of the vertical sonorities emerges.

Once this initial process of building absolute confidence with the pitch material is achieved, it’s easier to focus on the overall vocal color of the piece. The dynamic is sempre pp (with a few modifications from the composer to account for differences in vocal ranges), and Ligeti requests that the sound be “wie aus der Ferne” (from afar). For me the key to creating the most luminous quality possible is the opening [u] of “lux”. The placement and resonance of this vowel sets up the tonal color and focus for the entire piece.

As a conductor, the most important thing that we can do for our singers in this piece is to be crystal clear with our beat pattern, particularly making sure that the downbeat of every bar is apparent. I cannot overstate how easy it is for the singers to get lost; the entire piece is in 4/4 with no tempo changes, and no audibly discernable pulse. It’s important that each note change is smooth and un-accented, and that the singers stay within the framework of each bar. For the listener, the overall effect should be timeless and light-filled, just as the title suggests!

There are two notorious vocal moments in the piece. The first is the high falsetto passage for the basses at m37. As Ligeti suggests in a footnote, it’s more important to assign this to the most vocally appropriate basses and tenors than to insist that this be sung by B1-3. The other particularly challenging passage is the soprano and tenor high B (p possibile!) entrance at m94. Here I have the S3 sing the lower octave with S4, returning to the written S3 line in m100.

One final note: it’s very important for the conductor to continue lightly showing time through the final seven bars of the piece. Ligeti could easily have written a fermata on this silence. His decision to notate these seven bars of rest creates a beautiful sense of continued flow after the actual sound has long died away.

Conclusion

Ligeti’s Lux Aeterna is an extraordinary study in color and ambience. This work transports the listener to another sonic universe. A carefully and confidently prepared performance is fantastically rewarding and satisfying for singers and audience alike. My hope is that many more people will experience the wonder of this remarkable piece as we celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the birth of György Ligeti.

Grammy™ Award winning conductor Grant Gershon is the Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, which is the "best-by-far major chorus in America” (Los Angeles Times). A passionate advocate for new opera, Gershon led the world premieres of John Adams’ Girls of the Golden West and Daniel Catán’s Il Postino. He has also led premieres of works by Esa-Pekka Salonen, Steve Reich, Tania Léon and Louis Andriessen, among countless others. Gershon worked closely with György Ligeti, preparing choruses for performances of Clocks and Clouds, Le Grand Macabre, and the Requiem. He has conducted Lux Aeterna many times, including for the grand opening of Walt Disney Concert Hall (broadcast on PBS Great Performances). Gershon’s discography with the LAMC includes recordings of music by Nico Muhly, Henrik Gorecki, David Lang, and Steve Reich. He has worked closely with many legendary conductors, including Claudio Abbado, Pierre Boulez, Simon Rattle, and his mentor, Esa-Pekka Salonen. 

Head photo: CD booklet Le Grand Macabre, inscription from Ligeti to Gershon

Quelques éclairages sur “Lux Aeterna” de Ligeti à l’intention des chefs de chœur

2023-10-23
By: ICB
On: October 23, 2023
In: Focus
With: 0 Comments
 

Grant Gershon, Directeur Artistique de la Master Chorale de Los Angeles (USA)

 
Read More →

Se retrouver pour le Grand Prix de chant choral d'Asie

2023-10-06
By: ICB
On: October 6, 2023
In: Focus
With: 0 Comments

Interview par Irvinne Redor, Responsable de la Communication de la FIMC, Philippines

De retour après…Read More →

Session 2023 des anciens du Choeur mondial des jeunes — Résumé

2023-10-01
By: ICB
On: October 1, 2023
In: IFCM News
With: 0 Comments
 

Joana Costa, responsable des sessions du Chœur Mondial des Jeunes

Read More →

Ligeti by…

2023-10-01
By: ICB
On: October 1, 2023
In: Focus
With: 0 Comments
[caption id="attachment_11182" align="alignleft" width="281"]Read More →

La Messe pour double chœur de Frank Martin

2023-10-01
By: ICB
On: October 1, 2023
In: Composers' Corner
With: 0 Comments
Michel Khalifa, musicologue, France/Pays Bas
Cette Messe célèbre est restée enfouie d…Read More →

