lsic/P o stmo dern Th ought

1n Arbor: University of Michisan CHAPIER 12 of Postmodernism: jwal of Music" h Aestheti.s of ResistantStrains Vilian Bolcom. Ann Albor: , The Music of Helmut Lachenmannand Brian Ferneyhough :et." tn Aestheti* of Sdttual, edit- :on. Aqn Aibor: Unive$ity of RossFeller

"' Critical l"qairy 1l (Decembetl

ler-n.ezeprion." In Mahlet Eine Viesbadd: Breitkopf und Hiirtel.

In the 1950s,as the hegemonyof total serialismwaned, the Germancom- poserHelrnut Lachenmannand the British composerBrian Fernevhough beganwriting piecesthat posed srtreme solutionsto the compositional yoo"g composersfaced at that time John Cage had alreadv "rrl-d"*"."invaded" Europewith his ideasabout indeterminacyand aleatoricismin music. His presenceat the Internationale Ferietlurse ftu at Damstadt in 1958encouraged many Eulopeancomposers to questronand re-examinecertain types of modernist practice such as .Many opted to explore indeterminate forms and other types of perceived free- dom. Lachenmann and Ferneyhough, however, pursued diffcrent paths in their respective elJorts to move beyond the serial impasse. Each sought to reinjectvitality bacLinto the ideaofclosed-form composition through inte- gratingexcessive, unstable, and chaoticstructures. Almost threeand a half decadeslater, they continue to develop these issues in their work, issues that foreground qualities that rnake art a human endeavor. Throughout this essayseveral binary distinctions arc employed, not in order to demonstrate invariant separation, but instead to ur eash the fric- tion or contradictionthat fesultsfrom their points of contact. Rub two sticks together long enough and you'll begin to seea fire ,l THE MILLENNIAL DIVIDE On one side there are dreaners, poets, and inventors whose activities demonstrate a cornmitment to transcendence, infinitg and tLe sublime. They may resist pressuresto quantify, package, and sort, by creating things that quantify, package, and sort in the extreme. Thus, oppoltunities are crcaredfor brerkdounsand tuilure\.requirinB new caregone'. language'. and thoughts.on the other sideare bureaucrats,preachers, and a few old- school scientists,who pay homage to the concept of truth, in a world which they see as moving toward total explanation and accountabiliry.

