Changing the System: The Music of Christian Wolff

284 Pages·2010·7.631 MB·English

by  Stephen Chase, Philip Thomas, Stephen Chase, Philip Thomas

Changing the System:
The Music of Christian Wolff
Edited by
Stephen Chase and Philip Thomas
Changing the SyStem:
the muSiC of ChriStian Wolff
This page has been left blank intentionally
Changing the System:
the music of Christian Wolff
edited by
Stephen ChaSe
Independent scholar and composer
philip thomaS
University of Huddersfield, UK
© the editors and contributors 2010
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.
the editors have asserted their right under the Copyright, Designs and patents act, 1988, to
be identified as the editors of this work.
published by
ashgate publishing limited ashgate publishing Company
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Changing the system : the music of Christian Wolff.
1. Wolff, Christian, 1934 – Criticism and interpretation. 2. avant-garde (music)
i. thomas, philip. ii. Chase, Stephen.
780.9’2–dc22
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Changing the system : the music of Christian Wolff / [edited by] philip thomas and
Stephen Chase.
p. cm.
includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978–0–7546–6680–6 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Wolff, Christian, 1934 – Criticism and interpretation. 2. music – 20th century
– history and criticism.
i. thomas, philip, 1972– ii. Chase, Stephen (Stephen timothy)
ml410.W814C53 2009
780.92–dc22
2009050049
ISBN 9780754666806 (hbk)
ISBN 9781409406914 (ebk)
Bach musicological font developed by © yo tomita.
V
Contents
List of Music Examples vii
Notes on Contributors xi
Foreword, Michael Parsons xiii
Preface, Stephen Chase and Philip Thomas xxi
ParT I: reCePTIon, HISTory
1 ‘our Webern’: Cage and feldman’s Devotion to Christian Wolff 3
Michael Hicks
2 Christian Wolff in Darmstadt, 1972 and 1974 23
Amy C. Beal
ParT II: THe MuSIC
3 for pianist: the Solo piano music 51
Philip Thomas
4 mutual effects: organization and interaction in the orchestral
music of Christian Wolff 93
James Saunders
5 exercising the ensemble: Some thoughts on the later music of
Christian Wolff 125
Christopher Fox
ParT III: PoLITICS
6 Changing the System: indeterminacy and politics in the early
1970s 143
David Ryan
7 ‘there is always a time’: Words, music, politics and Voice 171
Stephen Chase
vi Changing the System: The Music of Christian Wolff
ParT IV: PerforManCe
8 Prose Collection: the performer and listener as Co-Creator 193
Clemens Gresser
9 Playing the Game? Five Reflections upon Performing Christian
Wolff’s music 211
Philip Thomas
List of Works 219
Bibliography 237
Discography 245
Index 253
list of music examples
1.1 Christian Wolff, Duo for Violins (1950), opening 15
1.2 morton feldman, Three Voices (1982), opening 17
1.3 morton feldman, For Bunita Marcus (1985), opening 18
1.4 morton feldman, For Christian Wolff (1986), opening 18
3.1 Christian Wolff, For Prepared Piano (1951), movement 4 56
3.2 Christian Wolff, For Piano I (1952), bars 1–3 58
3.3a Christian Wolff, For Pianist (1959), page 1, upper system 63
3.3b Christian Wolff, For Pianist (1959), page 3 64
3.3c Christian Wolff, For Pianist (1959), page 2, upper system 64
3.3d Christian Wolff, For Pianist (1959), page 9 65
3.3e Christian Wolff, For Pianist (1959), page 11, beginning 66
3.4 Christian Wolff, Accompaniments (1972), part iV, beginning 70
3.5a Christian Wolff, Bread and Roses (1976), page 2, lines 6–7 73
3.5b Christian Wolff, Bread and Roses (1976), page 3, lines 6–7 74
3.6 Christian Wolff, Preludes 1–11 (1980–81), prelude 10, opening 78
3.7 Christian Wolff, Long Piano (Peace March 11) (2004–2005),
number 34 80
