An Analysis of Jonathan Harvey’s “Mortuos

Plango, Vivos Voco”

By Patricia Lynn Dirks

Mortuos Plango, Vivos Voco is a tape composition by British composer Jonathan Harvey. Completed
in 1980 as a commission by the Centre George Pompidou in Paris, it was realized at IRCAM (Institute
de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique-Musique) with the technical assistance of Stanley Haynes
(Harvey 1981, 22). The piece is based on two natural sound sources; the great tenor bell at Win-
chester Cathedral and the voice of Harvey’s young son, a chorister there from 1975 to 1980 (Man-
ning, 233). The title and text of the work are taken from the bell’s inscription: “Horas Avolantes Nu-
mero, MortuosPlango: Vivos ad Preces Voco” [I count the fleeting hours, I lament the dead: the living
I call to prayer]. Harvey analyzed the bell’s harmonic spectrum with the fast Fourier transform (FFT)
program at IRCAM. Synthesizing and mixing was done with IRCAM’s version of MusicV, originally
created by Max Mathews in 1969. (1) The boy’s voice was synthesized from a live recording using the
singing synthesis program CHANT developed by Gerald Bennett and Xavier Rodet. (2)

I conducted my own analytical research in relation to this work to further investigate the harmonic
spectra of the bell and the boy’s voice. Samples were taken directly from the compact disc recording
of Mortuos Plango, Vivos Voco (Harvey 1990) and saved as Sound Designer II stereo sound files at a
sampling rate of 44100 Hz. All samples were analyzed with the 1992/93 spectral analysis program
AnnaLies Version 3.2, created by Chris Scallan and Thomas Stainsby based on the 1991 program An-
naLies Version 1.0 by David Hirst and Thomas Stainsby. (3) The software performs a Short Time
Fourier Transform (STFT) analysis of the samples and stores the information in a Fast Fourier trans-
form (FFT) file, which can then be displayed in a 2D or 3D format. For comparative analysis, all sam-
ples recorded were analyzed at a window length and hop size of 4096 samples, with a hamming win-
dow type, a start sample at 0Hz and end sample at 44100Hz. The purpose of this investigation is to
analyze the harmonic spectrum, find the formant regions present in each sample and compare the
results, especially in the vocal vowel sounds.

Diagram 1. Golden Sections.

Mortuos Plango, Vivos Voco contains eight sections. Each of the sections is announced by and based
on one of the eight lowest partials from the bell’s harmonic spectrum (Harvey 1981, 22). Modulations
from one bell transformation to another are generally achieved by sine-tone glissandi and/or tacet
pauses. The partials present are related to the following pitches and corresponding frequencies
rounded up to the nearest whole number; example 1 shows C3=138Hz, C4=261Hz,Eb4=311Hz,
F4=349Hz, C5=523Hz, F5=698Hz, G5=784Hz and A5=880Hz. The analyzed sample taken at (00:48)
of the opening bell toll verifies these eight harmonics and their intensities. Each harmonic present
relates not only to the pitch material but also to the duration of each section (Harvey 1990, liner
notes), (i.e. the higher the partial, the shorter the duration and vice versa). While the durations are
inversely proportional to the partials of the tenor bell, further calculations show that they are also
based on the Golden Section. This is proven when the ratio formed by the proportions of the longer
segment (A) to the shorter section (B) is equivalent to that of the whole to the longer segment,
where A:B::(A+B):A. (4) To calculate the Golden Section of this work, the total duration of the work
(08:58) is converted to 538 seconds and multiplied by the average Golden Mean percentage of
0.618, producing the A value of 333 seconds. Then the A value is converted back into minutes and
seconds, with a result of 5 minutes and 33 seconds. On comparing the A value to the existing sec-
tions of Mortuos Plango, Vivos Voco, it is discovered to be the exact starting time of Section G. To
find the value for B, the same calculations apply, this time with a starting value of 5 minutes and 33
seconds. The end result for B is 3 minutes and 26 seconds, or 206 seconds. (Further calculations
place the values for A and B into the equation [B/A=A/(A+B)] producing the equal resultant ratio of
0.618...= 0.618... thus proving that the overall form is based on the golden mean). The A value in-
cludes the Sections A through F and the value B, Sections G to the end of H, as delineated in the
analysis (see Diagram 1).
Diagram 2. Legend of symbols used in the analysis.

