Writings of Luciano Berio’s Opus number zoo: a compositional process

Abstract

Luciano Berio’s Opus number zoo, a short and humoristic piece, presents a singular
history: uncompleted instrumental quartet enriched with a speaking voice (Cathy
Berberian’s poetry) in 1951, wood quintet in which the musicians must also declaim
a text of Rhoda Levine in 1970. A compositional process — superposition and overlapping
of musical elements — is perpetuated. Each version appears as a punctual
fixation. This evolution reveals the different musical contexts of the time and shows
above all the composer’s independence and originality.