britten, aspenaward

8/11/2019 Britten, AspenAward

1/5

Composcr nclSocien. 477

this ordering may be,

just

as

music reqllires one sound after another n a determinate

order

for its presentationand for its particular etTect n the listener, f anv.

It seernso me that man,vof the rvorksof the Darmstadt school of

composershave

suffbred

greatlv

iom the attempt to appll'certain mistaken

"philosophic

conceptions"

of timc to

music itself, though it is

clcar that the attractivene s of- hese conceptiorls

about, say, he "interchangeability

of musical moments" has ts roots ir-r

he kind of

visually-and spatial\.-derivedmechanistic

hinking that

originallv produced

total serial-

ism and was unconcemed from the outse t r.vith he problem of t ime-continuit l'

nn6 o6

producing feelings of tension and releaseand therefbre of musical motion in the

listener, but dealt

rather r,vith

unusualness

of aural effect, thus reducing music

tc r

mere

phvsical

sound.

Allen Edu.ards, Flan,ed Words ond Snthborn Soundy

A

Clnvers&tiln with

Elliott

Oarter'(Ncu'York: W. W.

Norton & Conrpanl',

Inc., l97l),90-94. Reprinteclbv permissior-r f W. \V. Norton & Companr,, Inc.

Copvright O 1971 bv lV.

l\' . Norton & Oompanv, Inc.

161

Composer

nd Society

I t is

obvious

hat he

musicof

Vardse,

Cage,

and Carter-the

subiects

f the last hree

readings-derives

ts

ust if icat ion

like

much twentieth-century

music) not

from

th e

humber of l isteners

t pleases, ut

from its contribut ion

o the

greatly accelerated

technical

and stylist ic

development

hat has cl.raracterized

odern art in all media.

The fact that the

development of art

resourceshas outpaced

the growth of art

audiences

s sometimes

hailed as evidence of creative

vitality

(indeed,

even as the

very definit ion of art

as dist inct from entertainment

or "kitsch"), and sometimes

deploredas evidence

of misplaced

alues.That has

always

been he debatesurround-

ing modernism.But he

r ise

of total i tar ianism

which

demandedsocial

elevance)n

the

first half of the century,and the Cold

War

(which

starkly

pit ted ndividual ibertv

against ollect ive

nterests)n the secondhalf ,

has

exacerbated

nd polit icallypolar-

ized the debate.

One of the strongest

oices on behalf of

social responsibil i ty-the

more credible

or its being uncoerced

by

polit ical

authority-was

that of

Benjamin

Brit ten

.1

13-76),

a

very

successful

r it ishcomposer,

especially

f opera,who con-

sciously

decided

not

to

seek efuge

n

an academic

careerbut

rather o put his art at

the serviceof hi s society.

Brit ten

composed

a greatdeal of

music or public ceremo-

nies,aswel l as he k ind PaulHindemith

see

. 112) i rs t

upheld

and

hen

(responding

to Cold

War pressures)ejected

as Cebrauchsmusik,

music for more private

social

use.

Brit ten's

ocialcommitmententailedanotherdecision-the voluntary esolve o

place imits,

abhorrent o

modernists,

n

his

own stylist ic

eregrinat ions.

he reading

that

ollows s

an abridgment f Brit ten's cceptance peechon

receiving prest igious

and

munif icent award from the Aspen Inst itute

or Humanist ic Studies,a l iberal

public policy organizat ion

whose

purpose, n the words

of its founder,

Walter P.

