Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Borris, Siegfried

Titel

Einfluß und Einbruch primitiver Musik in die Musik des Abendlandes

Ist Teil von

• Sociologus, 1952-01, Vol.2 (1), p.52-72

Ort / Verlag

Duncker & Humblot

Erscheinungsjahr

1952

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• The word "Occident" should be understood in the comprehensive sense of "Gestalt" including all kinds of cultural phenomena, expressions and phases. It refers to the second Christian Millennium. Western Music is specifically distinguished by its using several voices. This may reflect the spiritual life of the cultural space in France, England, the Netherlands, Italy and Germany, in distinction from the surrounding countries. Within this comprehensive space spread, however, a number of minor and divergent tendencies (Northern German, Southern German, French, Italian). The Western Music attained musical tradition and convention of canonic moment. It had been rationalized and differenciated, while "primitive" music preserved its idiomatic habitude. In countries with "recent musicality" (Russia, England, Balean, U.S.A., Southern America), music is now composed yonder the western canons. Except that 1. The Western music contains a kind of atavistic residues, as folksongs, calls, medieval religion poems, dancing tunes etc. 2. The national idioms provide continuously incentives from the borderlines for the Western music. — The western music started from primitive music of the late antiquity, from exotic roots of Hellenistic, Jewish, Alexandrinic, Arabic, Byzantine music to a new style. Each musical style began at first in the respective cults within its sphere. — About 1800 the colonial development of the Occident extended its contacts with exotic music. The continuous development since the 19 th century was split up in various nations and in representative persons as Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms, Wagner, Verdi. The folklore of some nations had been resorbed by Chopin, Liszt, Gade, Smetana, Tschaikowsky, Grieg. The contacts had been increased by "outsiders" and "provincials" from North-, East-and Southern Europe, while a crisis began to grow up in the western music itself. The musical differentiation led to a fabulous rise of problems in hearing and creating (Wagner, Bruckner, Wolf, Reger, Mahler). Debussy's impressions implied a dissolution of constitutive elements of the western musical canon. Strawinsky, however, became the pacemaker for the expansion of expressionism. — This first phase of the invasion of primitiv music into western music 1910—1919 may be called "stile barbaro" (Strawinsky „Sacre“, „Les Noces“, „L'Histoire du soldat“). — The second phase (1919—1925) is particularly associated with its meeting of Jazz (1917—1918). Jazz, after the first world war, flowed in sometimes grotesque tunes not only into the places of amusement, but affected also musical art. It may be compared with the triumphal procession of Viennese waltz. The Rag-times, Blues etc. that came to Europe represent "reflected" exotic. Strawinsky was conscious of that. He was delighted by the popularity of Jazz and its fresh and unknow rythm. He strived to give the weight of a concert piece to it, as former musicians handled menuett, waltz, mazurka. Strawinsky dissected the elements of Jazz for obtaining certain rythms and formulas of melodies. In this way he "tamed" the barbaric impulses of primitive Jazz. — In a third phase (25—34) the tunes are stabilized, hardships and exaltations are ringing down. It implies a certain success of tradition. It may be represented by Strawinsky's oratorical opera "Oedipus Rex" (1926), by Hindemith's "Cardillac", and Strawinsky's "Psalmensymphony" (1930). — The fourth phase refers to the years 1934—45. It may be called "Western Primitivity", represented by Carl Orff. His compositions from the "Carmina burana" up to "Antigonae" go back to early Occident: Gregorian chant and Minnesongs. This fourth phase is distinguished from the first one. Orff exhibits relations to former phases by deriving his language of tunes from dancing; his musical instruction is connected with training of the body. Orff's production is reduced to melodic outlines and rythmic gestures. Orff's influence of his concise style upon German composers is much more intensive than generally credited, e. g. shown by Wagner-Régeny and v. Einem. — Since 1945 some new symptoms turn up: the fifth phase. A new discussion with Jazz enters (after the end of the second world-war). It may be explained by antagonism against convention. Nevertheless Strawinsky's „Ebony Concert“ awakens and uplifts emotions of Jazz elements to obtain a symphonic style. These Jazz-Intermezzi and Jazz-concerts are, of course, inferior to the originality of Jazzbands. Since 1945 grows also up a tendency towards Exotic. Some French composers, Messiaen and Jolivet, attacked western convention by exotic models. Messiaen started from the spirit of cult and magic. Jolivet quite consciously aims at a revival of primitive musical disposition. Contrary to Orffs occidental primitivity, Jolivet produces a „Deutero-Exotism“ by his „Incantations“. Varèses „Ionisation“, however, represents a special case of modern primitivity by his noise-music without harmony and melodies, but with air-protection sirens and alarm signals. — It would be precocious to condemn all such attempts. The influences of primitivity and of foreign music ultimately are changes and modifications of Western music, primitive or foreign elements had been snatched upon, adapted, and the results became new phenomena of Western music. Primitivity grew to a new efficiency and new possibilities.