Click image to enlarge

(http://econtact.ca/9_2/images/section_A.gif
)
The first section (Section A, 00:00–01:41) is based on the second partial of the eight lowest partials
of the bell, C4. It is the second longest section of the work with a duration of 1 minute and 41 sec-
onds (see Section A and Diagram 2). Section A begins with a quick succession of tolling bells on var-
ious pitches. This quickly chiming figure gradually slows down, decreasing in volume and variety of
pitches until it eventually stops at 00:42. As the chiming is fading out, a single distinct bell toll on C4
is heard in intervals of 20 seconds at 00:00, 00:20 and 00:40. The boy’s voice first enters quietly
within multiple entries at 00:15 while chanting the text “Horas Avolantes Numero, Mortuos Plango”
on the pitch C4. The chanting varies in tempo and increases in volume while the bells’ loudness de-
creases. At 00:34 the boy’s voice enters again on C4 (this time as a solo voice), chanting “Horas
Avolantes Numero.” When the single bell tolls again at 00:51 it is imposed with the envelope of the
voice, thus producing a longer attack with no immediate decay, prolonged sustain, and a gradual re-
lease. This seven note bell motive (beginning with the pitches C4, G4 and F4) fades out to silence by
01:07 while the voice merges chanting at 01:00 to 01:29. The chanting is first heard, with many voices
chanting to the same text, “Horas Avolantes Numero, Mortuos Plango,” at varying tempos. As the
chanting fades out, the seven note bell motive is repeated at 01:20 to 01:36. During the return of the
motive, at 01:34 to 01:39 the voice begins to sing alone quietly the text “a-vo-lante, mort.” The last
consonant of “mort”, is emphasized both by a strong accent from the voice and by the absence of
any other sounds. The consonant “t” is of a percussive quality and contains mostly noise. When dis-
played in a 3D image it is clear that it has a short attack and very little sustain, similar to that of a
bell-like envelope (5) (see Example 2). Therefore, when consonants occur in the voice, they are act-
ing like the bell toll and when a bell sound has been imposed with a voice-like envelope, it is acting
as a vowel sound. In Section A the consonant “t” is followed by one second of silence 01:40 to 01:41
representing the end of one section and the beginning of the next.
Click image to enlarge
(http://econtact.ca/9_2/images/section_B.gif
)

Section B (01:41–02:13) is based on the seventh partial of the bell, G5, and is the shortest section,
with a duration of 32 seconds (see Section B). It begins with a short bell toll on G5. The voice then
enters with an accented solo spoken consonant “t” at 01:46. The bell toll has been transforming
since the beginning of the section from a bell-like envelope to a voice-like envelope. While this is oc-
curring the vowel sounds “aa” (“father”) and “o” (“more”) at 01:49 are being sustained through
chanting. The vowel sounds are quickly transformed by 01:51 into short consonants with a bell-like
envelope; a short attack, immediate decay, little sustain, and a short release. Solo chanting emerges
at 02:09 on the text’s phonemes, “ha raa”. Here the last syllable “aa” is sustained until an ascending
and descending glissandi begins in the voice. Taking a sample of this vowel “aa” (“father”) the for-
mant region can be seen occurring on the third harmonic at 2640Hz with the fundamental at 880Hz
(see Example 3). Harvey Fletcher’s 1953 study states that the formant region for “aa” is around the
frequency region of 900Hz. When the fundamental of this sample is taken down one octave and a
fifth to D4 (294Hz), the formant region is almost one third of the original at 882Hz, corresponding to
Fletcher’s findings. (Fletcher, 53) Once the glissandi begin, it is this figure that modulates the work
into the next section. Modulation between the bell’s partials, and thus the sections, occur either by
tacet breaks or transforming glissandi.
Section C (02:13–03:31) is unique in this work as it is the only section where only the bell sonorities
are used. It is based on the fourth partial of the bell, F4, and is the third longest section with a dura-
tion of 1 minute and 18 seconds. This section opens with both a short bell toll on F4 and a bell sound
with a voice-like envelope and a wide fluctuating vibrato. These sounds continue until the next bell
toll at 02:36. This bell toll is accompanied by a short cluster of quicker bell tolls in varying registers.
Ascending and descending glissandi in the lower register begins at 02:44, and is followed by an as-
cending and descending glissando in the middle register at 02:50. Two more bell tolls are heard in
succession at 03:05. While the glissandi are transformed into an ascending glissando in the upper
register which continues until the tacet at 03:28 to 03:31. It is then both the glissandi and silence
which usher in Section D.
Click image to enlarge
(http://econtact.ca/9_2/images/section_C.gi
f)

Click image to enlarge

(http://econtact.ca/9_2/images/section_D.gi
f)