Paepcke,

was to

give business xecutives

the

opportunity

o understand

heir role

n

societyand to developgoalsand convict ions or their ives"-in otherwords, o give

capital is ts social

conscience.

l though he

ci tat ionaccompanying

he award

wa s


2/5

478 The Tl'enticth Centun,

worded n general

nd airlyplatitudinous

erms-"To Benjamin r itten,

vho,

as

a

br i l l iant omposer, er former,

nd interpreter

hroughmusic

of human eel ings,

moods,

nd houghts, as

ruly nspiredman

o understand,

larifyand

appreciate

more ul ly h is

own nature, urpose

nddest inv"- the

imingof

the

pr ize

makes

t

apparenthat t wasgranted

n appreciation

or Britten's arRequiem

1964),

sett ing

of the LatinRequiem

Mass nterspersed

ith antiwarverses

y the English oet

Wil f red

Owen,who

died on the

bat t lef ie ldur ingWorld

War l . The

work

was

composedor the rededication

f

Coventry athedral, hich had

been

bombed

v

the Cermans ur ingWorldWar l l . By specl fy inghat Russiannd Cerman ocal

soloists articipaten

the premiere erformance,

longwith

the Brit ishenor

Peter

Pears,

hecomposer 'song-standing

i fe

ompanion, r i t ten

a

paci f is t

nd

conscien-

tious

bjector) dded

o hecommemorativentent

hatof reconcil ing

f ormer-and

potent ia l

enemies.

The

designateclussian

olo ist ,

he soprano

al inaVishnev-

skaya,

as

denied ermission

y the Soviet overnment

o attend he

premibre;

he

f irstperformed erpart n

a

recording.)

I cer tainlv 'rite music firr human

bcings-directlv and deliberatelr.. consider

hei:

voices) the range, the por.er, the subtlen,, and tl-re color

potentialities

of

then'r. l

considcr he instruments hev plal'-their

most

expressivc

nd

suitable

ndir-iduai

onor-

ities. I also take

note

of the

human

circumstanccs

of music, of its cnvironment

ani

conventions; br

ir-rstar-rce,

tn,

to \\'rite dramaticallvetlbctivemusic lbr the theatre-I

certair-rh.on't

think opera s better fbr not being efTective n the stage

some

peoplc

think

that ellbctiveness w$tbe superficial).Ard then tl-rebest

music

to listen

to

ir.r:

grcat

Gothic

church s the polrphony l.hich \\-as

\iritten for it,

and r.as calculated or

it .

resonance: his u.as mv approach in the

Wnr

Requiezz-I calculated t fcrr

a Lric.

reverberant

acousticand that

is u'here it

sour.rds est.

I believe,

vou

see, n

uccosiortt;.'

lnusic.

You ntar.askpcrh;rps: or.r'far

can a conlposergo ir1 hus considering

he

demantls

of

people,

of

hum:rnitr,f

At manv tin-resn historv

the artist hasmade

ir conscious

etlbrr

to speak ,ith the

voice

of

the

people.

Beethor.en ertainlv

ried, in u'orks

asdiftcrent

a:

the Battle of

Vittori.o

Ialso

irnou'n

as Wellington's

Victorl,] and the

Ninth St'mphoil',

tc)

utter tlte sentiments

of a u'l-role

ommunit\r. From

the beginning

of Christiapitl

there

have becn n.rusicians

ho har,e

"r'anted

and tried

to be the sen'ants

of the church.

an.i

to express he devotior-r

nd conr.ictionsof

Christians)as such. Recentlv,u'e

irave had

thc cxamplc of

Shostakor.ich,

.ho

set out in his

"Lcningrad" Sr,mphonv o presellt,l

monument

to his

fbllou'citizens,

ar-r xplicit

expressiorr

br

them oftheir

ou.n endurance

and hercism. At a verv

dillbrent ler.cl, one fir-rds

ornposerssuch as

Jol.rann

Strauss

and

CieorgeGersllvin

airning at pror,iding people-the

people-rvith

tire

best

dance

music

and songs 'hich

thet, vere

capableof

making. And I

can find

nothing

wrons

r'r'ith

hc objectives-cleclarecl

r implicit-of

thesemen; nothing

\\'rong

n'ith

ollbring

to mv

fbllou'-nten

ntusic r.hich

mar, insplire

hem or con-rfort

then-r,

u.hich

mav

touch

them

or entertain

thent,

er.en educate

thcrn-directlv

and u'ith

intention.

On the

contranr)

t is the

composer's

dutl

,

ls a

member

of societl,,

o speak

o or for

his fbllou'

human

beings.