249 Quantification and packaging are also their tools, but they use them to materialsand transforms erect the dtimate reductiodsm. Millennialism is once again upon us, tradictions they cortain. demonstrating, in full force, the ancient bifurcation between those who experimental writing of r aggressivelyseek the salvationo{ a secue and comprehensiveview of the Warhol. It att€mpts a cr world, and thosewho realizethat thc impossibilityof such a program has found, explicitly followir causednuch bloodshed,strife! and poverty. of dissension"(Lyotard I a "postmodemismof rea THE SHIFT elitist and blames it for tl seeksan absolutebreak r The new musicworld is populatedwirh a herercgeneousml.r of musicians, teristicof modernismis t somewith very litde in common.One possibiesubgroup of this world con- to initiate the new. Accor tains composers,performers, and listeners who try to resist the confines of ernismof reactionis sim slackening,pastiche, and reified appropriation.On one levelthey are pan (Lyotard 1993, 75), ofter of a larger cultural move toward radical expression(e.g., extreme spons), sinisterform it can be cha ev€r faster forms of arristic communication(e.g., speed metal and rap), risk-taking (e.9.,tornado following), aad wider sexual boundaries(e.g., Toop said in regardsto tl new millenariantotalitar genderbending). On anotherlevel their "resistance"requires an aesrhetic semiradical r oI excess, which is, according to Lyotard, a condition of Jean-Franqois (d€finitively, ( postmodemisrn([19791 1984, 81). this time)" up arms one shouldreme POSTMODERMSM modernismare not necess partakeoI aspectsof botl Postmodernisrn,as hasbeen olten pointedout, is a term fraught with con- tradiction. I{ modernismcan be characterizedas an ideologyof conslant LACHENMANN AND I crisisand transsressiorwhat would it meanto move beyonditl The inher- Compositionsby Lachenr ent contradictionsin the term "postmodemism"have spawned a plethora yet they do share some ( o{ competingdefinitions. Part of the problem is that there are at lesst as musicby their relationshi many types of postmodernism as modernism. Ve should recall that mod- this fate, othersrejectins ernism itseif was vast and by no meansconsistenr. Some types of mod positionsreside within th ernismare easierto grasp,less controversial or contradictorythan others. is susceptibleto cornmodi Some arc readily acceptedas maiDstreambeacons o{ their represented idealistic,utopian vision i objects,while othersflort toward the marsins,resisting the pull toward the Both composersha, center. tn perhaps its best-knowu form, as put forth by the arr hisrodan sciously reassessedtradi ClementGreenberg, modernism was a defenseagainst what we now call practice.Both alsoincorp postmodemisrn(see Siltinan 1990, 84). Thus,it lamentsthe erosionof the anismswithin a framew( distinction between high culture and commercial or popular ctlture. This Elke Hockings has pc explains Lyotard's well-known, paradoxical claim rhat posrmodeInism Lachenmann\and Ferne. doesnot sisllal th€ end ofmodernism but rather r new beginning(Lyotard 1984.79\. are careful to compos€ s "solve" it with somekin( So, what is the de6nition of postmodernism?Hal Fosterand others philosophicalgap betwer (e.g.,Noris 1990)have parsed .he rerm accordingto a fundamentaloppo- (Hockinss1995, 14). sition between a "postmodernism which seeksto deconstruct modernism This contradictoryi and resistthe statusquo," and a "postmodernismwhich repodiatesthe for- cedures may be linked mef,to ceiebrat€ the latrer" (Foster 1983, xi). The former strategy which he I-achenmann studied with calls a "postmodernismof resistance"appropriates modernist devices or very rnuch taken with tht 6i clPo stmoderh T b ought Resistant S*ains of P ostmodemism 2s1

