Archaeology and sound preservation: Analysis of Sgorgo N by Pierluigi Billone

The music of Pierluigi Billone (1960) represents and exploration where composition becomes a means of musical invention, grounded in a deep understanding of the acoustic potential of instruments. His compositional approach appears to avoid electroacoustic thinking — not through explicit rejection, but as a consequence of an aesthetic privileging direct, corporeal engagement with sound. Nonetheless, the frequent use of the electric guitar, and its particular integration into his musical language, suggests his work reflects on electroacoustic aesthetics. Billone’s Sgorgo trilogy (2012-2013) for solo electric guitar provides fertile ground for this inquiry. Among these large-scale works, Sgorgo N (2013), an intimate tribute to Luigi Nono (1924-1990), distinguishes itself by its exclusive use of the left hand on a single string, producing subtle electroacoustic sound qualities that invite extended, immersive listening. Analyzing this piece from a performance perspective reveals significant insights into the conception of musical sound, highlighting electroacoustic performance as an interdisciplinary practice encompassing instrumental technique, sonic perception, and embodied interaction.