Music of the Twentieth Century PDF
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De Leeuw WT 25-07-2005 14:44 Pagina 1 TON DE LEEUW T O Music of the Twentieth Century N D A Study of Its Elements and Structure E L The internationally renowned composer Ton de Leeuw (1926-1996) wrote E about 150 instrumental, vocal and electronic compositions, including solo E U and chamber music, orchestral works and operas. A basic characteristic W of his work is the balance between Western technique and Eastern philosophy, rooted in his extensive research of oriental music. M First published in Dutch in 1964, this book provides anyone teaching, learn- u s ing or otherwise involved in contemporary music with an analytical i c rather than historical approach to twentieth century music. It reflects o De Leeuw’s profound insight into the composition process and builds on f his experience as a lecturer and composition teacher. t h e TON DE LEEUW Starting from examples by influential composers such as Stravinsky, T Schönberg and Bartók, the author presents a lucid investigation of key w musical elements like rhythm, melody, simultaneity and timbre. He Music of e creates a broader understanding of concepts never explored systemati- n t cally before by introducing new terminology and definitions. Also covered i e the Twentieth are exoticism and folklore, free atonality and 12-note music. This edition t h includes a 1995essay on the period beyond 1964. C Century Finally available in English, a wider audience can now discover this open e n minded composer’s vision on twentieth century music fundamentals. t u r A Study of Its Elements y and Structure amsterdam university press ISBN 90-5356-765-8 AMSTERDAM UNIVERSITY PRESS www.aup.nl 9 789053 567654 opmaak Music 15-07-2005 15:19 Pagina 1 Music of the Twentieth Century opmaak Music 15-07-2005 15:19 Pagina 2 opmaak Music 15-07-2005 15:19 Pagina 3 Music of the Twentieth Century A Study of Its Elements and Structure TON DE LEEUW Foreword by ROKUS DE GROOT Amsterdam University Press opmaak Music 15-07-2005 15:19 Pagina 4 Originally published as: Ton de Leeuw, Muziek van de twintigste eeuw (Utrecht: Oosthoek, 1964; 3rd edition: Bohn, Scheltema & Holkema, 1977) Translated into Swedish as:Nittoohundratalets musik (Stockholm, Bonnuers, 1967 (Aldussereien)) Translated into German as:Die Sprache der Musik im 20 Jahrhundert (Stuttgart, Frei Geistesleben, 1995) Translated into English by Stephen Taylor Cover illustration: Arlette de Leeuw Cover design: Studio Jan de Boer bno, Amsterdam Layout: PROgrafici, Goes isbn nur ⁄ © Amsterdam University Press, Amsterdam, All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this book may be repro- duced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the written permission of both the copyright owner and the author of the book. opmaak Music 15-07-2005 15:19 Pagina 5 Table of Contents Foreword by Rokus de Groot 7 Preface 9 Introduction 11 Chapter : Panorama 19 Chapter : Rhythm 37 Chapter : Melody 59 Chapter : Simultaneity 77 Chapter : Timbre 97 Chapter : Exoticism and Folklore 117 Chapter : From Free Atonality to -Note Music 135 Chapter : From -Note Music to… 163 Chapter : From the Sixties to the Present Day 195 Notes 205 List of Examples 209 List of Abbreviations 213 Acknowledgements 215 About the Author 217 Index 219 5 opmaak Music 15-07-2005 15:19 Pagina 6 opmaak Music 15-07-2005 15:19 Pagina 7 Foreword Ton de Leeuw basically wrote Music of the Twentieth Centuryin the period 1961 to 1962, a time of considerable change, both in contemporary music and in the author’s own life. The strong post-1945emphasis on concerted radical structur- al innovation of music had however largely passed. New music was opening up in many new ways to many worlds of music, both past and present. In 1961, De Leeuw travelled to India with a commission from the Dutch Ministry of Education, Arts and Sciences to explore the possibilities of cross- cultural artistic interaction. He shared a positive outlook on this type of inter- action with other composers and ‘culture makers’ in a time of de-colonialisa- tion. The trip to India reinforced De Leeuw’s awareness of the polarity that had once been associated with ‘East’ and ‘West’. De Leeuw at that time con- sidered this to be one of the major defining issues of contemporary Western art. On the one hand, he pointed to the exaggerated cult of personality, and on the other, to a way of life which he characterised as a liberation from sub- jective individualism, and as a ‘return to original being’. He illustrates this notion in chapter 6, in an account of Zen archery in Japan. Although he does not explicitly advocate either attitude in this book – which he does, for exam- ple, in many of his other texts – it is clear from his wording that his sympa- thy rests with the latter. Parallel to this polarity, he also compares the musical practices which directly relate to romantic aesthetics, the central notion of which he describes as a ‘servitude to oneself’, with those that preceded and followed it. One of his motives for writing this book was to wean his readers away from roman- tic aesthetics, which had already lost much of its vitality and relevance, and toward the opening of their ears to unheard worlds of music, such as the work of Debussy and Webern, which is sometimes described as where ‘silence becomes audible’. De Leeuw focuses on both of these interrelated polarities. Musically, the polarities consist of, for example, harmonic tonality on the one hand, and melodic and rhythmic modality on the other, not only in relation to music structure, but also as an expression of general attitudes toward life. Although a positive Western attitude toward Eastern sources and cultural practices, however biased, can be traced back to at least the end of the eigh- teenth century, it was still a relatively rare viewpoint in the study of music at the