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FORMAL DESIGN AND MATERIAL IN MAURICIO KAGEL'S ANTITHESE FÜR ELEKTRONISCHE UND ÖFFENTLICHE KLÄNGE
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 September 2014
Abstract
Indifferent to the aesthetic dispute between the Parisian musique concrète and the Cologne elektronische Musik schools in the mid twentieth century, Mauricio Kagel took a synthetic approach to his second electroacoustic composition Antithese by combining these compositional principles. His aim was not to offer an eclectic solution to the controversy, but to express his musico-political and musico-social commentary. A close observation of Kagel's sketches, archived at the Paul Sacher Foundation, suggests that his choice of compositional materials and painstaking structural plan were shaped by his critical view of the politics of electroacoustic music.
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References
1 Research for this article was carried out at the Paul Sacher Stiftung, Basel, Switzerland. I am grateful to Matthias Kassel for his assistance and suggestions. I also thank Abiella Schneider-Friedman for her comments and editorial suggestions.
2 See Frisius, Rudolf, ‘Konkrete Musik: Ein Lehrpfad durch die Welt der Klänge’, Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, 5 (1997), p. 21Google Scholar.
3 The term is used to describe Kagel as a newcomer in the post-war avant-garde scene of the late 1950s in Toop, Richard, György Ligeti (London: Phaidon Press, 1999), p. 54Google Scholar. Unlike that of Ligeti or Xenakis, Kagel's arrival in Germany was not driven by political struggle or fear. Toop maintains that, like Ligeti, ‘Kagel too would approach the Cologne group with a mixture of fascination and skepticism’. Ibid.
4 Kagel, Mauricio, Über Zusammenhänge – Neue Musik in Köln seit den fünfziger Jahren: Mauricio Kagel im Gespräch mit Renate Liesmann-Gümmer, in Rheinisches Musikfest Köln 1987, ed. Lichtenfeld, Monika (Cologne: Westdeutscher Rundfunk, 1987), p. 40Google Scholar; ‘Köln und Paris gehörten zu den Pionieren auf dem Gebiet der auf Tonband verarbeiteten Musik. Paris war zwar richtungsweisend mit der Musique concrète, aber Köln wurde das puristische Pendant mit seiner angeblich streng logischen, materialstringenten Kompositionstechnik. Es entfachte sich ein lächerlicher Konkurrenzkampf, der wie so oft nicht mit Argumenten, sondern durch die Eitelkeit einiger Beteiligter geschürt wurde’. Unless otherwise noted, all translations are my own.
5 Kagel, Mauricio and Nyffeler, Max, ‘Mitteilsamkeit in der Musik’, Lettre, 51, no. 4 (2000), p. 117Google Scholar. The citation is from the English text translated by Richard Toop in Max Nyffeler, ‘There Will Always Be Questions Enough: Mauricio Kagel in conversation with Max Nyffeler’, Beckmesser <www.beckmesser.de> (accessed 3 June 2014).
6 The film itself may be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2pzXNcQ75k (accessed 9 June 2014).
7 See Kagel, Mauricio, Translation-Rotation, in Die Reihe 7: Form-Space, ed. Eimert, Herbert and Stockhausen, Karlheinz (New York: Theodore Presser Co., 1965)Google Scholar, p. 33; Mauricio Kagel, ‘On new electronic and instrumental music, “Transition 1”’ in SLR 249 (lecture presented on 22 February 1965), in Slee Lecture Recitals: A Catalogue, 1957–1976, Music Library, The State University of New York at Buffalo, p. 1, transcribed by Sam Mirelman. For the structural characteristics of Transición I, see Frisius, Rudolf, Personalstil und Musiksprache: Anmerkungen zur Positionsbestimmung György Ligetis, in György Ligeti: Personalstil – Avangardismus – Popularität, ed. Kolleritsch, Otto (Vienna: Universal Edition, 1987), p. 188Google Scholar; Heile, Björn, The Music of Mauricio Kagel (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2006), pp. 30–31Google Scholar; and Werner Kaegi, ‘Mauricio Kagel’, in the accompanying booklet to Zeitgenössische Musik in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland 3 (1959–60), trans. Desmond Clayton, DMR 1007-09, vinyl record.
8 In this respect Björn Heile's remark is indicative; ‘there is nothing abstract and “technical” about the piece [Antithese]; on the contrary, it is unashamedly physical, exploiting the associative and narrative potential of everyday noise’, see Heile, The Music of Mauricio Kagel, p. 45.
9 Schnebel, Dieter, Mauricio Kagel: Musik Theater Film (Cologne: Verlag M. DuMont Schauberg, 1970), p. 103Google Scholar; ‘Da rumort eine Öffentlichkeit: man hört das Publikum bei Beginn eines Konzertes, in der Pause, auch in Wut; die johlende Meute eines Fußballplatzes; die randalierende Begeisterung einer Parteiversammlung; aber auch die distinguiert gedämpfte Unterhaltung einer Cocktailparty’.
10 See Sammlung Mauricio Kagel, Paul Sacher Stiftung, Basel, Switzerland. The original sketch is in German.
11 See Schaeffer, Pierre, Musique Concrète: Von den Pariser Anfängen um 1948 bis zur elektroakustischen Musik heute, ed. Chion, Michel, trans. Häusler, Josef (Stuttgart: Ernst Klett Verlag, 1974)Google Scholar.
12 See Toop, Richard, ‘Social Critic in Music’, Music and Musicians, 22, no. 9 (1974), pp. 36–8Google Scholar.
13 Siemens Kultur Programm, no serial number, 1998, compact disc. In the guide, lines indicate elektronische sounds and circles concrète sounds.
14 Mauricio Kagel, Beifall, D (formal sketch) by Kagel, Sammlung Mauricio Kagel, Paul Sacher Stiftung, Basel. The ‘Atmosphere’ indicates chatting noise, ‘Beifall’ applause, and ‘STEREO (elek)’ electronically generated sound.
15 Prox, Lothar, ‘Musik und Regie: Mauricio Kagel “Antithese”, “Match” und “Solo” analytisch betrachtet’, in Mauricio Kagel: Das filmische Werk I 1965–1985, ed. Klüppelholz, Werner and Prox, Lothar (Cologne: DuMont Buchverlag, 1985), p. 164Google Scholar: ‘Klatschen kann so zum “technischen”, metallisch prasselnden Ton mutieren’.
16 It is unclear whether the sound was produced by recording or by electronic operation. In Kagel's sketch of structural scheme for Antithese, there is no note for it, while there is a note for the bell sound that is mentioned in the following paragraph.
17 Also, richness of sound space in Antithese might not have been realised without having the experience of composing Transición I.