Section D (03:31–04:10) is based on the sixth partial of the bell, F5, an octave higher than the previ-
ous section. It is the third shortest section with a duration of 39 seconds. Like all the sections in Mor-
tuos Plango, Vivos Voco, it is announced with a bell toll on a pitch from the tenor bell’s harmonic
spectrum. In this case, the voice announces the opening simultaneously with the bell toll on the pitch
F5 singing the text “ha, a, a”. Both the bell and the voice begin with bell-like envelopes that quickly
become voice-like envelopes by the end of their initial releases. It is in this sustaining texture that the
bell-like and voice-like qualities alternate in prominence for most of the section. This changing of
sound quality over time, is evident in the 3D image of a sample taken of this event (6) (see Example
4). Here the voice’s intensity is shown increasing over time while the bell’s intensity is decreasing
over time. Such a technique was accomplished by reading both the bell and boy’s voice sound files
forward and backwards in rapid oscillations of various rhythms (Harvey 1981, 24). It is these constant
transformations between the sounds of the boy’s voice and of the bell that unify these contrasting
sources of material (Manning, 233). By 04:03 the voice and the bell sonorities have begun to de-
crease in dynamics and begin to glissando, ascending and descending respectively. Both continue in
opposite directions until the tacet occurs (04:08–04:10), setting up anticipation of the next section
and signaling the close of Section D.

Section E (04:10–04:59) is the fourth shortest section in Mortuos Plango, Vivos Voco, lasting 49 sec-
onds. The pitch it is based on is C5, the fifth partial in the bell’s spectral analysis. The section opens
with three simultaneous events: the first being a sung vowel sound “aa” on C5. The remaining events
include a bell toll on C5 and a group of short bell sonorities at various upper-register pitches. By
04:15 the bell sounds have ended and downward, continuously-spiraling glissandi on the vowel, “aa,”
begins. These glissandi continues until 04:46. The bell sonorities at this point remain tacet for the re-
mainder of the section. A chorus of voices enter at 04:30 singing the text, “preces” with varying
rhythms. At 04:46 ascending glissandi on “aa” takes over all of the voices. It is this chorus of glissandi
that modulates to the next bell partial, A5, marking the end of Section E by 04:59.
Click image to enlarge
(http://econtact.ca/9_2/images/section_E.gif
)

Click image to enlarge

(http://econtact.ca/9_2/images/section_F.gif
)

Section F (04:59–05:33) is based on the eighth partial of the bell, A5, and is the second shortest sec-
tion in duration, lasting only 34 seconds. Similar to Section E, it begins with two simultaneous events.
The first is a sustained bell toll on A5 and the second consists of chanting on A5 the vowel “ee”. Tak-
ing a further look into the vowel “ee” (“eat”) the formant region occurs on the fifth harmonic at
4430Hz with the fundamental at 880Hz (see Example 5). When the fundamental is taken down one
octave to A4 (440Hz) the formant region is half of the original at 2215Hz corresponds with Harvey
Fletcher’s 1929 study that states the formant region for “ee” is around the frequency regions of 300
and 2300Hz (Fletcher, 53). The bell toll with it’s voice-like envelope is sustained until the tacet at
05:19 to 05:24. The vowel “ee” chanting continues until its transformation into the vowel “aa” (“fa-
ther”) at 05:19. This vowel “aa” is then repeated while its sound envelope changes from that of a
voice-like sustain to a bell-like attack. As the attack is being shortened, the text also undergoes a
transformation from chanted vowels to rapidly spoken consonants at 05:24. This process of transfor-
mation then extends to changing the vocally produced consonants to rapidly tolling bell sounds at
various pitches at 05:27. It is these bell sonorities that continue while decreasing in tempo and dy-
namics until the end of the section at 05:33.

Unlike previous modulations, Section G (05:33–06:33), is neither preceded by pitch transforming

glissandi nor by a tacet pause. This section begins with a pulsing bell toll on E-flat 4, the third partial
of the tenor bell. The bell toll’s dynamics continue to pulsate for the remainder of the fourth longest
section, exactly one minute in duration. The boy’s voice enters at 05:44 singing on a vowel sound,
“aa” (“father”) that pulsates and sustains to the end of the section. At 05:44 bell sounds at various
pitches are heard mixing in and out of the pulsating bell tone that already exists. Mixed voices of
varying tempos enter at 06:15 singing the vowel “aa”, mixing with the previously sustaining “aa” still
on E-flat 4. A chorus singing the same vowel appears at a sforzando dynamic at 06:30 with a burst
marking the end of the section at 06:33. Section G does not end with a tacet pause or glissandi, like
the ending of the previous section.
Click image to enlarge
(http://econtact.ca/9_2/images/section_G.gi
f)

Click image to enlarge

(http://econtact.ca/9_2/images/section_H.gi
f)

