Tony Duggan provides a very interesting response to Mats Norman's question
about perceived "orientalism" in Mhahler's music.  However, one of the
sources he cites raises another question in my mind.

>One of Mitchell's main tenets springs from what he maintains Adorno
>has in fact identified as, quoting him again: "the indistinct unison
>(unscharfe Unisono) in which identical parts are rhythmically a little out
>of step with one another - something that he (Mahler) had used since the
>Kindertotenlieder as a kind of improvised counterbalance to the excessive
>'finish' characteristic of art songs" and which Mitchell himself labels
>"Heterophony".

The concept of "indistinct unison" makes perfect sense to me and I can see
how it could contribute to the effect described.  However, based on what I
learned on this list in another thread, "heterphony" does not seem to be
the same thing or even closely related.  My understanding was that it is
something which takes polyphony a step further with multiple, independent
voices sounding at the same time.  As such, it is a vital characteristic of
Mahler's music.  But I don't see how two voices so closely tied as to be
considered a veriation of unison could possibly fit under this definition.

So, I am now confused:  educated to another technique used in music
(unscharfe Unisono), but perplexed about something else I thought I had
grasped.  Could Tony or someone elaborate?

Ed