Le Festival Européen des Chœurs de Jeunes de Bâle: 2 000 jeunes chanteurs au cœur de l'Europe

2023-10-01
By: ICB
On: October 1, 2023
In: Choral World News
With: 0 Comments
 

Iva Radulovic, Secrétaire générale de la FIMC

Read More →

La rue György Ligeti à Budapest

2023-10-01
By: ICB
On: October 1, 2023
In: Focus
With: 0 Comments

Gergely Fazekas, musicologue, professeur associé à l’Académie Liszt, Budapest, Hongrie

 

Gyö…Read More →

Partager la musique chorale d'inspiration spirituelle: Explorer les points communs et les pratiques prometteuses

2023-10-01
By: ICB
On: October 1, 2023
In: IFCM News
With: 0 Comments
 
 

Matthias Balzer & Ki Adams

…Read More →

L'effet des festivals de musique du Kenya sur la qualité et les standards de musique chorale

2023-10-01
By: ICB
On: October 1, 2023
In: Choral World News
With: 0 Comments

Sylvester Otieno Ogama, compositeur et chef de chœur, Kenya

Introduction
Read More →

La jeunesse est l'avenir, Europa Cantat Junior 2023 à Gand (Belgique)

2023-10-01
By: ICB
On: October 1, 2023
In: Choral World News
With: 0 Comments

Mariette Effing (Pays Bas), chef de chœur et rédactrice en chef de ZINGmagazine, Membre du comité artistique d’Europa Cantat Junior

…Read More →

Posts navigation

1 2 … 79 Next

IFCM Partners

International Music Council

Sponsoring

Translate

Go to Today

april, 2025

Sort Options

Sort By:

date

Date

No Events

Categories

  • A trip to Venice
  • Book Review
  • CD Review
  • Children & Youth Choirs
  • Choral Technique
  • Choral World News
  • Composers' Corner
  • Focus
  • IFCM News
  • Impossible Interviews
  • Message from the Editor
  • Message from the President
  • Repertoire
  • Score Review
  • Stories
  • Uncategorized

Archives

  • October 2023
  • July 2023
  • April 2023
  • January 2023
  • October 2022
  • April 2022
  • December 2021
  • October 2021
  • July 2021
  • April 2021
  • January 2021
  • October 2020
  • July 2020
  • April 2020
  • January 2020
  • April 2019
  • January 2019
  • October 2018
  • July 2018
  • April 2018
  • January 2018
  • July 2017
  • April 2017
  • January 2017
  • October 2016
  • July 2016
  • April 2016
  • January 2016
  • October 2015
  • July 2015
  • April 2015
  • January 2015
  • October 2014
  • April 2014
  • October 2013
  • July 2013
  • April 2013
  • January 2013
  • October 2012
  • July 2012
  • April 2012
  • January 2012
  • October 2011
  • July 2011
  • April 2011
  • January 2011
  • October 2010
  • July 2010
  • April 2010
  • January 2010
  • October 2009

Daily Top Posts

  • A Conductor’s Guide to Ligeti’s "Lux Aeterna"
    A Conductor’s Guide to Ligeti’s "Lux Aeterna"
  • Coming Together for the Asia Choral Grand Prix
    Coming Together for the Asia Choral Grand Prix
  • World Youth Choir Alumni Session 2023 — Session Summary
    World Youth Choir Alumni Session 2023 — Session Summary
  • Ligeti by...
    Ligeti by...
  • Frank Martin’s Mass for Double Choir
    Frank Martin’s Mass for Double Choir
  • The European Festival of Youth Choirs Basel: 2000 young singers at the heart of Europe
    The European Festival of Youth Choirs Basel: 2000 young singers at the heart of Europe
  • György Ligeti Street in Budapest
    György Ligeti Street in Budapest
  • Sharing spiritually-inspired choral music: Exploring commonalities and promising practices
    Sharing spiritually-inspired choral music: Exploring commonalities and promising practices

Facebook Page

Facebook Page

Contacts & Info

International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM)
Nadine Robin, IFCM Office Manager
PO Box 42318
Austin TX 78704, USA
office@ifcm.net

Privacy Policy Designed using Magazine Hoot. Powered by WordPress.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkNoPrivacy policy