tools, but they use them to materials and translorms them by delib€ratelt exposing the inherent con- rsm ls once agan upon us, tfadictions they contain. This strand is thus more closely related to the :urcation betweenthose who expedmental writing of the Language Poets than to the pop art of Andy rd comprehensiveview of the \trarhol. lt attempts a critical deconstruction of tradition wherever it is ibility o{ sucha progam has found, explicitly following Lyotard's motto that "invention is always born o{ dissension"(Lyotard 1984, xxv). The latter strategy,which Fostercalls a "postmod€rnismof reaction," accusesmodernism of beingunnatulal or elitist and blames it for the unfortunate consequencesof modernization. It seeksan absolute break with rnodemism. Paradoxically, a defining charac- musicians, :emgeneousmL\ of teristic of modernism is that it is necessaryto break with the old in order con- Lesubgroup of this world to initiat€ the new. According to Lyotard the break required o{ a postmod- of ho try to resist the confines ernism of reaction is simply 'a way of forgetting or repressing the past" part rn. On one levei they are (Lyorxd 1993,75), often repeatingrather than surpassingit. ln its most (e.9., sporlsJ, rressron exteme sinister form it can be characterized, as the Australian musicologist Richard and raP), L (e.g.,speed metal Toop saidin regardsto the New Simpticitycomposers, as a "longing for a (e.g., "'idersexual boundaries new millenarian totalitarianism, in which the works of radical and even an aesthetic istance"'requires semiradicalmodernism can once again be proscribedas 'decadentari rqois Lyotard, a condition of ldeJinitively,this time)" (Toop1993, 53). Whateverthe case,before taking up arms one should remember that the two alorementioned F/pes of post- modernismare not necessarilymutually exclosive.Mostcomposers, in lact, panakeot a'pecuof both. ut, is a telm fraught with con ed as an ideologyof constant LAC}IENMANN AND FERNEYHOUGH inher- to move beyondit? The Conpositionsby Lachenmannand Ferneyhoughare larsely incomparable, plethora sm" have spawned a yet they do share some comrnon ground. Adorno differentiated types ot at least as m is that ther€ are music by th€ir relationship to their status as a commodity, some accepting that mod- o. Ve shouldrecall this {ate, otherc rejecting it. Both Lachenmann's and Ferneyhough's com- ,nsistent. of mod- Sometypes positionsrcside withh the laner type. ln a world wherealrnost everything I or contradictorythan oth€rs. is susceptibleto commodification their intentional resistancestems lrom an beaconsof their represented idealistic,utopian vision about what musiccould become. pull the rs,resisting the toward Both composershave developedconsistent, personal styles, con_ put forth by the art historian sciously reassesscdtradition, and critically deconstructedpedormance call nse againstwhat we now practice.Both alsoincorporate counter-intuitive or counter-habitualmech- the Ls,it lamentsthe erosionof anisms within a framework that nourish€s the chaotic and the complex ercial or popular orlture This Elke Hockings has pointed out that o{ten the stimulus behind al claim that postmod€rnism Lachenmann's and Ferneyhough'smusic is a contradictory impulse. They (Lyotard ther a sew beginning are caretul to compose stfl.rcturesthat nourish contradiction rather than "solve" it with some kind of false synthesis. Their work thus bridges the misrn? Hal Fosterand others philosophical gap between German generalizing and English positivism oppo- ording to a tundamental (Hockings1995, 14). eks to deconstmctmodemism This contradictoryimpulse in their useof rigorouscompositional pro for' .nism which repudiates the cedures may be linked to their studies with unorthodox serialists. h€ . The former strategy which La'henmann srudied u irhKarlheinz Stocklau.en and I uigiNono. and t * or ropriates modernist devices velv much taken with the lafter comDoser'svision of lvhat western music 252 Postnodern M1rsi./Postmodem Thougbt Resistakt Struins ol Pol might become in the altermath of the Holocaust, t t pivotal demonstration aleatoricism,which he disc o{ the {ailureofreason to standup to fascistpower Lachenmannwas influ- In it he saysthat the assu encedbyNonot reiectiol of nineteenth-centurybougeois elementsand his crepancy between process basic concern for the social and political functions oi music. In advancedserial practicec( Lachenmann'sown composidons the result is' according .o David urcritical mimeticism of th Alberman, "norhing lessthan a Cartesianreassessment of Westernmusic thc Iracture was naively and art in general.Central tenets such as the urconditional pursuit of (Ferneyhougl1994, 18). H beaury, standardised definitions of beauty, or the notion that rnusic should postmodem powerplay in only soothcthe human mind, and not disturb it.. . come under critical replacesanother (20). The scrutiny" (Alb€rman1995, 151. mistaken for serialismor Ferneyhoughstudied wiih the Swisscompos€r and was Foste!'sposrmodernism of inf.luencedby Huber'ssense of transcendentalism-Ferneyhough, according Lachenmannand Fernr to Toop, is one of the {ew composerslo "remain faithtul to the idea of art ing the mostout ofmusic.'l as the endlesssearch for the transcendenbl,and o{ musicas potentialrev- compositionaltechniques. elation" (Toop 1993, 54). Unlike someof the orthodox serialists,his com- Ferneyhoughhas called"tt positionsdon't s€ekto exhaustmaterial but rather to unleashits Iuture erenceto LachenmanntmL potential.Speakiry in generalterms, a total serialpiece' like much process- manner. ln a selrsehis mu orientedmusic, begins with the initiation of a processand endswhen the bodiesand their instrumer processends, usually after most, if not a1l,permutations have beenused. anew with their instrumen Felneyhough'scompositional approach is much broaderin scopeand more brought about through t narrowly focusedon systemicprocedure in order to create,or uncover; instructionallayers. In botl inherentcontradictions in the systemitself. It is certainlytrue, asJonathan Both conposers privilel Harv€y puts it, that "Ferneyhoughhas absorbedthe discoverieso{ total But, whereasFerneyhough r seriaLismto a profounderdegree thar almostanyone else ofhis generation, Lachenmann is more conct withort actuallysubscribing to its orthodoxiesin his music" (Haney 1979, sound. Their ecnture (that i! 123). Fcrneyhorgh distinguishes between three types o{ serialism to JacquesDeffidat notior (Ferneyhough1995, 227). The first is simply usedto generatethe material presence(Delrida 1978,29i of a piece.The secondinvolves a kind of sedimentationprocess from a es of substitution,leading I given set of initial elernents.The third ft?e, in which he hcludes his own Signfiers are literally the works, involvesa pressurizedchanneling of mateials throrgh a seriesof Ferneyhough'sscores requir gridlike filters. The pressureis causedby resistanceas one elenent is By injectins their musi pressedup againstanother. Often in his musicone can locatea dichotomy Ferneyhougl attempt to 10 benveen strict or automatic and inforrnal or intuitive structural app_ nition. One primary examl roaches.For example,complex webs of polyphony