When I am asked o

composea

u.ork

fbr an occesir)n) reat

or small, rvant

o knori

in

some detail the cor-rditions f the place u4rere t u.ill be performed,

the size antl

acoustics) vhat nstrumcntsor singers .l'illbe ar,ailable nd suitable, he kind of people

rr'ho u,ill hear t,

anclu'hat anguage

her. 'ill understand -and er,en

sometime

the age

of

thc

bore.r

musle

under'

1)

perfir'

the

in .

and

c,

restl ie.

ltot

cl,.

thing

enous

and

si -

'I

gr()uf

gnrfu '

the

fir.

bectrltr

-

maY

ll-

of

ri rir

he

m;i'

1r1g

ol-.-

bv

tl'rc

to

frrc.

equ;rll'

is usel-.

thc

ri .

latest.

t tFoLttr . '

'I|

-

soclen

.

an\'

:]fI

essellt i : .

a

gcllr. l .

ablr,,

h

enor-rg:-

are

vcl-

orches:

cir, i l

sc '

ans\\'c

:

the

utr:

to

t '()ca

occasit

au,artls

comP.)'

canrat i

Dor. l.r:-

music

.


3/5

Oomposer

ncl Socictr

4-9

: rhe

iste.ers

and

perfbrmers.

For

it

is

futile

to

oflcr

childrer-r

music

bY

$'hich

tl-re

re

r()rccl,

or

r,hich

rn:rkes

hen-r

bel

nadequatc

or

tiustratccl,

u'hich

maY

set

thcu

aglinst

:::t_rsic

brever;

ancl

t is

insulting

to

acldress

1llvolle

n

a language

u'hich

thet'

do

tlot

,:irtle

stand.

During

the

act

of

compositioll

one

s

continr,rallr,ref-errir-rg

ack

o

tlrr cor-rditions

f

rertbrmance-n5

| hxlrs

."id,

th.

acollstics

and

the

forces

al'ailable,

he

techniqr-res

f

:he

i'struments

and

the

voiccs-sr.tch

qucstions

)ccup\r

onc's

attentiot]

col-ttinuouslv,

:r.rcl

certainly

a1lbct

hc

stuff

of

the

music,

ancl

in

ml'

experience

arc

uot

trnh l

:estrictiol, but I challerlge,an ilspirtrtion. Music doesnot exist n'l yacuum, it does

:tot

exist

until

it

is

perfoimcc'I,

arld

prerfbrmance

mp.ses

co^ditions'

It

is the

easiest

:hing

in tl-re

,orld

ro

u'rite

a

piecc

viriuaLh,or

otalh'impossible

o

perfclrm-but

oddli'

.,-ro,igl-,

l.rat

s

not

llrat

I

ptifb.

to

do;

I

prefbr

o

studt'

tl're

conditions

of

perforn-rance

:Lnd

hape

mv

music

to

them.

There

are

man1,

dangers

vhich

hedge

rour-rd

hc

unfbrtur-rate

omposer:

pressLrrc

groups

r.r,hich

eman.l

ti.re

pr,letarian

rnltsic,

s'obs

*'ho

demand

thc

latest

arant-

"gnrfl,r

rrr(jrrr,

ritics

r.ho

are

already

n,ing

to

document

toclav

for tomorrol"

t9

be

ih.

fi.r,

to

fi'd

the

corrccr

pigeon-hole

def

ition.

These

people

are

clanger.uq-not

because

hev

are

necessarii\,-of

rnr,

importancc

in themselves,

btlt

becirusc

hey

r.'av

makc

the

composer,

abo'e

all

ihe

\rolrng

composel'

selficonsciotls,

nd

instead

of

q.riting

his

oq,n,-,t.,ri.,

music

ryhich

springs

naturally

fiom

his

gift

and

personaliw'

1.,.

