György Ligeti. Between tradition and renovation

Abstract

This work seeks to delve into the tensions that occurred between tradition and renewal in the heroic avant-garde era of the second postwar period, and in the first generation of the post-serialists. In particular focused on the figure of György Ligeti, a composer in whom this tension is especially reflected. The hypothesis that we are trying to demonstrate is the following. Although in their statements the young revolutionaries, in a mainly ideological position, proclaimed the total renewal of the musical language, deep down they did not manage to completely detach themselves from the tradition. In the case of Ligeti, despite the apparent avant-garde of his music, belonging to his second compositional period, this composer maintained strong ties with tradition in his production. The historical models of musical creation that seemed to have been put aside in this period, in truth remained, underground, but very current.