Possibilities of the Interval: Heidegger and the Reimagining of the Interval in Luigi Nono’s A Carlo Scarpa

Abstract

Abstract From 1976, the works of the Venetian composer Luigi Nono (1924–90) are marked by a noticeable change in both his philosophical and his political outlook. What results is a decade (1980–9) of compositions that feature poetry in librettos, live electronics, the spatialization of sound and a prominent use of microtonal pitches. Together these create completely novel soundscapes that are noticeably different from his previous output. This article will examine a particular influence – the philosophy of Martin Heidegger – in the creation of the 1984 piece for large ensemble A Carlo Scarpa. The purpose of this is not only to allow for an insight into the music and structure of A Carlo Scarpa, but also to illuminate how philosophical and political ideas can be represented within the craft of composition, and the new paths of thinking that guided Nono’s artistic output during the 1980s.