are harnessedwith or semiotic.Sonic noise mr organic, high'profile sestDres.The friction between these approaches Lachenmann'scomposition results in the extreme types o{ musical expression {or which he is known. as involving interference iI Both corrposersappropriate some accoutrements of serialand avant- incoryoratethis noisein th garde practice,but compositionaliyintegrate them though deccntering and dispersion,two hallmarksof postmodemtechnique r-or example,they LACI.IENMANN often utilize extended,instrumental techniques as an integral part of a Lachenmann'searly work work's iabric, rather than as specialeffects. With the possibilityopen for ' borrowed Nofl o's pointillis any sound,they meticulouslyshape their respectivesound worlds with a potertial of his materials(t variety of resources,excluding only reified takes on previousstyles. lt is to exploreradicaliy unconr instructive to repeat Femeyhough'stake on the post-\Votld War II move to compositional technique Iusic/Po stno dem Th ougbt Resistant Strai s of Posttnodernism 253 austj t e pivotal demonstration aleatoricisn,which he discussesin an essayentitled "ParallelUniverses." power Lachenmannwas influ- ln it he saysthat the assumptionthat "the increasinglythreatening dis- :ury bourgeoiselements and his crepancy between process and perception which lay at the heart of ical functions of rnusic. ln advanced serial practice could be annulled via recourse to the blatantly :sult is, according to David uncdtical mimeticism of the aleatoric, in which the problematic nature of reassessmentof Western music the {racture was naiveiy ceiebrated rather than rigorousiy probed" I the unconditional pursuit of (Ferneyhough1994, 18). He goeson to linl this assumptionwith a kind of )r the notion that musicshould postmodernpowerplsy in which one metadiscourseof repressionmerely urb it . . . come under critical replacesanother (20). The work of Ferneyhoughand Lachenmamis ofien mistaken for s€rialism or avant-gardism but it more closely resenbles ,mposerKlaus Huber and was Foste/spostmod€rnism of resistance. :alism. Ferneyhough, according Lachenmann and FerneyLough are controversial figures bent on mak- :main{aithful to the ideaof an ing the nost out of music.They employa diverserange of instrumentaland , and of musicas potentialrev- compositionaltechniques. In their music one frequentlyencounters what re orthodox serialists,his com- Ferneyhoughhas called "too muchness"(Feneyhoush 1995, 451). Ir ref' ut rather to unleash its future erenceto Lach€nmann'srnusic, instruments are played in every conceivable serialpiece, like much process- manner. In a sensehis music is about the collision between performers' ,f a processand endswhen the bodiesand their instruments.His pe ormersmust learn how to cornect permutationshave beenused. anew with their instruments.In Ferneyhough\music, "too muchness"is ,uchbroader in scopeand more brought about through the intentional overioading of in{ormstionay n order to create, or uncove! instructionallayers. ln both casesthe performer'sresponsibility increases. It is certainlyftue, asJonathan Both composersprivilege the act of writing and are fastidious notators. sorbedthe discoveriesof total But, whereasFemeybough minutely details alrnost every musical parameter, t anyoneelse of his generation, Lachenmarn is more concerned with detailing the methods {or producirg iesinh;s music" (Haffey 1979, sound. Their lrl,rt,/d (that is, the act of writinginotating mosical ideas)points en three types of serialism to JacquesDerrida's notion of p/ay which he defines as the disiuption of Lyused to generatethe material presence(Derrida 1978,292). Things are rendered unstable thlough process- sedimentationprocess lrom a es of substitution, leading to the excessive,overabundance oI the signifier. , in which he includes his owrl Signifiers are literally the basic sonic stuff of rnusic. Lachenmann's and ,f materialsthrough a seriesof Ferneyhough\ scoresrequire that their performers p/dy, not merely play. ' resistanceas one elementis By injectingtheir music with excessesof all kinds, Lachenmannand Lsicone can locatea dichotomy Ferneyhoughattempt to forestallthe closureinherent in all actsof recog rl or intuitive structural app- nition. One primary exampleinvolves the conceptof noise,whether sonic poiyphony are harnessedwith or semiotic.Sonic noise masks or mutatessound and is a primary tool o{ x between these approaches Lachenmam'scompositional technique. One might think of semioticnoise ession{or which he is known. as hvolving interlererrce in the process of sisnification itseli. They both rutrenents of serialand avant- incorporatethis noisein their music. 'ate them through decent€ring rn technique. For example, they LAC}IENMANN iques as an integral part of a Lachenmann'searly work was in a post'Webern,serial style. Although he ;. With the poxibility open for borrowedNono's pointillist technique,his primary focuswas on the sonic 'espective soirnd worlds with a potentialof his materials(see Gottwald 1980).In the late 1960she besan t t3les on previousstyles. It is to explore radically unconventional instftmental writing, and developed a the post-World War II move to compositional technique that he cal1s "rigidly constructed denial" 254 Posttno deril Musi./P ostno dern'f b ol1gbt Resktant Strdins of Post of llachenmann 1989b, 8). A! its core it involvesthe intcntionalexclusion unquestionedor habitral standards,brought into play through the use of + devicessoch as frasientation and masking-But' what is ultimatelvimpres- siveabout his musicis the powertul demonstrationof eryressiona4d the oersonalvision behindit Thus,his negltive dialecticis transformedinto a oosnve affirmatronof the humanspirit Mrh whr'h hs- Mu-h oI his re.err worl i. invol\cd 'ormt ''rnreerare todcal convention. On occasionthe pressureof traditiofl su acesas an audi- ble {eferencepoint. Fo! erample in works such as Mouuement 17982-84) tor mixert chamber ensernble,ot Tdllzsuite ffiit Deutschlandlied 11979180)tor orchestra and striry quanet, folk music, the Gelmar national anthem, nnd r. S. Bach serveas a kjnd of naked frame on which to hans his idiosvncratic sourd material. Each re{erenceis transformed via scratching, breathing, and &umming, so that only the rhythrns temain partially recognizable .- . In Laihenmann'scompositions noise is so well integratedthat distinc tiolls betweennoise and musicbreak down. For him compositioninvolves "a con{rontation with the interconnections and necessities of musical substance"(Clements 1994, 13) through a re-€xaminationof the funda- rnentalsof sound production.He {oregroundsthe act of making sound' exposingrather than concealingthe effort and techniqueof production At timesthi instrumentshe lvritesfor seemto take onhuman qualities,sound ing as i{ they breathe,shout, and groan.And as thev do this thev become part of new virtual instruments compositely mixed in order to, as he ptlts it, "ftacture the familiar" (13) The Russianfornalist Viktor Schlovskvhas (making the familiar described this process with the term ostranenie Fisure 12-1. Helmut Lac uselanguage in ord€r strange).The pdrciple aim of poetrywas, for him, to Permission of BreitJ

