Musical, Sociological and Psychological Aspects of Minimal Music Composition: The Case of “Canto Ostinato” by Simeon ten Holt

Abstract

“Canto Ostinato”, written between 1976 and 1979, is one of the most popular classical pieces by a Dutch composer. The preface of “Canto Ostinato”, written by Simeon ten Holt himself, contains some passages that are interesting as a starting point for this research: “Time plays an important role in ‘Canto’. Repetition in this case has as its goal to create a situation in which the musical object affirms its independence and can search for its most favorable position with respect to the light thrown on it, becoming transparent. Time becomes the space in which the musical object floats”. So repetition as a musical tool becomes a way to turn time into space. How does this relate to the way we perceive time in a fast-paced, technology-based society? Ten Holt describes how a live performance of “Canto” can be seen: “A performance of ‘Canto’ is more like a ritual than a concert". Is “Canto Ostinato” indeed experienced as a ritual and does it thereby fill up the void one finds less often in church these days? Lastly, the piece leaves space for improvisation. What does this, according to the standards of classical music, unconventional approach, add to the reception of this piece? All taken together, how do the ideas of the composer resonate with listeners who are very engaged with the composition and how can its immense popularity be explained? In order to find answers to these questions I have conducted research that would enable me to listen through the ears of the listeners. A close examination of the techniques used by ten Holt to evoke the strong affinity with the piece and a musical analysis using music analytical models will be essential to shine light on the way the composer wrote the composition. Furthermore I have tried to connect the composer’s ideas to the way they are received by the audience by doing five indepth interviews. This resulted in the following conclusions: “Canto Ostinato” is a remarkable composition in the classical world, balancing between improvisation and prescribed material. Its listeners can identify with the piece, feeling that the composition really becomes part of them, of their life. This creates very intensely experienced emotions and a loyal group of regular listeners. The elements that play the most important roles as experienced by lovers of “Canto Ostinato” and distilled from the analysis of the work, are the fact that “Canto Ostinato” is a combination between minimalism and romanticism; the repetitions, which show overlap with daily life and nature; the game between this repetition of the known and room for innovation, as well as in the music itself as for the composition as a whole; the changed notion of time, caused by the numerous repetitions and the possibility to emphasize certain notes, which are played at different instruments too and at last the fact that the composition can be experienced as a ritual, in a time where a religious ritual is becoming less and less a part of people’s life. The idea of composer Simeon ten Holt that “Canto Ostinato” embodies social music did not resonate well for all respondents. His vision of social music is that there is space for each individual performer to play their part the way they want to, which results in roundabout music where communication between performers is key to play the composition without so called crashes. This is either not perceived in the same way by the interviewees, either it is regarded as part of any type of music where more than one player is performing.