-r-r",'

'e

iightenc.l

into

n'riting

pretentiou-s

on'sense

r

dclibcrate

obscurin''

Find-

ir.r.g

ne,s

place

n

socien'

,,

"

.,ri-,rp,,r.r s not a straigl-rtfbnvardob' It is not helped

britl.r.

trttitr,rde

owards

the

.,rt.,1-,,o..r.

n

some

societies'

Br-rt

f

n'c in

England

har-e

to

fhce

a

consiclerable

lcliflbrerrce,

itl

other

countries

conclitions

cal

ireye

other'

equallv

ag,hr,r.ard

fTects.

1

totalitarian

regil]les,

u'e knou'

that

great

oficial

pressure

i,

.r..i

to

bring

ti-re

artist

nto

line

ancl

make

him

conform

to

the

State's

deologr"

ln

thc

richer

capltalist

countries,

m()ne\r

a'd

snobbish^ess

combine

to demancl

tl-re

latest,

newesr

manifbstations,

$'hich

I am

told

go

bY

tl-re

name

in

this

countn'

of

"Foundation

Music."

The

id.eal

cm

ciitions

firr an

artist

or

mlrsician

u-iil

never

be

fbunci

outsicle

the

ideal

socie6,,

.rnd

rvhen

shall

u'e see

hatf

But

I think

I cirn

ell

Jrou

solne

of the

things

$'l-ricll

ur-rr,

iair,

demands

iom

an\,societv.

F{e

demar-rds

h:rt

his

art shall

be accepted

as an

esser-rti,rl

art

of

human

acti\:ifi',

ancl

human

expression;

nd

that

he shall

be accepted

s

a genoirlepractiticner

of

that

art

a1c1

ollseqtlelltlY

f

yalue

o the

communitr';

reason-

u611,,

-r. clcmands

rom

sociefi,

a

seclrre

iving

md

a

pension

rvhet-r

e hasworhed lor.rg

enough; t l r is isabasisforsocieq. t< lof tbranusic ian,atnodestbasis. I r lact r - ra l fact t l rere

ur"

r,Jr...fbr.,

mr.rsicians

n

,-r-rt',r,,t,-ttt1l

l-ro

{il

ge a

pension

after

fbrfi'r'ears'lvork

in an

orchestra

or

ln

an opera

house.

This

must

bc

chlnged;

\\'e must

at

leastbe

treated

as

.ir.il

..r.."n,r.

Ott..

r\,e hal'e

'.r

material

Status'

\'e

can

accePt

l-re

eSponsibilitV

f

ans'.erinq

sociefi,'s

clernancls

i'om

us.

,{nd

societl'

shor-rld

nd

u'iil

clemaud

iom

us

the

utmoit

of or.rr

kill

ancl

gilt in

tl-re

llll

range

gf

music-making.

Herc

u'e come

back

to

..occirsional"

music.)

Thirc

should

be

speci:rl

music

made

and

pl;,rrted

br

ali sorts

of

occasions:

botball

matches,

eceptions,

elections

u'hy

not))

and even

presentirtigns

f

au,arclsl

ryould

haye

bcen

c'lelighted

o

h';n'c

been

greeted

l'ith a

special

piece

cornposed

crr

todar,

It might

haYe

urned

ollt

to

Lle

another

piece

as

good

as the

cant;a

Bach

u,rote

br

the

N:iunicipal

Election

at

Mtihlhausel-I'

r

the

Galliard

l"rat

ohn

Do$4and \\rote as a com;llirnent to the llarl of Esserl Some of

thc

greatest

pieces

of

music inourposscssion\ \ 'ereu'r i t tet l lbrspccia loccasions,grJveorga\ r '


4/5

480

The Tl'entieth

Centurl.

