Marie DELCAMBRE-MONPOEL, Vocal gesture in the instrumental theater. A performer’s point of view and an analytic response. Le Corps à Corps by Georges Aperghis

Abstract

This article wants to analyze the extent to which, despite its gestural and vocal
dramatization, a piece by Georges Aperghis reveals a purely musical compositional
work. Dedicated to the percussionist Jean-Pierre Drouet, Le Corps à Corps – for a percussionist and his zarb – unveils a maximal interaction between vocal and
instrumental writing. It would have been a pity mot to take advantage of the help of
the piece’s principal performer for he alone, both partner of the composer and
composer himself, could testify of the interaction of three forms or expression,
concentrated in such a characteristic work of instrumental theater. The paper
therefore is enriched by an interview with Jean-Pierre Drouet recorded in 2009.