What is this open, vertical rectangular symbol?

Question

In Rautavaara's Second Piano Sonata, first movement, beginning 20 bars before the end, there is a tablature-like symbol. What does it mean?

Answer 1

The symbol denotes a tone cluster that includes all chromatic pitches between D1 and D2. The notation is explained in Rautavaara's "Table of Clusters".¹

The effect can be heard in this recording by Laura Mikkola. The link is timed to the cluster.

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Another example of this notation can be found at the end of (the piano arrangement) of Danny Elfman's "Victor's Piano Solo" from The Corpse Bride.²

(Arguably, the notation above is not an exact representation of the piece as heard in the movie. That specific effect could be notated with the cluster chord indication plus a downward-pointing arpeggio sign.)

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¹ _{Zachary Matthew Ridgeway, "The Fire Sermon: Program and Narrative in Einojuhani Rautavaara’s Second Piano Sonata", PhD Dissertation (University of Texas, 2018). (Accessed 29 Jan 2021.)}

²_{Danny Elfman, "Victor's Piano Solo (from The Corpse Bride)", in The Halloween SongBOOk (Alfred Publishing, n.d.); song is (c) 2005 by Warner-Barham Music LLC.}