time De Leeuw was writing his book. A breakthrough had yet to occur. This finally happened at the end of the 1960s, during which time De Leeuw’s 7 opmaak Music 15-07-2005 15:19 Pagina 8 compositions, his work for radio, and for the print media – including the pres- ent book – played a role in this development, at least in the Netherlands. During his apprenticeship with the ethnomusicologist Jaap Kunst from 1950 to 1954, De Leeuw studied both written and sound sources of what was then still called ‘non-Western’ music cultures. Ton de Leeuw wrote his book from the viewpoint of a composer, with an eye to cultural criticism, especially in the final chapter. Therefore, his book is neither a history of music or a proposal for a new musical theory, nor a scientific study of musical structure. All of these aspects, however, do play a role. The reader is offered a general historical framework in chapter 1, while the last three chapters also offer a diachronic dimension. The author’s treatment of notation and terminology, meanwhile, contributes to the transmission and development of music theory. He also makes references to insights from scientific fields such as (psycho-)acoustics. The author’s two perspectives – as composer and as critic – will certainly serve as an incentive for readers to develop their own thoughts about music in a creative way. De Leeuw sets a good example in his various moments of wonderment, such as his awe for Debussy’s discovery of ‘listening’, and his discussion of the surprising parallels that Hidekazu Yoshida observed between Webern’s world of sound and Japan’s traditional art forms. De Leeuw’s book is presented as a study of the ‘elements and structure’ of twentieth-century music. This is most evident in the extensive discussion of rhythm, melody, simultaneity and timbre, each of which is covered in its own chapter. The issue of terminology also plays a significant role here; it was important at the time of writing, and remains relevant to this day. New musi- cal practices call for the development of a new language. The music that De Leeuw focuses on is a continuation of – and reaction to – the classical-romantic Western traditions that cover the period from Debussy until the mid-1960s. The final chapter offers an additional assessment of musi- cal developments and attitudes during the period from the later 1960s to the mid-1990s. The author, in a separate chapter, also expresses a marked interest in the approaches of Western composers to the various practices of folk music, of classical music traditions outside Europe and North America, and of jazz. The emphasis is on those aspects of twentieth-century music that were new during the time they were emerging. De Leeuw therefore focuses on a rela- tively small group of composers whom he considered as principal innovators: Debussy, Schönberg, Stravinsky, Webern, Bartók, Hindemith, Messiaen and Boulez. Varèse, Milhaud, Stockhausen and Ligeti also receive ample attention, as does the Dutch composer Willem Pijper, with whom De Leeuw had want- ed to study in 1947, but who passed away that very year. Ravel is mentioned only in passing, although the author was a fan of his work. Ton de Leeuw’s concise analyses are rare gems of musical acuteness. They represent a distinct invitation to readers to engage in their own research, and are inspired by De Leeuw’s promise of an ever-increasing sensitivity to both structure and sound. Rokus de Groot 8 music of the twentieth century opmaak Music 15-07-2005 15:19 Pagina 9 Preface It is remarkable how poorly informed those active in musical life generally are about even the most elementary technical matters concerning contemporary music. Such a lack of knowledge would probably not be tolerated in any other profession. Since even specialised literature hardly offers solace, the present book aims to underline certain technical aspects of contemporary musical language. It has been written from the point of view of the composer rather than that of the theoretician, an approach which has its advantages and dis- advantages, as one can easily imagine. This book is intended for various categories of readers. First and foremost it is addressed to the music student of today, for whom some knowledge of contemporary music may now be considered normal. Subsequently, it is writ- ten for all musicians engaged in one way or another in new music: perform- ers, teachers and others who in practice often face certain problems that can be solved through a deeper investigation of the structure of the musical lan- guage. But the well-informed musical amateur too may consult many chap- ters to his advantage. To make matters as concrete as possible, much use is made of easily acces- sible scores; thus compositions are discussed that may regularly be heard in the concert hall or through recordings. Electronic music has been left out of consideration. Not only are scores scarce, but a technical approach to the sub- ject is hardly meaningful unless the reader is at home in the world of the elec- tronic studio. The above-mentioned paucity of technical literature has obliged the writer to organise the content in his own way. It proved necessary, even with regard to terminology, to devise names and definitions for certain concepts. This, together with the hitherto unknown diversity of individual styles and tech- niques, will safeguard the reader from generalising about what is discussed, a path that would merely lead to new academicism. The specific purpose of this book is to encourage everyone to become better acquainted with living music. Preface to the Second Edition A period of more than seven years lies between the preparation of the first edi- tion and this second one, a considerable length of time in view of the rapidly changing contemporary music scene. Beside a few corrections this new edi- 9
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