Webs and Snares: Multiple References in Babbitt’sHomilyandBeaten Paths

Abstract

Babbitt’s propensity for multiple references (“puns”) is explored through examination ofHomily(1987) for snare drum andBeaten Paths(1988) for marimba, two short percussion pieces based on the same 4-part all-partition array.Homilypresents an M7version of the array in time, changing durational units at each aggregate, and articulating lynes by dynamics.Beaten Pathspresents the array in pitch as two R-related arrays combined in a superarray, as well as in time, articulating lyne pairs in the former by register, and lynes in the latter by dynamics.Homilycross-references row segments that appear elsewhere in the array, whileBeaten Pathsindexes specific single-lyne partitions from elsewhere in the array via equal-duration strings. The works’ interior cross-references illustrate how one string of sounds may refer to multiple structures quite different in kind, while the two works’ distinct instrumental colors, array incarnations, cross-reference intricacies, and subset vocabularies demonstrate how one array type can give rise to sounds of vastly different effect.

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