Signification in atonal, amotivic music? Extending the properties of actoriality in Ligeti's second string quartet

Abstract

In the absence of melodic and motivic structures, how does signification function in atonal music? By extending the properties of actoriality, this article focuses on the goal-directedness of kinetic energy as an independent property of actoriality. The demonstration focuses on various modalities of goal-directed kinetic energy in meaningful segments of György Ligeti’s second string quartet (1968) in order to promote an understanding of the overall design. Because time and space are integrated in the various modalities of atonal musical processes, a conceptual framework for making sense of signification in Ligeti’s string quartet as a whole becomes possible.