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GEORGE CRUMB, “VOCALISE (. . . FOR THE BEGINNING OF TIME),”

VOX BALAENAE

Allie Charney

Theory IV

5 May 2020
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In Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale), composer George Crumb draws inspiration from

a 1969 recording of a humpback whale and steers the listener through five variations of a sea

theme, each named after a geological era1. In the opening “Vocalise (. . . for the Beginning of

Time),” performers generate ethereal sounds through extended techniques on electric flute

(singing while playing) and on piano (plucking the strings).2 Crumb employs the compositional

techniques of transpositional combination, quotation, and sequences throughout the vocalise to

reflect the patterns of nature’s unrelenting power – a recurring theme in each subsequent

movement.

The three most prominent set classes are (013), (014), (025), and (037), which, when

transpositionally combined with their T6 equivalents, create sc(013679). In the music, this set

class is commonly seen through the pitches [D, E, F, Ab, Bb, B]. Crumb presents at least one of

the four prominent trichordal subsets in each system, but not always with the same pitch class set

– instead, they are transposed to create variation throughout the score. Set classes (013) and

(014) are most commonly seen in the groupings of three 32nd notes. Sc(025) is primarily used in

a sequence toward the end of the movement (which is further discussed later in the paper) while

sc(037) appears in the electric piano chords. The diatonic nature of this set class is also seen in

the 128th notes that are fingered above the flutist’s singing (i.e. the purely diatonic scale written

multiple times in the third system), but is not clearly heard because of the nature of the extended

technique. The piano harshly interrupts the flutists playing and singing, demonstrating human’s

disruption of nature. The patterns of (013) and (014), associated with the flute, the whale, and

nature, are interspersed with hints of diatonicism, which foreshadows the coming of man, and

1
Brian Moseley, “Integrating Analytical Elements through Transpositional Combination in Two Works by
George Crumb,” (Master’s thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2007), 8.

2
Curtis Institute of Music, “CRUMB Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale),” October 9, 2015, Video, 21:00,
https://youtu.be/cGPQLXPV5wE.
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with the quotation of Strauss’s Zarathustra, characterized by the harsh tritone glissando from G

to D#. The arrival of man seems to finally occur with the abrupt introduction of the piano, which

presents two overlapping (037) chords, ultimately creating dissonance.

Toward the beginning of the second page of the score, Crumb quotes Richard Strauss’s

tone poem, Also sprach Zarathustra, which, “[a]ccording to Strauss, suggests ‘Sunrise: Man

feels the power of God.’”3 Crumb intentionally incorporates this idea into the opening of Vox

Balanae as if to establish the “powerful impersonal forces of nature (nature dehumanized)”4 that

were established at the very beginning of time. It is interesting, however, that the flutist sings

along with the instrument, which is supposed to represent the song of a whale, imbuing it with a

humanlike quality. This, along with the quoting of Zarathustra, introduces the theme of man vs

nature. Musical tension results from the use of tritones between pitch classes 2 (grace-note) and

8 on the first and fourth systems of the first page.5 The unconventional use of space between

each section also helps create tension – since it lacks a steady tempo, the listener wonders how

much time actually passes.

Lastly, the listener is drawn to the (025) triplet sequence toward the very end of the

vocalise, beginning with pc[T, 1, 3] and ending with pc[6, 4, 1].6 Crumb intended it to be played

in a “hurried, frenzied” almost in response to the piano. In this sequence and at the very end, the

flutist does not sing with the instrument, which returns to and verifies the idea of the

dehumanization of nature, especially after humans disrupt its patterns.

3
Joseph Strauss, Introduction to Post-Tonal Theory: Fourth Edition (New York: W.W. Norton, 2016), 154.

4
Brian Moseley, “Integrating Analytical Elements,” 35.

5
George Crumb, Vox Balaenae, In Introduction to Post-Tonal Theory: Fourth Edition (New York: W.W.
Norton, 2016), 152.

6
Refer to dark highlights on second page of “Score Annotation and Highlighted 025 Sequence.”
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To conclude, Crumb effectively uses transpositional combination, quotation, and

sequence in the opening vocalise of Vox Balaenae to establish tension and develop a theme of

man vs nature. The extended techniques, tritones, unconventional use of space, and

orchestration selections encourage the audience to listen critically to understand the motives

behind each compositional choice.

I affirm that I have upheld the highest principles of honesty and integrity in my academic

work and have not witnessed a violation of the Honor Code – Alexandra Charney

Bibliography
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Crumb, George. Vox Balaenae. In Introduction to Post-Tonal Theory: Fourth Edition (New

York: W.W. Norton, 2016), 152.

Curtis Institute of Music. “CRUMB Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale).” October 9, 2015.

Video, 21:00. https://youtu.be/cGPQLXPV5wE.

Moseley, Brian. “Integrating Analytical Elements through Transpositional Combination in

Two.” Master’s thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2007. https://etd.ohiolink.edu/!

etd.send_file?accession=ucin1187014156&disposition=inline.

Straus, Joseph N. Introduction to Post-Tonal Theory: 4th Edition. New York, NY: W.W.

Norton, 2016.