The haptic quality of sound: the composer as visual artist

 

The composer Wolfgang Rihm is both an art connoisseur and enthusiast. Numerous diary entries, mostly from the early 1980s, bear witness to an intensive engagement with visual art (published under the title Before Pictures in Intermediality – Studies in interaction between the arts, edited by Günter Schnitzler and Edelgard Spaude). These jottings give the reader interesting insights into Rihm’s relationship to visual art and its lasting influence on his work. Rihm regards the act of composing analogously to a visual artist’s shaping and forming: time is a membrane on which he writes his notes; the material’s character rather than its application being of significance (cf. Rihm: Ausgesprochen, Bd. 2, p 189). Musical material is malleable as with the forming of a sculpture: “Sound has – at least in his conception – real physicality, a haptic aspect and is something tangible and formable” (Mosch, p 74). Edgar Varèse is an important role model as it is in his musical conceptions that we find the origins of the physicality in Rihm’s music.

 

When composing, Rihm works with concrete sound objects which he describes in the terms of painting: surfaces, lines, grounding, layers of colour, degrees of filtering in layering, impasto and pigment. These terms aren’t restricted to a description of a finished product as he is especially interested in the physical act of painting and the work of the painter leaving traces on the canvas: “the creative process is still the most fascinating aspect of artistic existence” (Rihm, Offende Ende, p 44). The structures left on the canvas from hands and painting equipment are for him “marks on the membrane… where something akin to the ‘audibility’ of the picture can form” (Morat, p 97). Thus the methods of a sculptor are evident in Rihm’s work (malleable forming, impulsive sound strokes) as well as that of a painter (the application of colour). The ‘phonetic sculpture’ and ‘sounding picture’ “emerge before the seeing eye” of the hearer. (Rihm: Ausgesprochen, p 278)

 

Rihm’s impulsive handling of colour and form doesn’t allow for a step by step course of action. His modus operandi is characterised by capriciousness in which planning and completion coincide and where he gives himself over to “vegetative composition”: entirely in the material’s momentum which he commits directly to paper without restriction or plan in accordance with his sound conceptions. Only a few sketches are necessary and sometimes Rihm even writes the final draft immediately. His musical thinking is holistic, not synthetic, meaning the music isn’t constructed from single elements but rather conceived and written as a whole.

 

Conveying the unteachable

 

Due to his “inclusive” approach to composition Rihm’s work tends to exclude language-based attempts at analysis requiring, instead, active involvement from the listener with regard to each piece. The training of sensory capabilities is therefore a necessary prerequisite for such direct communication with the art work. Gertrud Meyer-Denkmann ascribes a lack of understanding for new music as being partly due to such training mostly not taking place to a sufficient extent in music classes:

 

An overvaluation of thinking in words and intellectual analysis as well as emphasis on visual realms rather than a broad training of sensory capabilities share in the responsibility for the much quoted gulf between art and the public. This is especially the case concerning the general lack of comprehension and perplexity associated with new music. (Meyer-Denkmann, p 63)

 

Many composers accede to an audience’s desire for introductions to works and explanations of pieces with the result that “many of today’s composers write more commentaries, analyses and explanations than music which, in turn, frequently offer more of an insight into the composer’s character than the work being discussed” (Zimmerschied, p 7). Texts of this nature are indeed often counterproductive as they tend to give the appearance of providing a ready-made interpretation and thus understanding of a work. Students need to recognise that learning about a composer’s biography and comprehending various structural components of a work doesn’t amount to musical understanding. It becomes immediately clear when reading through his reluctantly written program notes that Rihm doesn’t particularly value verbal explanations, which in his case are mostly everything other than an introduction to a work. He expresses himself especially clearly on this point in the notes to “Frau/Stimme” (1989): “Explanation of art is an anti-explanation of the purest kind; a dull faith in ostensibly magical powers of elucidation within an explanatory text. Explanation is art only in and through itself.” (Rihm: Ausgesprochen Bd. 2, p 382) He clearly rebuts a one-sided intellectual appraisal of music: “For me it is knowledge, not ignorance, which stands in opposition to art.” (Rihm: Ausgesprochen Bd. 2, p 383).

 

The teaching of new music in school should not, therefore, rest primarily on the teaching of terms and analytical methods but rather strive to adopt a variety of approaches involving creativity and emotion in addition to cognitive elements. The methods associated with creative reception facilitate such an interaction of approaches: musical perception, creative production as well as reflection on listening and the resulting creative output are essential components of this concept.