The last part of this work, Section H (06:33–08:58) is actually on the first partial, C3, of the bell’s
spectrum. It is also the work’s longest section, lasting 2 minutes and 25 seconds. Like Section A, it is
announced with a bell toll that continues to toll on the pitch of the section every twenty seconds. In
this case, the bell toll is an octave lower than the opening on the pitch C3. The other noticeable dif-
ference from the opening constant bell toll is the increased reverberation. This is applied to the
sound gradually and eventually takes over the bell’s qualities and becomes the bell itself after 08:26
until it fades out to end the work at 08:58. While this transformation and constant tolling occur with
the bell sonorities, a chorus effect of the boys’ voice sings a quick chord at various intervals (06:34,
06:49, 07:06, 07:18, 07:32, 07:41, 07:55, 08:15 and 08:26). From analyzing the harmonics present in
the vocal chorus, it represents a B-flat minor chord. (see Example 6) This is evident as the following
pitches are present in each chord; D-flat 3, B-flat 3, D-flat 5, F5, B-flat 5 and D-flat 6. The chord itself
has a unique quality as it uses the vowel sound “oo” (“moon”) and “aa” (“father”) simultaneously
adding a hollow, breathy like quality to the sound. It is this variance of dynamics and timings that
make these chords so effective against the strict tempo of the bell tolls.
In conclusion, Mortuos Plango, Vivos Voco has best been described as an important addition to the
repertoire of compositions that employ digital signal processing (Manning, 233). From its sonorities
to the harmonic content of the work, the durational proportions of each section and treatment of
amplitude envelopes, it is clearly based on the tenor bell. The bell’s partials are statically distributed
in space producing the sonic impression of being inside the bell, whereas the boy’s voice has the ten-
dency to act as a free moving spirit throughout the concert hall (Harvey 1990, liner notes p.14). One
could take the contrast of the bell and the boy’s voice one step further in regards to the inscribed
text, “Horas Avolantes Numero, Mortuos Plango: Vivos ad Preces Voco,” and interpret the bell as rep-
resenting the dead and the boy’s voice, the living.

Notes
1. For more information about the program MusicV, see Stanley Haynes, “The Musician-machine Interface in
Digital Sound Synthesis,” Computer Music Journal 4/4 (1980), 23–44, and Max Mathews, The Technology of
Computer Music (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1969).
2. For a more technical discussion of Harvey’s analysis and synthesis techniques, see Jonathan Harvey, 1981.
3. For more information about the program AnnaLies, see David J.G. Hirst, “Digital Sound Analysis and Synthesis
Using the Short-Time Fourier Transform” (M.A. Thesis, La Trobe University), 1985.
4. Values used in the above calculations were rounded up to the nearest whole number for the purpose of not
dealing with units less than one second in duration.
5. This sample was re-analyzed at a window and hop length of 512 samples for the purpose of producing a larger
display area only.
6. This sample was re-analyzed at a window and hop length of 1024 samples for the purpose of producing a larger
display area only.
 References
Backus, John. The Acoustical Foundations of Music. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1977.
Fletcher, Harvey. Speech and Hearing in Communication. New York: D. Van Nostrand Company Inc., 1953.
Harvey, Jonathan. Mortuos Plango, Vivos Voco. Computer Music Currents 5. Wergo, WER 2025-2, 1990.
_____. “Mortuos Plango, Vivos Voco: A Realization at IRCAM.” Computer Music Journal 5/4 (1981), pp. 22-4.
Manning, Peter. Electronic and Computer Music. 2nd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993.

Other Articles by the Author

Reviews
Robert Normandeau, Claire de terre. Computer Music Journal Vol. 29, No. 2 (Summer 2005), pp. 94–6.
Various, Electroshock Presents Electroacoustic Music, Volume VII. Computer Music Journal Vol. 28, No. 4 (Winter
2004), pp. 96–8.
Various, Harangue II. Computer Music Journal Vol. 28, No. 4 (Winter 2004), pp. 98–100.
Various, Presence II (Canadian Electroacoustic Community). Computer Music Journal Vol. 25, No. 2 (Summer 2001),
pp. 84–5.
Hans Tutschku, Moment. Computer Music Journal Vol. 25, No. 4 (Winter 2001), pp. 100–102.

Biography
Canadian composer PATRICIAN LYNN DIRKS (1972) earned her Master of Music degree in composition, with a spe-
cial emphasis on electroacoustic music, from the University of Calgary, and now resides in Ontario. Ms. Dirks also
holds a Bachelor of Music in Honours Composition from Wilfrid Laurier University. She has won various awards for
her compositions, previous works involved the integration of computer music and acoustic elements. Currently she
is a member of the Canadian Electroacoustic Community (CEC) and holds the position of web administrator for the
Association of Canadian Women Composers (ACWC).
http://www.acwc.ca/members-info.php?id=45

Originally published in eContact! 9.2 Canadian Regions: The Prairies. Montréal: Communauté électroacoustique canadienne
/ Canadian Electroacoustic Community, March 2007.