Being Musically Attuned: The Act of Listening to Music

286 Pages·2015·2.34 MB·English

by  Erik Wallrup

Being Musically attuned
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Being Musically attuned
the act of listening to Music
erik Wallrup
Stockholm University, Sweden
© erik Wallrup 2015
all rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.
erik Wallrup has asserted his right under the copyright, designs and patents act, 1988, to
be identified as the author of this work.
published by
ashgate publishing limited ashgate publishing company
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
a catalogue record for this book is available from the British library
The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
Wallrup, erik, 1966-
Being musically attuned : the act of listening to music / by erik Wallrup.
pages cm
Originally presented as the author’s thesis (ph. d., stockholm university and university
of rome la sapienza) under title: the concept and phenomenon of stimmung in music.
includes bibliographical references and index.
isBn 978-1-4724-2990-2 (hardcover) – isBn 978-1-4724-2991-9 (ebook) – isBn
978-1-4724-2992-6 (epub) 1. Music–philosophy and aesthetics. 2. Music–19th century–
History and criticism. i. title.
Ml3845..W233 2015
781.1'7--dc23
2014023587
isBn 9781472429902 (hbk)
isBn 9781472429919 (ebk – pdF)
isBn 9781472429926 (ebk – epuB)
Bach musicological font developed by © yo tomita.
printed in the united kingdom by Henry ling limited,
at the dorset press, dorchester, dt1 1Hd
Contents
List of Music Examples vii
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction 1
Part I the ConCePt
1 Stimmung in Music: Vicissitudes of a Concept 1770–1930 15
2 The Philosophy of Stimmung Upheaval and Continuity 69
3 Playing in Between 111
Part II eluCIdatIon
4 History 147
5 Duration 183
Aftersong: On the Edge of the World 217
Bibliography 241
Keywords Index 263
Name Index 269
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List of Music Examples
The author is grateful to the relevant publishers for permission to reprint excerpts
from these works.
1.1 Richard Strauss, ‘Heidebild’ from Stimmungsbilder, op. 9, bars 1–7 58
1.2 Zdeněk Fibich, Lento from Nálady, dojmy a upomínky, op. 41,
part I, no. 24, bars 1–4 59
1.3 Edvard Grieg, ‘Resignation’ from Stimmungen, op. 73, bars 1–7 59
1.4 Antonín Dvořák, ‘Auf der alten Burg’ (‘Na starém hradě’) from
Poetische Stimmungsbilder/Poetické nálady, op. 85, bars 29–32 59
1.5 Nikolai Medtner, ‘Prolog’ from Acht Stimmungsbilder, op. 1,
bars 1–6 60
1.6 Adolf Wiklund, ‘Akvarell’ (Watercolour) from Stämningar,
op. 15, bars 1–4 60
1.7 Emil Sjögren, Larghetto from Stemningar, op. 20, bars 1–6 60
3.1 Anton Bruckner, Eighth Symphony in C minor (1890 version, ed.
by Leopold Nowak), third movement: Adagio, bars 1–28 124
3.2 Ludwig van Beethoven, String Quartet in A minor, op. 132, third
movement: ‘Heiliger Dankgesang eines Genesenen an die Gottheit,
in der lydischen Tonart’, bars 1–8 and 30–35 139
4.1 Johann Sebastian Bach, Aria, from ‘Aria mit verschiedenen
Veränderungen’ (BWV 988), bars 1–16 151
4.2 Luigi Nono, Fragmente – Stille, An Diotima, opening 175
5.1 Anton Webern, Sechs Bagatellen für Streichquartett, op. 9,
III (complete) 189
5.2 György Kurtág, Hommage à András Mihály for string quartet,
op. 13:4 (complete) 191
5.3 Gustav Mahler, Fifth Symphony (revised version), fourth
movement: Adagietto, bars 64–75 198
5.4 Wolfgang Rihm, Fremde Szenen: Versuche für Klaviertrio, III,
bars 59–61 201
5.5 Anton Bruckner, Eighth Symphony in C minor, first movement:
Allegro moderato, bars 381–92 208
A.1 William Hamilton Bird, ‘Rekhtah’ from The Oriental
Miscellany (1789) 228
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Acknowledgements
During the course of work on this book, I have benefitted greatly from the
advice and support of several scholars, colleagues and friends. First of all, I am
very thankful for the trust Jacob Derkert placed in me when I returned to the
academic world; for the observations from Amalia Collisani, which were always
lucid and attentive; and for the philosophical precision in the comments by Sven-
Olov Wallenstein.
There are many people I would like to thank for reading the whole work or
parts of it. Heartfelt thanks to the composer Tommie Haglund, the dearest of
friends, whose music urged me to start reflecting upon Stimmung. Summons to
a radicalized approach from Peter Trawny, Giampiero Moretti and Lawrence
Kramer have been a worthwhile challenge. Arnfinn Bø-Rygg’s judgement at a
critical moment was redemptive. Important observations have been made by Owe
Ander, Tobias Dahlkvist, Michela Garda, Anders Hallengren, Mattias Lundberg,
Per Mårtensson, Tobias Pontara, Marcia Sá Cavalcante Schuback, Johan Tralau
and Bertil Wikman. I have profited from two musicological milieux: that of
Stockholm University, with its healthy scepticism and supportive attitude; and
l’Università di Roma ‘La Sapienza’, with all its brilliant minds. Kate Maxwell has
acted as a kind of personal trainer in linguistic matters – without her exacting eyes,
this study would never have become a book.
During the years of research, I have received invaluable support from the
Royal Swedish Academy of Music, the Helge Ax:son Johnson Foundation and
the Sten d’Aubigné Foundation, which made possible – among other things – the
many journeys between the universities of Stockholm, Palermo and Rome.
Gunnar Ternhag’s enthusiasm and generosity were vital to me in the last two
years of the work. In the final stages, B. Tommy Andersson designed the most
complicated music examples (Bruckner and Mahler) and, along with Magnus
Svensson, spent hours with those I thought that I could manage myself. They
saved me from too many sleepless nights. My editors Heidi Bishop, Emma Gallon
and Philip Stirups at Ashgate have been splendid to work with.
Most of all, I would like to express my endless gratitude to my family: my
beloved wife Rosa Maria and our dear children Giorgio and Paolo, too often far
away in geography but never in my heart.