Spectral Aesthetics and Ecological Listening in the Music of Helena Tulve

Abstract This chapter analyzes Estonian composer Helena Tulve's unique timbral process in four works: Sula (1999); L'Équinoxe de l'âme for soprano, triple harp or kannel, and string quartet (2008); Arboles lloran por luvia for voices and nyckelharpa (2006); and I am a River for chamber choir (2009). L'Équinoxe de l'âme (The Equinox of the Soul) is based on a text by the Persian mystic and philosopher Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi on the mythical Persian firebird Simurgh. Rather than portraying dissolving as in the orchestral work ice—Sula means to thaw or melt—the timbral transformations of Équinoxe evoke sparks bursting into flame, as well as a philosophical rumination on existence. The remaining vocal works similarly treat their texts with a programmatic flair that blurs the line between the materiality of the sound and its contemplative mood. Tulve's compositional approach can be considered post-spectral in its influences and attention to timbral detail. However, she is also motivated by ecological concerns, and counts herself among a small group of contemporary Estonian composers devoted to expressing this philosophy through music. Her influences meld in a music that prioritizes “slowness”: a sustained focus on spectral detail that reflects the composer's deep-rooted ecological concerns. The chapter thus draws on ideas from ecological theory, timbral analysis, and speculative aesthetics to show how Tulve's compositions express form through timbre and its expression in space, and reflect an ecological aesthetic of listening.