Stockhausen serves imperialism, and other articles: With commentary and notes

126 Pages·1974·2.25 MB·English

by  Cornelius Cardew

All music reflects the political lines and
embodies the ideas of definite social classes. In
composing musicthpeo litical aspecits of
paramount importance.I n performance and
criticism of music the political aspect is of
paramount importance.
In this book Cardew documents hisa ttempts
to place the contradictions in modern music
in relation to the main contradiction in the
world today: the contradiction between
imperialism andt he people of the world.
Politically, in the imperialist heartlands, this
boils down to the question of which class
should hold political power, the bourgeoisie
standard-bearers oifm perialism! or the
working masses.
The classc haracter of the performing group
called the Scratch Orchestra came home to
two of its members at a mass demonstration
on Mayday 1971 whent hey realisedt hat,
despite their ideal of a (cid:24)music for the people(cid:25),
they had nothing to contribute to the celebra-
tions of the most progressive sectiono f our
society, the working class.O n the initiative
of these two membersa n Ideological Study
Group wasf ormed which analysed the
Orchestra(cid:25)s composition and function from a
Marxist viewpoint. From this group camet he
impetus to attack the bourgeois avantgarde
Cage andS tockhausen!, toc riticise the efforts
of bourgeois composers top our progressive
content into their avantgardef orms Rzewski
and Wolff!, to repudiate the Scratch Orchestra(cid:25)s
own repertoire in particular, Cardew(cid:25)s Great
Learning!.
Every attempt to produce music that is
politically progressives hows upm ore glaringly
the necessitfyo r the musicians toin tegrate
with the workers ands upport theirs truggles
practically. Every upsurge of the militant
working classp oints up more clearly the need
to develop a vanguardp roletarian Party, a
Communist Party based onM arxism-Leninism-
Mao TsetungT hought, to lead the masses to
triumphant revolution.
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Stockhausen ServesIm perialism
and other articles

CORNELIUS CARDEW
Stoekhausen
Serves Imperialism
and other articles
with commentary and notes
_., ,_'F l _ _ ' _
First published in 1974
by Latimer New DimensionsL imited
104 Earls Court Road, London W8 GEG
© 1974 Cornelius Cardew
No part of this publication may be reproducedo r
transmitted in any form without permissioni n writing
from the publishers.
SBN 901539 29 5
Printed Ginr eat Britabiyn ThAe nchor lgrLetsds
and bound by Wm Brendon & Son Ltd
both of Tiptree, Essex
Contents
Introduction 7
Chapter I A History of the Scratch Orchest ra 1969-72
A History of the Scratch Orchestra
by RonE LEY 1 1
Chapter 2 Criticising Cage and Stockhausen
John Cage: Ghost or Monster? 34
Introduction to Cage(cid:25)s Music ey' Changes
by JOHNT ILBURY 40
Stockhausen ServesIm perialism 46
On Criticism 55
Chapter 3 A Critical Concert 64
Chapter 4 Self-Criticism: Repudiation of Earlier Works
Problems of Notation 79
Additional Material Presented at the Notation
Symposium 86
Criticism of The GreatL earning QI
Notes 1 05

Introduction
This 'bookr aises moreq uestions thanit answers.T wo questions
in particularh ave repeatedlpyo sed themselv:es
1! What are the relations of production in the field of music in
bourgeois society?T his is a theoretical question and can be
clarified by sifting through the masso f data and experience
available. Howevert,h e urgencyo f this problem is debatable.
2! What is the relative importancea nd significanceo f polemics
such as those documented in this book in the context of the
class strugglessu rging aroundu s in the imperialist heartlands
Q
today.
I will jcuosmt menotn b trhtiweefoslye q uiens tthiinoistnr os -
duction.
1! Becauseo f the law of copyright which is supposedto give
authors and composers control over the exploitation of their
works! on the one hand and the idealist image many an artist
has of himself as a (cid:24)creator(cid:25) on the other, there is a tendency to
imagine that the composeor r writer is a (cid:24)free producer(cid:25), that his
product belongsto him to do with as he seesfi t. In fact, a book
or a composition is not an end-product, not in itself a useful
commodity. The end-product of an artist(cid:25)s work, the (cid:24)useful
commodity(cid:25) in the production of which he plays a role, is
ideological influenceH. e is as incapableo f producing this on his
own as a blacksmithi s of producing ConcordeT. he production
of ideologicali nfluence ish ighly socialisedi,n volving in the case
of music! performers, criticsi,m presarios, agentsm, anagers, etc.,
and abovea ll and this is the artist(cid:25)s real (cid:24)meanso f production(cid:25)!
an audience.
In 'bourgeoiss ociety, thea rtist is in the employ of capitalists
publishers, record companies!, who demand from him work
7 .