Retro-Futuristic Electronic Music: Ligeti’s Continuum for Two Analog Synthesizer

György Ligeti’s extraordinarily virtuosic (even by his own standards) 1968 piece for harpsichord Continuum has attracted many performers, not just harpsichordists. The piece was arranged for two player pianos by Jürgen Hocker, and there are also arrangements for barrel organ (by Pierre Charial), two marimbas (several versions by various performers), etc. As to the original, Ligeti explained: “A harpsichord has an easy touch; it can be played very fast, almost fast enough to reach the level of continuum, but not quite (…). The entire process is a series of sound impulses in rapid succession which create the impression of continuous sound.”