formant
French work
Definition
Boulez's term for the five movements of his Piano Sonata No. 3. Unlike a conventional movement, each formant is designed to be playable in different orders and with optional internal sections, realising an open-form structure in which the performer participates in shaping the work's architecture.
Interpretive Guidance
When performing the published formants of the Third Sonata (Trope and Constellation-Miroir), the performer must make structural choices within the notated options. Study the score with the same analytical rigour you would give to Mallarmé's poetry — the blank spaces and page layout are compositional.