At the Arditti Limit

A definition: A repertoire, score, or score segment reaches the Arditti Limit whenever its notational density is great enough that any sample of a faithful performance of said repertoire, score, or score segment will be indistinguishable from any other sample of the same repertoire, score, or score segment or, in fact, any other music also exceeding the Arditti Limit. (See also Erdodic).

As a strongly subjective characterization, the Arditti Limit is difficult to calculate precisely. If however, the amount of ink on a page of music has enough mass to move a bathroom scale needle upwards from the position of the same needle when weighing a blank page, it is reasonably safe to assume that the page has exceeded the Arditti Limit. If the page is ever mistaken for an Ad Reinhardt black painting, it is reasonably safe to assume that the page has exceeded the Arditti Limit. If a musican complains about the coffee stains on a page that has not yet been touched by coffee or any other sheet-music destroying liquid, it is reasonably safe to assume that the page has exceeded the Arditti Limit.

Typical response to the Arditti Limit, observed in Darmstadt, 1990:

Young Composer A: "How did it sound?"
Young Composer B: "Great. But like, you know, it sounded great in the same way any other fiendishly difficult piece played by Arditti sounds great."
Slightly Older Composer C: "It sounded just like any other fiendishly difficult piece played by Arditti."
Even Older Composer D: "It sounded like Flight of the Bumblebee on acid."
Really Old Composer E: "It always sounds like Flight of the Bumblebee on acid."

In the age of high complexity (ca. 1987-91), students of composition developed a number of techniques for pushing a score closer to, if not exceeding the Arditti Limit. While I was not a party to the formal discussions of the era, I am assured by informed persons that the principles governing these techniques included:

1. Insuring that each and every single note had at least one, and preferably more than one: accidental (preferably microtonal), dynamic, articulation, fingering, and playing method or special effect.
2. Insuring that each and every single note fell under at least one, and preferably more than one hairpin dynamic and n-tuplet bracket.
3. Using a basic rhythmic pulse no greater than one sixteenth note in duration. Drawing all barstems as wide as possible.
4. Notating polyphonically for each instrument, using as many staves as required to best obscure said polyphony.
5. Drafting the manuscript score in as small a scale as possible and then further reducing the score via photocopier to the smallest available size.