Josef Matthias Hauer (1883, Wiener Neustadt- 1959, Wien)
Edgard Varèse (1883, Paris- 1965, New York)
Ivan Wyschnegradsky (1893, Saint-Petersburg- 1979, Paris)
Hauer, Varèse and Wyschnegradsky...
three European masters of 20th century classical music (… and still very little known),
three uncompromising (re-)thinkers of music,
three true innovators in serial, electronic and quarter-tone music respectively...
who suffer rejection, indifference and isolation.
Rethinking music…
Hauer introduced twelve-note composition –and conceived two different methods for constructing dodecaphonic pieces: the technique of tropes and the twelve-note piece… compositional techniques extraordinarily various… from building-block techniques to methods using a chord series…– as a way to “regulate the psycho-physical pre-conditions for pure intuition” for “hearing the unchangeable, absolute (cosmic) music as a revelation of world order” …as a revelation of God.
Varèse’s organized sound develop the idea that certain timbres and rhythms can be grouped together for achieving a new world of sound… discovery of new sounds and methods to create them… extensive use of: unconventional instruments (Ondes Martenot, Theremins, sirens); unpitched (percussion) instruments; electronic music recorded in tapes; and, also, the 'Idée Fixe' (a recurring theme repeated certain times in his late works)... for creating a sound world of mistery and loneliness.
Wyschnegradsky saw microtonality as a way of transcendence… a mystical inclination… based on a philosophic ideal of pansonority; an unquestionable innovative… working towards a sound continuum… (i.e. the sound of an infinite number of tones, sounding simultaneously in an infinite sound continuum) rhythmical ultrachromaticism… attempting to find a correspondence between music and colors...
Problematic premières…
Some remarks from critics (1913-4) for Nomos op.1 and Apocalyptic Fantasy, op.5: "And then the symphony by Josef Hauer! That was something nobody understood; it was not music but savage mockery, a deception and a lie. Such music is in our opinion something totally unnatural, consequently it is our duty to fend it off."; "His creative activitiy deserves our attention mainly from a pathological point of view - no doubt he is a mental case"
Commotions and fights in Varèse's premières [trifulcas y peleas en los estrenos]: "a formidable fight was started in the room.. they were shaken to punches. From the beginning a terrible booing... the battle continued in the street." (Hyperprism); "I saw the end [of the work] to be synchronized with such a riot of attackers and defenders, that an improvised beauty emerged from the general blare” (Amériques); "when the first organized sounds started to play someone howled and whistle while others applaud; in the room a voice was heard: "release it!, release it!" to which another answered "catch it!, catch it!"; it was organized a riot greater to the one caused by the debut of La Sacre du Printemps in 1913" (Deserts). Some words of the critics about his works: "infernal noise", music of cats" (Bourgogne); "four minutes of noise", "roars of lion", "musical bolshevism", "noise of a house of wild animals or the accident of a factory" (Hyperprism); [Críticas de sus obras: “ruido infernal”, música de gatos” (Bourgogne); “cuatro minutos de ruido”, “rugidos de león”, “bolchevismo musical”, “ruido de una casa de fieras o el accidente de una fábrica” (Hyperprism); ]
In 21 janvier 1978, Alexandre Myrat, at the head of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio France, performs the world premiere of La Journée de l’Existence (1916-1939), one of Wyschnegradsky’s major works.
Late recognition? Disciples?…
Hauer… In his seventies, he received some official honours (an honorary membership of the Vienna Konzerthausgesellschaf and the major Austrian State Prize). However, history seems to relegate him to a minor, secondary position to that held by Schöenberg, Berg and Webern. His extremely individual compositions and theoretical writings have exerted little influence: Othmar Steinbauer was briefly Hauer's pupil and his own chamber concerto op.1 -dedicated to Hauer- became the starting-point for his serial music (other pupils: Victor Sokolowski, Nikolaus Fheodoroff and Johannes Schwieger); John Cage and Morton Feldman were interested in Hauer’s chance operations since he also considered the twelve-note system as an oracle as it is recorded in the I Ching… His music is strange –simple but simultaneously very complex- belonging to a rarefied, self-ordered, unimpassioned cosmos… Ses compositions orchestrales jamais ne sont accomplies (never performed); chambre compositions est considérée en concert programmes comme curiosité (regarded in programmes as a curiosity)… Beaucoup de son oeuvre reste inédit (unpublished) et attend étude sérieuse (awaits serious study)
Varèse and his works, whose tragic conception evokes a world of mystery and loneliness, have finally been recognized as one of the most remarkable contributions in the music of the 20th century. After many years of uneasiness, depression and oversight -it is enough to remember that at his 53 years he seriously thought in suicide, or when he arrived Paris in 1954 was a complete stranger: without any available recordings to the public, only Arcane available in the conservatoire and only a professor, Olivier Messiaen, commenting on his works- history has now recognized what was not given to him in life: the enormous value of an immensely original musical language. [Varèse y sus obras, cuya trágica concepción evocan un mundo de misterio y soledad, han sido finalmente reconocidas como una de las aportaciones más notables en la música del siglo XX. Tras muchos años de malestar, depresión y olvido –baste recordar que a sus 53 años y sin encontrar los cauces de su trabajo creador pensó seriamente en el suicidio, o cuando en 1954 llegó a Paris era un completo desconocido: sin grabaciones disponibles al público, sólo Arcana disponible en el conservatorio y únicamente un profesor, Olivier Messiaen, comentando su obra– la posteridad ha reconocido aquello que no le fue dado en vida: la enorme valía de un lenguaje musical inmensamente original. ] Unlike Messiaen, a Varèse's counterpoint in many things, he had very few disciples: André Jolivet (in the 30’s) and Chou Wen-chung (in the 50’s), to whom revealed only some fragmentary secrets of his highly personal way of composing.
