Hans Werner Henze’s Early Political Thought: Three Case Studies Daniel Cooperman Department of Music Research Schulich School of Music McGill University, Montreal November 2011 A thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Masters in Musicology. © Daniel Cooperman 2011 Library and Archives Bibliothèque et Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de l'édition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-84164-8 Our file Notre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-84164-8 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant à la Bibliothèque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par télécommunication ou par l'Internet, prêter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des thèses partout dans le loan, distrbute and sell theses monde, à des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non- support microforme, papier, électronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. 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Table of Contents Abstract...................................................................................................... iii Résumé....................................................................................................... iv List of Tables, Figures, & Examples ...........................................................v Acknowledgements.................................................................................... vi Introduction A Political Composer...................................................................................1 Henze & Fascism .............................................................................2 Politically Committed Music ...........................................................8 Henze versus Darmstadt ................................................................13 Case Studies...................................................................................20 Note on the Sources .......................................................................23 Chapter 1 Political Withdrawal: Jüdische Chronik (1960–61) .................................27 Political Insecurity .........................................................................32 Aesthetic Disunity..........................................................................42 Conclusion .....................................................................................54 Chapter 2 Politics of a Team: Der Junge Lord (1963–64).........................................59 Bachmann & the Social Critique ...................................................61 Henze & Opera buffa.....................................................................70 Scoring the Critique .......................................................................76 Conclusion .....................................................................................83 Chapter 3 Joining the Resistance: In memoriam: Die Weiße Rose (1964–65)...........87 Politics of Resistance .....................................................................90 Aesthetic Debates in Italy ..............................................................98 Excursus: Analysis of Form & Pitch in In memoriam.................104 Musical Signs & Theatrics...........................................................115 Conclusion ...................................................................................120 Epilogue Political Waves ........................................................................................122 Bibliography ............................................................................................130 Cooperman ii Abstract Hans Werner Henze’s Early Political Thought: Three Case Studies Hans Werner Henze’s active engagement in socialist politics began in 1967 when he joined the Socialist League of German Students in Berlin. Most scholars who write about him as a political figure focus on his involvement after this time. They tend to overlook the earlier years, when Henze was far less involved in socialist politics and far more concerned with the resurgence of fascism — a term he associated with “hatred, deception, betrayal, racism, the loss of human dignity,” not to mention “xenophobia, provincialism, and militarism.” Like many artists and intellectuals in his generation, Henze felt the direct influence of fascism on his community as he watched his fellow countrymen succumb to National Socialist ideology. After the war, he was disappointed to see fascism continue to live on in society, as well as in Darmstadt’s dogmatic control over the postwar music scene. In light of his strong antifascist convictions, Henze broke away from the Darmstadt elite, who wished to distance music from society, and instead advocated for the redemptive value of music as politically committed art. Although the antifascist politics of his early career and how it plays out in his works have been given little focus in current scholarship, Henze’s relationship to fascism is central to his identity as a composer in the postwar years and to understanding his later political journey. Taking that as its point of departure, this thesis explores some of Henze’s earliest attempts to engage with his antifascist politics in his compositions. Looking specifically at the years 1960 to 1965, it is structured around case studies of three works: Jüdische Chronik (1960–61), a cantata that responds to acts of anti-Semitic vandalism; Der Junge Lord (1963–64), a comic opera that warns of a dark future for Germany; and In memoriam: Die Weiße Rose (1964–65), a double fugue for chamber ensemble written in honor of the Munich resistance movement. While the particularities of these works make it difficult to construct a precise representation of Henze’s political development, they do project a general trajectory in his career from a state of political insecurity to a feeling of social responsibility. Furthermore, the three case studies — a statement of protest, a social critique, and a memorial — shed light on the composer’s thoughts, as well as on the people and circumstances that shaped his outlook on the world. By revealing these early examples of politically committed works, this thesis demonstrates that Henze’s turn to socialist activism in the late 1960s was not as precipitous as it is often portrayed. Cooperman iii Résumé La pensée politique de Hans Werner Henze à ses débuts: Trois cas à l’étude La participation active de Hans Werner Henze dans la politique socialiste débute en 1967 lorsqu’il se joint à l’Union socialiste allemande des étudiants à Berlin. La plupart des chercheurs qui se sont intéressés aux activités politiques de Henze se sont concentrés sur son implication après cette période. Peu d’attention a été accordée aux premières années, durant lesquelles Henze était moins préoccupé par le socialisme que par la résurgence du fascisme — un terme qu’il associait à d’autres comme « haine, déception, trahison, racisme, perte de la dignité humaine », sans mentionner « xénophobie, provincialisme et militarisme ». Comme plusieurs artistes et intellectuels de sa génération, Henze a pu observer l’effet direct du fascisme dans sa communauté, alors qu’il voyait ses compatriotes se tourner vers l’idéologie national-socialiste. Après la guerre, il est déçu de voir le fascisme toujours vivant au sein de la société, notamment à travers le contrôle dogmatique exercé par Darmstadt sur la scène musicale de l’après- guerre. À la lumière de ses fortes convictions anti fascistes, Henze s’éloigne de l’élite de Darmstadt, qui souhaite séparer la musique de la société, et choisit plutôt de prôner le caractère rédempteur de la musique en tant qu’art politique. Malgré que la recherche actuelle ne se soit pas encore concentrée sur la pensée anti fasciste de Henze aux débuts de sa carrière et ses conséquences sur son œuvre, l’attitude de Henze vis-à-vis du fascisme fait partie intégrante de son identité de compositeur dans les années d’après-guerre, en plus d’être un aspect crucial dans la compréhension de ses activités politiques ultérieures. Partant de ce point, cette thèse examine certaines des premières œuvres de Henze reflétant sa pensée anti fasciste. Traitant particulièrement des années 1960 à 1965, le travail s’articule autour de trois études de cas: Jüdische Chronik