Part one of term paper
This piece is a lesson in polytonality, dissonance, and complexity. The first thing heard is an imitation of a car horn that seems designed to grab hold of the listener. If I were inattentive before this piece, I certainly was wide awake when it was over. Ligeti seems to have sculpted a piece together from bits and pieces of other musical st ...

Part two of term paper
... and drop back behind newer themes. The percussion also adds considerably to the complexity of the piece in the later minutes, stomping along without any respect for the classical violin or the clarinet's solo theme. A bird drops in, played by the flute, taking the focus away from the slowing, stomping band. Perhaps this is a bit of editorial from the composer himself on big-band music in general? The marching band ushers in the beginning of the end, gaining speed and volume. The texture of the piec ...