The

r.vordir-rg

fvour Institute's

Constitution

impliesan

eftbrt to presellr

he Ar-ts

.

a counter-balancc

o Science

n todav's

ifb. And

though I am

sure

),ou

do not

imasi.:

that there is

not a lot

of science,

nor.vledge

nd

skill n the

art of making

r-r-rusicin

t: .

calculation

of sor-rnd ualities

and colors,

the knon.ledge

of

the techniclue

of-instr--.,

ments

and voice

, the balance

of forms,

the

creation of moods,

ar-rdn

fhe developpc::

of ideas),

tvould

like to

tl-rink

vou

are

suggcsting

hat u4-rat

s importar-rt

n the

Ar-ts

.

nlt the

scientificpart,

the

analvzable

art of

music, but

the son-rething

'hich

emers.,

fronr

it

but transce ds

it, r.vhich

annot

be anal-vzed

ecause

t is not

in it,

ttut

of it.

y

-. ,

the clualitv r'hich cannot be accluired 1'simplv he exercise f a tecl-rnitluc r a sYsrer:-.

it is

sornething

to do r.r.rth ersonalit1.,

ith gift,

u'ith spirit. I qr-Lite

in-rplr.

all it-masi;

a qualitl'

u'hich u'or-rld

appear

o be

b,vno means

unachnol4edged

by scienrists,

rr::

u'hich

I r.alue

more

than arry

other part

of musrc.

This magic

comes

onlv u.ith

tl-resounding

of thc music,

u,itl-r

he turning

of

ti:.

r.r.'ritten ote

iuto sound.

The

experience .ill

be that mucl-r

more intense

and

reu'ardir:-:

if

the circumstances

orrespond

to u'hat

the composer ntended:

if

the

Sr. Matth;..,

Passion

s performed

on

Good Fridav n a

chr.rrch,o a

congregationof

Christians;

f

th;

song

cvcle

Winteryeise

Winter

Journel.]

by Schubert s perforrned

n

.r

room,

or in

:

small hall

of trul,v

intimate

character

o a circle of friends; if

Mozart's

opera

Dr,;:

Giovanni. s plaved to an

audience

u'hich

understands he

text and appreciates

hc

musical allusions.The

further one departs rom

thesecircumstances,he less

rue

xnri

more diluted is the experience ikelv

to be.

One rnust fhce he tlct that the vast majorit,vof musicalperformancesakc place .

fhr

alvav

rom

the original as t is possible

o imagine I do r-rot

mean simplr.Vercl i't

Falstaff

being given in Tokvo, or

the Nlozart Requiem in Madras.

I

mean of course

that such vorks

can be audible n an\.

corner of the globe, ot xn1, 1s6.nt

of the

dav

o:

night, through a loudspeaker,

u,ithollt

qLrestionof suitabilifi.

or comprehensibilin.

Anvone,

an1nr.'hereat anY

ime, can isten

o

Bach's

B Minor Mass

upon one

conditior:

onlt.-that

thel, possess

a machine

No clualificaticxr s required

of

arrr' sort-faidt.

r.irtue,

education,

experience,

ge. Music is nou'fiee

for all.

If I sav he loudspeaker

s

the principal

enem\r

of music, I

don't mean

that I am not grateful

to it es a rneans

or

educatior-r

r study,

or as an

er.oker of memories.

But it is

not part

of

true musicai

expet'ience

Regarded

assuch t

is simplv

a substitute,

ar-rd angerous

because

eluding.

Music

demandsmore

fiom

a listener han

simplv

the possession

f a tape

machine

or

.r

transistor adio. It

demandssome preparation,

sorneef}brt, a

ournev

to a special

lace

savingup lbr

a ticket, sotne homeurork

on the program perhaps,

sctme

larification

oi

the ears

and sharpening

ofthe instincts. t

demandsasmuch elfort

on the listener's

pan

as he other

two cornersof

the triangle, this holr.

triangle of composer,

performer

antl

listencr.

People

har.ealread)'asked

me tr,'hat

am

going

to do r,r,'ith

/our monev;

I haye

er-en

beer-r

old in

the

post

and

in the press

exacth,

hou. I

ought

to dispose

of it.

I shall

oi

coursepa)r

no

attention

to these

suggestions,

ou,ever

ul,ell-

r ill-intentioned.

But

one

thing I

knou' I

want to

do; I

sl-rould ike

to gir.e

an annual

Aspen

Prize for

a

British

composition.