lvesthe intentional€xclusion of irt into pld] througl the use of ,. But, what is ultimatelyimpres- instrationof expressionand the 'e dialectic is transformed into a /i$ forms which reintegate his- *l r oI tradition surfacesas an audi- rch as Mouuement \1982-84) fot t Deuts.blandlied1L979/80) fot LeGerman national anthem, ard r which to hang his idios).ncratic ed via scratching, breathing, and r partially recogaizable. s so well integrated that distinc- 1 For him compositioninvolves ons and necessitiesof musical a re-examinationo{ the funda- ,undsthe act of making sound, and techniqueof production.At take onhuman qualities,sound- \nd as they do this they become ly mixed in ordo to, as he puts n forrnalist Viktor Schlovskyhas srdnenie lm king the Jamitiar 12-1. , (1959), for him, to uselanguage in order 'Figlrre Pression p. 1. Used by Permission of Breitkopf & Hetel. @ 1969 by 'see" anymore (Hawkes 1977, Musikverlag Hans cerig, K6h. 1980 assignedto Breitkopf s concept is behind much of & H:irrel, Wiesbaden. mentsin combinationto make a singlevifual instlumenrby mixing their Lachenmann'sacoustic, instru- attacksand sustains.lDterestingly, the clarinetand cello are usedto defeat reakingexperimentation of elec- the piano's natural dimiftuendo characteristic.This piece partakes in gical 4ecessity.Transferred into instnmerLtal musique corclite, but also usesriadic harmonies as a foil to that doesnt fit comfort- is born the more unfamiliar sounds. or technique.He calls this sim- ln Gtun Torco\1971-72, 1975, 1988) {or strins quart€tLachermann is definedtu his music throush explores an almost inaudible region as the players bow virtually every part (see Hockings 1995, 12). For of theil instruments. In the process of composing it, rhe strucrual areasfor et soloistper{orms as a kind of this piecebecame so overdevelopedthat ir would have beenirnpossible, r is used as a transrnitter of dif- given a concert performance, to per{orm them all. Thus, he utilized onlr 12-1 containsthe {irst page of rhr tono ol rhe piece.Here an e,pe.ialhpor€nr form or movementsand rhythms,coor DFrflda.norron ol plr). pu, rnroprrcure. figure l2-2 show,a secuonot depicts the strings, finger- 'hich the cello part. Once agah he utilizesrhe .,bridgecle{,, in additjon to rec- t1o. More recently in Alle3ro tangular notes to indicate approxirnate finger locations; hollovr, diamond nd piano he employsthe instru- Post' 1'o stmodet tl Musi.JPostmo dern T b ought Resistdnt Stuainsof board causing the harmonic piecesdo not only selvePedi dren. As Lachenmann Poln1 related to it are an essentnl I most recent plecesls an op€ra Andersen called Tre litt Lachenmannt 'life's work as dialoguebetv€en the child a.I