3.8 Christian Wolff, long Piano (Peace March 11) (2004–2005),
number 58 81
3.9 Christian Wolff, Keyboard Miscellany: No. 8 (1997) – also the
coda to Touch (2003), beginning 83
3.10 Christian Wolff, Pianist: Pieces (2001), 2nd movement, page 4,
beginning 84
3.11 Christian Wolff, Keyboard Miscellany: No. 7 (1997) 85
3.12 Christian Wolff, Name Piece: Charles Hamm (1991) 85
3.13 Christian Wolff, Pianist: Pieces (2001), 3rd movement, second
system 87
3.14 Christian Wolff, Touch (2002), bars 403–415 89
4.1 notation types at the end of Christian Wolff, Exercise 22 (Bread
and Roses for John) (1982), page 4, line 3 97
4.2 opening bars of Christian Wolff Exercise 22 (Bread and Roses for
John) (1982) and Exercise 24 (J.C.’s Bread and Roses) (1983) 100
4.3 Cueing in Christian Wolff, Exercise 25 (Liyashizwa) (1986) bars
17–19 101
4.4 Christian Wolff, John, David (1992/1997–98), bars 131–41, showing
the superimposition of two songs 104
viii Changing the System: The Music of Christian Wolff
4.5 Christian Wolff, John, David (1992/1997–98), rhythmic structure
and use of ‘Westryn Wind’ in the second half, bars 211–18 105
4.6 Christian Wolff, Black Song Organ Preludes (1987), use of staves
to determine the orchestration of lines in Spring (1995),
movement i, bars 29–31 106
4.7 William Billings, I Am the Rose of Sharon (1778) and Christian
Wolff, Spring (1995), movement ii, bars 70–80, use of multiple
clef readings 108
4.8 Christian Wolff, Spring (1995), movement iii, h 109
4.9 Christian Wolff, Spring (1995), movement iVb 111
4.10 Christian Wolff, Ordinary Matter (2001/2004), piece 1 114
4.11 Christian Wolff, Ordinary Matter (2001/2004), piece 5, orchestra i 116
4.12 Christian Wolff, Peace March 8 (2002), orchestra 1, material 119
4.13 Christian Wolff, Peace March 8 (2002), orchestra 4, excerpt 121
5.1 Christian Wolff, Instrumental Exercises with Peace March 4
(1985), movement 1, bars 61–5 128
5.2 Christian Wolff, Instrumental Exercises with Peace March 4
(1985), movement 1, bars 1–4 129
5.3 Christian Wolff, Instrumental Exercises with Peace March 4
(1985), movement 3, bars 1–6 129
5.4 Christian Wolff, Peace March 4, trio (b), figures 38–40 131
5.5 Christian Wolff, Apartment House Exercise (2002), part B 136
5.6 Christian Wolff, Apartment House Exercise (2002), part e, sections
9–10 137
6.1 Christian Wolff, Changing the System (1972–73), section ii, upper
system 145
6.2 Christian Wolff, Changing the System (1972–73) part iia, page 1,
upper system 147
7.1 Christian Wolff, Accompaniments (1972–73), section i, p. 1 175
7.2 Christian Wolff, Wobbly Music (1975–76), part ii: ‘John golden
and the Lawrence Strike’ (Joe Hill version), lines 4 and 5 182
7.3 Christian Wolff, Wobbly Music (1975–76), part Vi: ‘John golden
and the Lawrence Strike’ (‘composed’ version by Wolff), lines 4
and 5 182
7.4 Christian Wolff, Wobbly Music (1975–76), part Vii: ‘if there Was
any Violence’, p. 2 183
7.5 Christian Wolff, I Like to Think of Harriet Tubman (1985), p. 12 186
All works by Christian Wolff are © Copyright by C.F. Peters Corporation, New
York. Reproduced by kind permission of Peters Edition Limited, London.
List of Music Examples ix
morton feldman Three Voices
for voice and tape, © Copyright 1982 by universal
edition (london) ltd., london/ue 21409. reproduced
by permission. all rights reserved.
morton feldman For Bunita Marcus
for piano, © Copyright 1992 by universal edition
(london) ltd., london/ue 17966. reproduced by
permission. all rights reserved. international copyright
secured.
morton feldman For Christian Wolff
For flute and piano (/celeste), © Copyright 1986 by
universal edition (london) ltd., london/ue 18475.
reproduced by permission. all rights reserved.
international copyright secured.