 

Creative Reception: pupils as visual artists

 

The practice of “creative reception” was developed by Christine Mann, Erhart Schröter and Wolgang Wangerin and presented in their 1995 book “Self-Experience through Art”. The concept is based on the “interaction of reception and ones own productivity” (Mann i.a., p 14). Using this concept pupils become creative and express the associations they experience on hearing a piece of music through painting, modelling or creative writing. A variety of such forms of creative reception were tried out within the scope of the Austrian “The Art of the Hour” project in which a wide range of interaction with music was tried out with the assistance of specialist guidance in a stimulating ambience. Creative writing to music, movement (“hearing with the body”), painting to music, forming a lump of clay while blindfolded and scenic realisation of music are only a few of the activities conducted (cf. Niermann/Stöger).

 

In the creative reception of a piece pupils are motivated to bring their own associations into play, filling the opportunities for interpretation within the music with personal experiences and ideas, e.g. through the realisation of a painting and, in so doing, allowing reflection to take place. “Creative reception enables everyone in on a personal biographical connection to the artwork. Everyone can discover and develop traces of their own experiences” (Mann i.a., p 14). In a follow-up evaluation the pupils can verbalise their impressions and associations thus reflecting on the creative process and their relationship to the music. At the same time it is of decisive importance that everyone pays attention to the achievements of fellow pupils and come to terms with their individual approaches. In this way each pupil is aware of “different realisations and points of view within a broad spectrum which are at the same time comparable with one another having being initiated through the same artwork” (Mann i.a., p 15).

 

Class discussion is then drawn to the music that generated the widely differing examples of interpretation. Now the teachers and pupils are ready to work out aesthetic criteria and a vocabulary of analysis together. An analytical approach bears fruit after pupils have established a relationship to the music in the course of the creative process (in an ideal case) as the phenomena under examination are no longer abstract but rather connected with concrete aesthetic experiences. It is important that no particular interpretation be laid down in advance and that pupils’ personal rudimentary interpretative approaches are accepted. The evaluation phase is not concerned with correcting various interpretations but to encourage pupils to expand on their newly found connections and to experience the piece of music in another light. This can partly occur through providing information to pupils about the piece, composer and historical context but more significant here is consideration of the various creative expressions by fellow classmates and a mutual comprehension of these interpretations.

 

Creative reception doesn’t view the creative method as an end in itself but, rather, allows for an intensive perception of the music and the creation of a personal and emotional connection through ones own creative work - in a sense forming in order to understand. In connecting their own associations and experiences with the music pupils gain a personal and meaningful “appropriation” (Grimmer, p 44) thereof. By coming to terms with the work of fellow classmates pupils acquire not only new approaches to music but train their own empathetic capability. Further, the creative work from the field of visual art (painting, modelling etc.) in dealing with Rihm’s music reveals insights into the working aesthetic of a composer who compares his way of working with that of a visual artist. In this way analogies between the points of view of different art forms become meaningful.

 

Painting to “Départ” – a project for grade 9

 

In March 2005 I carried out a project using “Départ” by Wolfgang Rihm in the grade nine class of the Catholic St. Benno-Grammar School in Dresden. The project took place within the scope of a scholarship from the Siemens Arts Program (kiss – Kultur in Schule und Studium) with the goal of presenting contemporary culture in schools. Preceding the project two didactic weekend seminars led by Ortwin Nimczik, professor for music pedagogy in Detmold, took place as well as meetings with Wolfgang Rihm in Karlsruhe who supervised me during the time of my scholarship and whose composition classes I attended as a guest. My article “Personal Approaches through Creative Reception: a school project with Wolfgang Rihm’s Départ” describes the project in detail.

 

The project took place over five school hours on three separate occasions. As I didn’t know the classes beforehand I took the opportunity in the first lesson of finding out how pupils reacted to various examples of music in order to stimulate interest for what was to come. A discussion followed after listening to three different pieces of music which were already familiar to pupils. Typical characteristics of various genres were established using the following examples: the Barock Aria “But who may abide the day of his coming?” from Händel’s Messiah; “Ännchen von Tharau”, a folk-song we played together by Friedrich Silcher and “I’m outta love”, a pop song by Anastacia. Stylistic differences as well as elements common to our occidental music tradition became apparent (harmony, regular meter, form, instruments, subject matter e.g. ‘love’). At the conclusion of the introduction the question was raised as to what extent these traditions could be found in so-called ‘new music’ works.

