Search - Marcel Duchamp :: Erratum Musical

The directions behind Marcel Duchamp's Erratum Musical are deceptively simple. Each note on a given keyboard is played only once, the order of the notes is determined by random draw, and there are no instructions for how the notes are to be played. A Dadaist joke? On the contrary, it yields intricate music and a primer for discussing how sound relates to emotion. In the first few minutes of this composition, each note is like the period at the end of the sentence--individual and straightforward. This succinct presentation lacks an emotional pull, as if pianist Stephane Ginsburgh is testing the keys rather than playing them. As Erratum Musical unfolds, however, the duration of the notes lengthens, introducing a fragile uneasiness. It continues with subtle manipulations of tempo and acoustic properties. Keys are struck with a feathery touch, making the notes quiver at the edge of emotional and audible perception--only to rush back to the foreground with a spiteful presence as Ginsburgh pounces on the keyboard with a seemingly smug resolution. Although the exponential possibilities of Duchamp's Erratum Musical invite chaos, Ginsburgh's performance exhibits a sublime, unified beauty, like that found in the random latticework of a snowflake. --Michael Woodring