The

conditions

u'ould

change

each

1,sx1;

ne

vear

t might

be fbr

a

rvork

lbr

yeu11g

.oices

and a school

orchestra,

another

)'ear

or

the celebration

of a national

event or

centenary) nother

time a u'ork fbr an nstmment u'hose

epertory s

small;

but

in

anv case

or

specific or general useillness. And

the

lun

r.vould

be instructed

tcr

chooseonlv that rvork u4-rich 'as a ;lleasure o pcrform and inspiriting to listen to. In

tl-risu'ay I

rvould

tn, to

expressm-v nterpretation

of tl-re

ntention

behind

the Aspen

Instittrt

-

able

ho '

13ejrrnrir'

An

Ba l

su

-

chL.

\v

(l:

gir

oel l

mLl:

n L l

''

ra :

lOfr '

nit ' .

eX .

his '

t lre

dr.r

an t

th.r '

BaI

ca

- '

I am ct,

concliti,

"ad\,art.

-

til-r-Ie

[.-

rvhich

comp().-

The nr-

t- .r fnrt--

ing in t.-

To '

been

er.

occasi


5/5

ll

ji

ii

Composer ndSocien,

481

Institute, and

to exprcss

mv \\'armest hanks,

mv most

humble thanks, or the unbeliev-

irble

honor r,r.hicl-r

vou

have au'arded

me today.

Bcr.rjarnir-r

rittcn,

"C)n

lteceiving he First Asper.r

ri'ard"

(Lonclon:

Faber &

Faber, I964).

An equally trong tatement

rom heother ide

of the

deological

ivide

wasMilton

Babbitt 'sThe Composer

s Specialist,"

talk Babbitt

ave

one

afternoonn

the

summer f

1957at he Berkshire

usicCenter t

Tanglewood,earLenox,Massa-

chusetts.Brittenurely newof it whenhe gavehisAspen cceptancepeech,or t

was nstantly

otorious,hanks

speciallyo the it le-"Who

Cares

f You Listen?"

given o

it by its

irstpublisher, magazine

or record o llectors.)

nd ever

since,

debate

verquest ionsf the

socia l

a lue

of

music nd he socia l

esponsib i l i ty

f

musicians,ggravated

y he unprecedented

ndvoluntary

ithdrarvalf signif icant

numbers

f twentieth-century

omposers

nto various

orts f "ivory owers,"

as

raged.

t is a curious

act

hat

proponents

f the

retreat,hough hey

aregenerally

looked pon

as headvance

uard, rgue

rompremises

hataredirectly

raceableo

nineteenth-century

omant ic ism.

or t is only s ince

he

Romant icshat here

has

existed

ny

conception

f an

art ist

whoseprimary

bligation

s o

hisart and o its

history,

ot

o patrons

r consumers

f any

kind.

Babbitt 's

rguments

ringup o date

the

posit ion

f Schoenberg's

society

or

Private

Performances"

see

p.

366)

by

drawing

n

analogy

etween

serious" usical

omposition

nd

scientif ic

esearch,

andby call ing hereforeor universityupport ndprotectior.rf newmusic-an idea

that

has ained

normous

cceptance

nd

mplementation

ince

hearticle

ppeared.

Babbitt

imself

asa

member

f the

aculty t Princeton

niversity.

erhapsignif i-

cant ly,

e

aught

mathemat ics

here

n

addi t ion

o

music.

I am

concerned

vith stating

an attitude

torvards

he indisputable

actsofthe statusand

condition

of the composer

of

r,r'hat

ve rvill, for the

mornent, designate

as

"serioLrs,"

"advancecl,"

contemporary

music.

This composer

cxpends an enormolts

amount of

time and encrg,v-and

usuallv,

considerable

monev-on

the creation

of a commodiw

rvhich has little,

no, or negative commoditl.

value. l{e is,

in

esseuce.

a

"r'auiry"

composer.

The

general public

is

largelv

una\vare of

and uninterested

n

his mr-rsic.

The

majoriw of

perforrners shurr it and

resent it. Consequentll',

the

music is little

performed,

and then

primarilv

at poorly attended

concerts

befbre an

audiencec

britten, aspenaward

Documents