 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Markus Wenninger
Date: 2005-01-26 18:21
Tomorrow a composition by me will be premiered, "wintermute", for ss,as,bordun and db. The reason I am posting this is how somebody else feels about performing on that day, when Germany pays tribute to the day the concentration camp in Ausschwitz has been liberated. We will play in the crypta of Bremen´s catholic cathedral, - and this is my point: I think that by far too little of nowadays´s posttonal music is performed within churches, within the spiritual realm in general. Performing to me is a spiritual practice, quite naturally so, and to play at such a day like the 27th of January is very important to me. A friend of mine, who became a benedictine monk at the convent-school we attended, said that he doesn´t comprehend how one could play anything else but contemporary, New Music in our churches, if our spiritual belief is situated in the here and now, is where we are/live etc. I think he´s absolutely right, from the incomprehensible lie when there´s a exceptional, contemporary stage-set but still retro like "Figaro" et al is performed there, to the unbearable but seemingly unavoidable "Oratorio" at the christmas eve´s mass, I think the (in my case: catholic) church should muster more of the contemporary music´s strata, as it has done in earlier ages. the contemporary and the church are no opposites,imho.
Anyway, wish me luck for tomorrow,
Markus
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Author: William Hughes ★2017
Date: 2005-01-26 18:47
Markus:
I wish you great success with your premiere (I am certain no luck is needed). You make a compelling case...to a point. The music that inspires my son, who is studying both music and parish leadership at a Catholic college, is certainly different from the music that I am accustomed to hearing in church. And it is further desirable that modern composers like yourself write to express their spirituality and present it in settings for others to have the opportunity to relate it to their faith understanding. Acceptance is another matter, of course. Whether in worship, on the stage or at a summer concert, the audience has a large say in what is played and appreciated. It happens that a cathedral "audience" might be the most difficult to uproot from traditional forms of music.
Please give us a review of the performance and more about the piece in general. Fascinating stuff on a cold (Northern Hemisphere) winter's day!
Post Edited (2005-01-26 18:48)
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Author: Markus Wenninger
Date: 2005-01-27 05:57
Acceptance: Actually I found it easier to perfrom in frint of the congregation than a 'profane' audience - people in church usually are attentive, focused and generally willing to try to listen to what is said, musically or verbally.
The most fascinating part to me, besides the premiere, will be whether we´ll accompany the congregation during the final psalm (nr. 88, a most astonishing and deep-grinding prayer) this year, alternating between the two naves. The composition itself is, like 9 out of 10 by me, a hybrid of graphical and pentagramma - notation, done in 4 parts each 5 minutes long. The title refers to a certain transhuman, sad and aloft character in W.Gibson´s "Count Zero", and at the same time conveys the blind raging tragedy of what happened in Ausschwitz, the cold and the speechlessness (a theme that doesn´t let us go, we did a transcription of Schönberg´s "A Survivour from Warsaw" already, a very important piece for us; we definitely want to do a composition about Faulkner and his oeuvre, a title like "The Sound And The Fury" is like written across everything we do as performers). The stuff written is basically structured according to a dodecaphonic series, aiming as much as possible towards difference tones and multiphonics.
The point for me in playing there is that whilst performing I don´t have the sense of just falling for the anthropomorphic trap, but be r e a l l y praying. Like Celan said, "there´s still songs to be sung beyond men". This beyond is fundamental to me, this then isn´t about how deconstructivistic we are or how technically superb etc etc, but solely how sucessful we are to erase ourselves.
Markus
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2005-01-27 12:35
Dear Marus
There is so much wonderful music written for liturgical and religious ceremony that is a shame it is not given wider attention ....I can name at least several neglected works which should be listened to more often and performed. For example...what has happened to the Missa Solemnis of Beethoven..the Cherbuni Requiem, the Dvorak Stabat Mater ???
and there is a lot more as well.
Poulenc wrote the wonderful Gloria and on top of this there are some brilliant religous choral works with orchestra he wrote...these pieces are among my very favorite. As well the Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms and the wonderful Mass in C that he wrote...
Add to this numerous Handel oratorios.. the music of which is inspring...the oratorio Israel in Egypt is among one of the greatest single pieces of music ever! There are lesser works to which are now neglected..Elijah of Mendellsohn which is not so inspired but has some wonderful spots.
Don't forget the religious music of Elgar, The Dream of Gerontious which is fantastic for orchestra!!
David Dow
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Author: clarinetwife
Date: 2005-01-27 13:01
Markus wrote: The point for me in playing there is that whilst performing I don´t have the sense of just falling for the anthropomorphic trap, but be r e a l l y praying. Like Celan said, "there´s still songs to be sung beyond men". This beyond is fundamental to me, this then isn´t about how deconstructivistic we are or how technically superb etc etc, but solely how sucessful we are to erase ourselves.
Beautiful thought, Markus, and one that will contribute to the success of your work in that setting. There are composers and performers out there whose work does not lend itself succesfully to a liturgical setting precisely because it is all about them. This includes cantors who seem to think they are singing at the Met and musical groups who think they are on stage and do not understand the difference between a congregation and an audience.
Thank you for letting us know about this. We do need more new music in our churches, conceived and executed in the right spirit, pun intended.
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2005-01-27 15:23
"There are composers and performers out there whose work does not lend itself succesfully to a liturgical setting precisely because it is all about them"
On the other hand- there are composers and performers throughout history, who wrote/performed music for the church purely for financial gain. Religious persuasion doesn't seem to be a prerequisite for successful liturgical music.
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Author: clarinetwife
Date: 2005-01-27 20:55
That is quite true, Liquorice. Markus did not seem to be making a point about religious persuasion per se. Rather, he seemed to be talking about how he approaches music in a situation that he very deeply realizes is not about him.