FERNEYHOUGH Sinc€the late 1960sFerneyh, o{ dichotomy or contradicti( SacherSti{tung Collection). strict or automatic and info Complex webs oI polyphor with organic,gestural' or s( approachesresults in extrem ciearly influenced by the h1 Boulez, but also by rhe stat postmodernistsFemeyhougb ity in his work. He does thi occasionally contradictory, ti At its best,Ferneyhougl called "multiply directed ri motion thai is continuously Fieure12-2. Hetmut Lach€nmann,G:nnTorso (1971-72' 1976' pected.One o{ the waYSFe Paul Sacher 1988),excerpt of cello pari. Usedby Permissionof the called"interuptive polyPho in his soloworks, or for solo the list page oI Titti.o t'el device is consistently and c notes to indicate a pinched string, noise harmonic; and many other more separatelayers of mat eraDhicnotation conventions. are arrangedin a variablet Lachenmann'spredilection for breaking music down into its basic com- staff interupt those Irom ar oonenrri. manrfesrrn hrrinco.porrrion nr'hildlike ge'ture ln P/essn''ir i' sta{f. In order to clarify the nor hrJdro imasine$.r what$c herri. rheretulr ol rhetir.r meetrngof 3 lines to indicate the flow of verv ineuisitive child with a cello. E r Kindercpiel (1980)' a set of seven ro the ilow lnls oevice r short piano pieces,was wrinen for his own children. In it he combines struc- FerEeyhoug.hclaims, 'a not trrrnl, ucootti" proc"st.t with pre-existent matedals snch as childten's songs' tull written lengrh. . . is goi d""". f".-s, and sirnple fingering ex€rcises.For example, iD one of the inteffupted than a note w oieceshe ircorporarcs a compound duple dance r\thm plaved loudly on (Ferneyhough1995, 5). Th ih" ,op t-o o{ the keyboard. As the hammers hit the strings one's tinguished through the aP1 "otes .ttent;n is dra\rn to the action oI the instrument and the sounding board' beginning the top layer con In another piece from this collection, a chord in the upper register is init- containsglissand;. He also t iallv struck and sustained.Then, one finger at a tirne is lifted {rom the kev- to achievethe sameeffect. MusiclP ostmo dcm Th ougbt Resistatlt Strairls of Postmodernism 257

