Organisation temporelle, écriture rythmique et polychoralité dans "Écho" (2019-2020), œuvre pour trois ensembles de Jean-Pascal Chaigne

"Écho" is a work by Jean-Pascal Chaigne for three SATB ensembles, which can be distributed in the performative space according to the possibilities offered by the venue. The instrumentation is open, and each part has four entirely written versions: one ‘original’ and three variants or ‘diminutions’. Each performer establishes his or her own performative musical text, either playing a single version of his/her part or moving from one version to another. Based on the interpretation of the composer’s sketches and drafts, this article particularly focuses on those aspects of "Écho" and its compositional process responsible for the different types of polychorality realized: first, the formal and temporal design of the piece; then, the organization and rhythmic working out. The study leads to the analysis of a representative passage, which also considers the other musical dimensions (i.e. harmony, dynamics, space) as well as the revision that "Écho" underwent after its first two performances. The core elements are provided to situate the work within contemporary Western art music, particularly in relation with the offshoots of serialism and post-serialism, as well as to contribute in developing two other topics, strictly related to the conception of "Écho", namely the creative reception of ‘early music’, and the instrumental practice and the performative accessibility, for music ensembles, of contemporary music repertoire.