I do wonder if it isn't harder to be a good liturgical composer/musician without some spiritual basis, in a day when so many grow up with no sense of tradition. In the past, even composers who wrote and performed purely for financial gain usually had the background to know what would work.
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2005-01-27 21:53
I get booked to play clarinet in a Haydn Mass at a Catholic church. I do the rehearsals, play the Mass and walk off with my fee. The most important thing is that I play the music at the highest level. Nobody in the congregation knows whether or not I believe in this particular Christian liturgy. And it doesn't concern them. Whether I'm Catholic or not, my part in the music-making may well have enhanced the spiritual experience of some members of the congregation.
I believe that to a large extent it's the same with composers. We mustn't forget that a large part of composing involves skill at that particular craft. It isn't all just about "inspiration". A good composer could write a piece for the Feast of Saint Mark, just as easily as a soundtrack for a movie about the concentration camps in the 2nd World War.
I really can't see why it should be "harder to be a good liturgical composer/musician without some spiritual basis". Nor why Markus's beautiful thoughts will "contribute to the success of (his) work in that setting". Surely a composer's success lie in his/her skill at composing?
By the way Markus- I hope your Premiere went well!
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Author: clarinetwife
Date: 2005-01-27 23:16
Liquorice wrote:
> I get booked to play clarinet in a Haydn Mass at a Catholic
> church. I do the rehearsals, play the Mass and walk off with my
> fee. The most important thing is that I play the music at the
> highest level. Nobody in the congregation knows whether or not
> I believe in this particular Christian liturgy. And it doesn't
> concern them. Whether I'm Catholic or not, my part in the
> music-making may well have enhanced the spiritual experience of
> some members of the congregation.
Can't find a word to disagree with here, Liquorice. It's just that I have known and been involved in situations where the musicians have been so "tone deaf" about what is really going on that they have ended up not doing a good job from the point of view of those who are there to celebrate.
Liquorice also wrote: <I believe that to a large extent it's the same with composers. We mustn't forget that a large part of composing involves skill at that particular craft. It isn't all just about "inspiration"
Surely a composer's success lie in his/her skill at composing?>
Again, I don't quibble about the ability of composers to apply their craft to various situations. Might a composer approach a piece commissioned for a banquet dinner a bit differently than he or she might approach writing a Requiem?
I really have enjoyed your thoughts on this thread and look forward to hearing back from Markus.
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Author: mnorswor
Date: 2005-01-28 00:57
Markus,
Best of luck with things. I'm sure it will be just terrific.
I'm not sure about Europe, but here in the US, particularly in the large cities, churches are frequent places to hold recitals. This is probably because churches are much cheaper to rent than halls are and the sound is usually quite acceptable.
During the service, it comes as no surprise that there's not more post-tonal music present. The "Church" seems to resist change in all of its guises. For the dogmatic, right-wing school of thought, the process of change seems akin to pulling one's fingernails out with pliers.
Explanations... I don't know if there are any really. It's just something that I, personally, have learned to accept. I am a spiritual person, not affiliated with any particular organization, so I am happy to sit in a beautiful building, play my Haydn or Mozart and collect the fee on the way out.
My $.02,
Michael
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2005-01-28 08:44
"A good composer could write a piece for the Feast of Saint Mark, just as easily as a soundtrack for a movie about the concentration camps in the 2nd World War."
I agree but not completely. I believe that if certain types of music are not in your nature it wouldn't be as good as music that is.
For example, I could maybe compose something for the WWII film, but it would sounds a lot like any other music I compose in terms of intruments, etc. I doubt I could compose something for the Feast of Saint Mark because I'm not connected to that type of music. Of course I would listen to that kind of music if it's good (there is always good and bad music in any genre) but it's not in my nature to compose it. You could say I'm not a professional composer, and I would agree, but imho the best musicians make music that is a part of them.
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Author: Markus Wenninger
Date: 2005-01-29 17:57
D´accord,
For all that can be heard when the piece is played, I don´t need to be a believer, - I´m one of those who find terms like "inspiration" and all that metaphysics related suspicious to the extreme. I was talking about my most personal, internal disposition and differentiation: I can talk to and with God there and then without just babbling about my silly fears and hopes, I can completely throw off my being-me and become a tool, an outlet of something which I fear is mostly soiled by my trying to grasp and comprehend it; that is solely possible in a spiritual realm, a place-not-of-this-world (to what degree the church as an instituition may or may not be involved with profanity doesn´t touch the sheer otherness of performing in front of the altar). I am unable to separate my composing from my performing (a phenomenon that´s distinctively feeding on postmodernity and deconstructivism), and whatever music I play, to perform it in a church renders it especially crucial to me. One can hardly externalise this internality, strictly externally speaking, in reference to the performance of liturgical music/ music in church the believer cannot be distinguished from the nonbeliever, and perhaps this attempt to do so is foolish and phariseean. I have to follow the rite of a mass in the proper way just as I have to execute all those multiphonics in my composition correctly, - it´s just that in a profane setting my perfromance is just about whom I confront as a player and me, and if she/he doesn´t like it "just press fast forward, it´s not about whether an audience likes it or not, never at all"; but in church, I, without being able to utter it intersubjectively in a way a tiny bit more articulate than sheer deixis, am responsible of how well I efface myself. It´s still solely about what Dürer said, becoming a perfect instrument, an opening (yes of course Heidegger´s notion of "opening" in reference to truth is a stronghold here).
What can I say, the premiere went very well, thank You all who expressed their wishes and thought about us four biting our fingernails then.
Markus
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