 

For the second lesson we had two teaching hours at our disposal. First a concentration exercise was conducted with the intention of enabling pupils to focus on hearing and thus be able to effectively influence their ability to take in information. After that they heard “Départ” for the first time. They were then told that they were going to be asked to express their associations in a picture and were then played the piece a second time in order that they begin form some ideas. Half an hour was allotted for completion of the picture during which time the piece was played a third time at the request of the pupils. In the remaining quarter hour students reflected on the newly created works talking about their own pictures and how what they had done related to the music as well as commenting on their creative approach. No-one was, however, prepared to comment on the work of fellow classmates. The name of the piece and composer was given only at the end of the lesson.

 

The third lesson, which also lasted 90 minutes, began with a reflection on the pictures from the previous week. Pupils who had been absent were asked to speculate on the kind of music that could have drawn out the associations found in the pictures. The piece was then played. The same pupils were then asked to what extent their predictions corresponded to that which they had just heard. A discussion then took place about the music incorporating musical terms identified in the course of the first lesson as well as pupils’ comments from the second lesson which I had partly put together in a transparency. It was interesting that pupils had used terminology taken from visual art in order to describe music. I then described Rihm’s connection to visual art and his creative process which he compares to that of a painter. We then read through a number of Rihm’s program notes, the pupils gaining understanding of Rihm’s attitude to guides into his work and subsequently discussed to what extent it might be possible for a listener to then approach the music. After a five minute break a brainstorming session took place with regard to “Départ” (“departure”). Students then wrote poems on this theme and had the opportunity of reading them out loud. They commented on what they imagined in relation to “departure” and inferred from Rihm’s musical setting what it could mean to him.

 

I carried out four further class experiments in December 2005 and January 2006 in the scope of my paper within the field of music pedagogy using the compositions “Départ” and “Gesungene Zeit” by Wolfgang Rihm, this time in four 11^th grade classes.

 

            


Evaluation

 

Wolfgang Rihm’s music impacted on pupils in very different ways. The spectrum of the reactions ranged from general acceptance to unconditional rejection. Some described the works as “good, interesting music, exciting and charged” others would have preferred to “throw it in the bin”. Some were undecided and others found the sounds interesting but too taxing to listen to at home often remarking negatively that the music “wasn’t suited to relaxation”.

 

It became clear from pupils’ comments about “Départ” that for many it was too “changeable” and “disjointed”. Abrupt dynamic and tempo changes, long “pauses between pitches” and “loud voices and instruments suddenly emerging” were perceived as disturbing and making it difficult to concentrate on the music or “enjoy it”. For some it was “noise” rather than music. Others described the music as “very emotionally charged” and full of variety. “Gesungene Zeit” was also perceived by some as “tattered und incomprehensible” where it was difficult to concentrate because “you began to get into it but then were interrupted by violent sounds”. Other pupils described the music as “not at all uninteresting”, “emotionally appealing and provoking” and – in contrast to “Départ” – even pleasant whereby “high pitches” were perceived as “straining” and “irritating”.

 

It became apparent in observing pictures done by pupils that they had very different creative approaches to the task and reflected the listening experience in equally diverse ways. This indicates various ways of relating to musical prompting as well as the degree of penetration thereof. Some pupils attempted to find graphic equivalents for what was occurring in the music while others either held on to concrete associations awoken or attempted to realise feelings evoked by the music. The depiction of concrete situations had the effect of being rather distant whereby the realisation of feelings evoked by the music demonstrated in some cases a high degree of subjectivity and emotional connection to the piece. Some themes appeared in a number of pictures, e.g. with “Départ” motifs of persecution and maelstrom unleashed in swirls and vortexes. A lineal motif was often taken up in connection with “Gesungene Zeit”; evidently the melodic stream was recognised as the deciding moment of the music for many pupils.

 

According to the countless comments from pupils in the five class experiments creative initiative is fun because it provides a welcome change. Further, it seems that through this method it is possible for some pupils to more easily establish a connection to contemporary composition. However it cannot be generally maintained that this is the case for all pupils: a creative task can easily lead to feelings of being over-demanded because many are not used to such methods. Finally, a biographical connection to the piece on behalf of the pupils can only occur if the pupils involve their entire practical knowledge in creative reception. It would be wrong to want to force a result out of a creative process - where the way is also the goal as Hans Glöckel emphasises (cf. Glöckel, p 140). The teacher also has to accept that not every pupil wants to reveal their emotions in front of the class: a willingness to work creatively cannot be forced. Creative reception as well as commentary should remain voluntary. Creative reception should, though, not occur as an isolated event because it is only through the inclusion of a variety of different approaches that pupils can access a piece of music from different perspectives and therefore experience it in a new light. Creative lessons should, in the context of the application of a variety of methods, alternate with reflective and cognitive sessions. Reflecting on a creative process is of prime importance as it enables the pupil to become directly aware of their increase in “musically related practical knowledge” (Schütz, p 188). Cognitive/analytical approaches could be added at this point as creative reception offers an ideal way of understanding analogies between the points of view contained within various art forms and thereby, for example, allows an opportunity for discussion about Rihm’s compositional approach.

