An exploration of timbre analysis : the game of sound in two performances of Jeux vénitiens

The analysis of timbre in musical structure is often left to subjective descriptive terms, while the analysis of pitch and form has a precise methodology and vocabulary at its disposal. Where changes in timbre appear to play an important role in a work, an analysis solely of the piece’s pitch and thematic structures may fail to account for vital elements in the composition’s structure. This paper presents an analysis of the first movement of Lutoslawski’s Jeux vénitiens using techniques of timbre analysis based on psychoacoustic research. Following a traditional analysis of pitch and form, two different performances of Jeux vénitiens are analysed using psychoacoustic timbre measures of width, sharpness and roughness. The results from these two performances are compared and the score is examined for reasons for the changes in timbre. Musical structures based on both pitch and timbre analyses are proposed. The paper is both a case study of how timbre analysis can be done, and an invitation to others to embark on analysis of timbre in musical structures.