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Music at the Bauhaus, 1919–1933

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 January 2016

Clement Jewitt
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Extract

It is a curious fact that there is very little crossover between studies on the visual arts and those on the auditory. There are general cultural histories, to be sure, but even in those the two are generally treated separately, following the habitual trend. There appear to be few people who can think equally easily in or with respect to both modes, despite honourable exceptions such as Richard Arnheim and Raymond Head. Yet there are grounds for thinking that music is intrinsic to the human psyche, starting with the obvious fact that, barring severe pathology, everyone includes music one way or another as an important component in their lives: the inference is that it is necessary. But this is material for wider study (as for example Zuckerkandl: Sound and symbol, Blacking: How musical is man, Tomatis: The conscious ear).

Type
Research Article
Information
Tempo , Issue 213 , July 2000 , pp. 5 - 11
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2000

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References

1 The Bauhaus: Weimar, Dessau, Berlin, Chicago.

2 Several quotations from Bauhäuslers given here are taken from a delightful and useful compilation by Neumann, Eckhard, Bauhaus and Bauhaus people: personal opinions and recollections (1970)Google Scholar.

3 Published in Bryan, Gilliam (ed)., Music and performance during the Weimar Republic (1994)Google Scholar, in which there is no mention of Bauhaus.

4 There is further discussion on this issue, including the Scriabin ethos, in Lang, Rose-Carol Washton, Kandinsky, the development of an abstract style, 1980 Google Scholar.

5 As well as Neumann's, compilation, there are a number of personal observations and reminiscences in the catalogue of the 50 Years Bauhmis exhibition (1968)Google Scholar. These were the stimulus for Neumann.

6 Modern music in that context is also recalled by Xanti Schawinsky: Antheil, Stuckenschmidt, Stravinsky and Hindemith, though one may wonder whether he is also remembering the Bauhaus week concerts (see Concerts and Musical events, following).

7 Stuckenschmidt recalls other performances than those for example ‘Eduard Erdmann spielt Kreneks Toccata und Cliaconne’. Perhaps there were some informal events.

8 Reprinted in the catalogue of the 1968 exhibition from Neue Zeitiung, 14 January 1950.

9 Probably the only extant recording of any of his works. according to the reviewer, appears on a recent CD ‘Music at the Bauhaus: Steffen Schleiermacher plays piano music of Wolpe, Hauer, Vogel, Antheil and Stuckenschmidt’. See Tempo, Oct '99, p58. Whether these particular pieces heard at the Bauhaus is not known, though some of could have been.

10 A collaborator of Oscar Schlemmer in the at the time unofficial theatre work.

11 This was only the second performance, in the presence of the composer.

12 Busoni's health was at that time failing and he died in the following year. Tut Schlemmer, wife of Oscar, recalls hearing his music, piano pieces played by Egon Petri: see Fig. 1, Sonnabend. [The premières were four of the Kurze Stücke zur Pflege des polyphonen Spiels – Ed.]

13 Skelton, Geoffrey, who does not comment on the existence or not of the roll or rolls, in: Paul Hindemith: the man behind the music (1977)Google Scholar.

14 See his Man: teachingnotes from the Bauhaus (1971). The Triadische Bailett appears again, at least aurally, in the additional music for the second version of Stockhausen's, Momente (1962)Google Scholar.

15 Stuckenschmidt recalls improvising in the style of Antheil (piano cascades) for Kurt Schmidt's Mechanical Ballet in 1923. See Fig.l, Freitag.

16 ‘Musik am Bauhaus’ in Vom klang der Bilder – Die Musiek in der Kunst der 20 jahrhundert (1985).