 

Literature

Glöckel, Hans: Vom Unterricht. Lehrbuch der Allgemeinen Didaktik. Bad Heilbrunn 1990.

Grimmer, Frauke: Wiederbelebung von Kultur in der Aneignung von Musik. In: Musik in der Schule 1/1996, S. 42-47.

Mann, Christine / Schröter, Erhart / Wangerin, Wolfgang: Selbsterfahrung durch Kunst. Methodik für die kreative Gruppenarbeit mit Literatur, Malerei und Musik. Weinheim / Basel 1995.

Meyer-Denkmann, Gertrud: Struktur und Praxis neuer Musik im Unterricht. Experiment und Methode. Wien 1972.

Morat, Eva-Maria: Gespräch mit Wolfgang Rihm. In: Heinz Liesbrock (Hrsg.): Brustrauschen. Zum Werkdialog von Kurt Kocherscheidt und Wolfgang Rihm. Ostfildern-Ruit 2001, S. 94-101.

Mosch, Ulrich: „... das Dröhnen der Bild- und Farbflächen ...“. Zum Verhältnis von Wolfgang Rihm und Kurt Kocherscheidt. In: Heinz Liesbrock (Hrsg.): Brustrauschen. Zum Werkdialog von Kurt Kocherscheidt und Wolfgang Rihm. Ostfildern-Ruit 2001, S. 70-87.

Niermann, Franz / Stöger, Christine (Hrsg.): Aktionsräume – Künstlerische Tätigkeiten in der Begegnung mit Musik. Wien 1997, S. 9-31.

Rihm, Wolfgang: Ausgesprochen. Schriften und Gespräche (2 Bde.). Hrsg. v. Ulrich Mosch. Winterthur 1997.

Rihm, Wolfgang: Offene Enden. Denkbewegungen um und durch Musik. Hrsg. v. Ulrich Mosch. München / Wien 2002.

Rihm, Wolfgang: Vor Bildern. In: Günter Schnitzler / Edelgard Spaude (Hrsg.): Intermedialität. Studien zur Wechselwirkung zwischen den Künsten. Freiburg im Breisgau 2004, S. 329-344.

Rimbaud, Arthur: Illuminations / Illuminationen. Aus dem Franz. v. Rainer G. Schmidt. Wien / Basel 2004.

Schütz, Volker: Musikmachen – Versuch einer didaktischen Revision. In: Wulf Lugert / Volker Schütz (Hrsg.): Aspekte gegenwärtiger Musikpädagogik. Ein Fach im Umbruch. Stuttgart 1991, S. 182-203.

Voit, Johannes: Persönliche Zugänge durch Kreative Rezeption. Ein Schulprojekt zu Wolfgang Rihms Départ. In: kiss – Kultur in Schule und Studium: Neue Musik in der Schule. Hrsg. v. Siemens Arts Program. München 2005, S. 96-109.

Zimmerschied, Dieter: Vorwort. In: Ders. (Hrsg.): Perspektiven Neuer Musik. Material und didaktische Information. Mainz 1974.

Scores

Rihm, Wolfgang: Départ. Partitur (Leihmaterial). Universal Edition (UE 19106). Wien 1988.

Rihm, Wolfgang: Gesungene Zeit. Musik für Violine und Orchester. Partitur (Leihmaterial). Universal Edition (UE 30526). Wien 1992.

Recordings

Rihm, Wolfgang: Départ. In: Wien Modern. Claudio Abbado / Wiener Philharmoniker / Wiener Jeunesse-Chor. CD Deutsche Grammophon 429260-2 (LC 0173) 1990.

Rihm, Wolfgang: Gesungene Zeit. Musik für Violine und Orchester / Alban Berg: Violinkonzert. Anne-Sophie Mutter, Violine / James Levine / Chicago Symphony Orchestra. CD Deutsche Grammophon 437093-2 (LC 0173) 1992.


This article was translated from German by Simon Barber.