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Semantics of electric guitar timbre in spectral music: Tristan Murail’s Vampyr!

Abstract

In contemporary art, the electric guitar occupies a special place, being one of the key instruments in mass music culture, especially in rock music and its branches. The timbre of the electric guitar has unique characteristics that allow musicians to create a variety of sound images and convey a huge range of different emotions and moods. In this article, we will consider the semantics of the timbre of the electric guitar in spectral music using the example of the work “Vampyr!” by Tristan Murail.
The purpose of this work is to analyze the semantics of the timbre of the electric guitar in this work, as well as to identify the features of its use and influence on the perception of the musical material by listeners. We will consider the relationship of its timbre with the musical context, extra-musical associations, images of the electric guitar in the mass consciousness and the content of the composition.

About the Author

V. Е. Grigoriev
Saint Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory
Russian Federation

Candidate of the degree of Candidate of Art History 

3, Teatral’naya Sq., 190000, St. Petersburg 



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Review

For citations:


Grigoriev V.Е. Semantics of electric guitar timbre in spectral music: Tristan Murail’s Vampyr!. Bulletin of Vaganova Ballet Academy. 2025;(5):53-67. (In Russ.)

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ISSN 1681-8962 (Print)