Unlike his compatriot, and contemporary, Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) that he harvested honours, fame and money throughout his life, Wyschnegradsky, plunged in a practically total obscurantism, lived in an almost anonymous way and suffering some very modest economic conditions. His only public commission was in 1978, the year of his death (Radio-France commissioned him a String trio). At present he is a perfect stranger, and only mentioned in the books only in passing. Wyschnegradsky’s oeuvre only deserved some intermittent (and scarce) attention in the concert halls during his life, e.g. Yvonne Loriod, Pierre Boulez, Serge Nigg and Claude Helffer (among others) gave performances of some of his works in the 40’s and 50’s.
Most of his work was performed for the first time in a posthumous way and the majority remains without publishing. At present, as happens with Hauer, there are very few available recordings of his work. Disciples? Messiaen, Dutilleux and very few others were somewhat inspired by his ideas.
Start with them from scratching…
Hauer: Zwölftonspiele [HA1]
Varèse: Deserts
Chailly’s version [VAR1] (use of the definitive version of electronic tapes done at Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Centre under the supervision of Robert Craft)
Nagano’s version [VAR2] (use of the first version of electronic tapes done at Pierre Schaeffer’s Club d’Essai with the help of Pierre Henry)
Boulez’s versions [VAR3] [VAR4] (no electronic interpolations are enclosed)
Wyschnegradsky: Etude sur les mouvements rotatoires [WYS1]
[HA1] Hauer: Zwölftonspiele; Ensemble Avantgarde; MDG (Dabringhaus & Grimm)
[VAR1] Varèse: The Complete Works; Chailly, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Asko Ensemble; Decca. (Edition under the assistance of Professor Chou Wen-chung)
[VAR2] (L'Oeuvre de Edgar Varèse, Vol. 2: 1925-1961) Varèse: Densité 21.5 (For Solo Flute), Ionisation, Ecuatorial, Nocturnal, Intégrales, Déserts; Kent Nagano, Orchestre National de France, Nicholas Isherwood, Phyllis Bryn-Julson; Erato; see also: (L'Oeuvre de Edgar Varèse, Vol. 1: 1920-1927) Varèse: Ameriques, Offrandes, Hyperprism, Octandre, Arcana ; Kent Nagano, Orchestre National de France, Phyllis Bryn-Julson; Erato
[VAR3] Elliott Carter: A Symphony of Three Orchestras, Varèse: Deserts; Ecuatorial; Hyperprism; Pierre Boulez, Ensemble InterContemporain, French Radio Choir, et al.; Sony.
[VAR4] (Boulez Conducts Varèse) Varèse: Ameriques, Arcana, Deserts, Ionisation; Pierre Boulez,Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Deutsche Grammophon.
[Wys1] Ivan Wyschnegradsky: Etude sur les mouvements rotatoires, Sonate, Dialogue, Etudes sur les densités et les volumes I et II, Deux chants sur Nietzsche; Paul Méfano, Ensemble 2e2m, Sylvaine Billier, Martine Joste, Gérard Frémy, Yves Rault, Teodor Coman, Jacques Bona; 2e2m collection 1001
Further listening…
Other Hauer’s works: Apokalypti Fantasie for orchestra op.5, Romantic Fantasie for orchestra op.7, Orchestersuite Nr.7 op.48, Music film for piano op.51, Violinkonzert op.54, Piano concert op.55; available at Hauer-Homepage mit einigen sehr seltenen Aufnahmen
An interview with Wyschnegradsky: Wyschnegradsky discusses in 1976 with Charles Amirkhanian his approach to writing microtonal music, and his desire for a "chromatic revolution"; available at: archieve.org
Recent releases: 1) Ivan Wyschnegradsky, Quarter-Tone Pieces, Josef Christof & Steffen Schleiermacher, hat(now)ART 143 [Total time 59:20, DDD, Barcode: 752156014324], 2) Ivan Wyschnegradsky: Étude sur les Mouvements rotatoires (1961), 24 Préludes dans l‘échelle chromatique diatonisée à 13 sons (1934/rév. 1960/70) ; S. Billier, M. Joste, G. Frémy, F. Tanada (pianos), Fernand Vandenbogaerde (direction); Col.legno
Further reading…
Ivan Wyschnegradsky. La loi de la pansonorité. Éditions Contrechamps, Genève, 1996, 331 pages.