board causing the harmonic content of the chord,s decay ro vary. These piecesdo not only servepedagogical purposes, no! are they only for chil- dren. As Lachenmann points out, 'chtldhood and musicat experiences related to it are ar essentialparr of every adult's inner world.,, One o{ his mostrecent pieces is an operabased on a childrent story by Hans Christian Andersen called The Little Mdtcb cil1. Accordine to Alberman. I achenmannr -lire\ wort a. a conpur . . . haraluay. beenro opln up r dialoguebetween the child and the adult in all of us lAtb€man 199j. 151.

FERNEITIOUGH

Sincethe late 1960sFerneyhough's work has cometo .embody the energy of dichotomy or contradicrion" (from the sketches lor Mnemosyne, paul SacherStiftung Collection).For example,there,s often tension between strict or automaticand infornal or intuitive approachesto composition. Complex webs of polyphony and parametricsubdivision are combined with organic, gestural, or sonic development. The {riction between these approachesresults in extremetypes o{ musicalexpression. Ferneyhough is clearly influenced by the hyper-expressivity of the early music of ,but also by the static sound blocks o{ EdgardVarbse. Like most postmodemistsFerneyhough seeks to projectacrivety the idea of muitiplic, ir' in h,5$ork. He doe. rhir. hotre\er.rhroush incorporarrns compeljng. occasionallycontrndictorl', layers of rnaterial. At its best,Ferneyhought music includeswhat JonarhanKramer has called "multiply-directedtime" (Kramer 1988,46). This is a rnusical Torso motion that is continuously inteuupred in an effolr to present the unex- 11971J2,1976, pected. missiono{ the?aul Sacher One of the ways Ferneyhoughachieves this is through what he,s .alled inrerrupnrrpolyphony or "irrerferrncerorm. a der,.

Ferneyhoughhas emplo s]Jc}'as Time dfld Motion Sl clarinetand solo cello, and in thc$ pieccsthe lincswork wort the lircs almostalway tust pageof Time and Motn trasting types of material. T Lralmotion, the other by dyr Ferneyhoush'smusic re a step back beforelearning Ferneyhougi'sperformers r bodiesinto radically unfam tional practiceslows down l {ormation. His pedormers approachesin oider to over StevenSchick and cellist1l work rhrough and execute 1e;i resultsin inrense,razor-sh: play the so called exact not but insteadto havea humar objectionsto Ferneyhough's common is the vehemendyl becausemany musicaldetai (for example,Dahlhaus 19t sive and in no way absolut dependentupon psychologi be diffictlt to tell the differr what is barely perceptible. periphery of consdousne: Ferneyhoughuses such as a ly is impossibleto sightreac hear?One must separatett cult. Accordnrg to Henry ( accuratelyproduced i{ a pe, day,for five rnonths,to sucl scoreand result,a fact of al Ferneyhough'smusic. Perf o pradice.The lessexplicit a 1 thesekinds of conventiona containedsuperfl Lrous inter part o{ Classicismtpolemir 1987, 54). Symbolsthat sin was reiected.For Ferneyhol his music dependsupon "tt and spirituallv abletorecosl 'exactrtude'!)" (Ferneyhougl Resistaht Sttaitls o/ P ostTnodetnisn 259

Ferneyhoughhas employed multipleJine projection in othersolo works snch as Tbne and Motion Study I and,II \1971-77, 1973-7t l lor solo bass clarinet and solo cello, and n Uni\r Cdpslale11.975-75) for solo flute. But in thesepieces the lines work togetber,in tandem, whereasin his more recent work the lines almost always interupr each other. Figure 12-4 contains the fitst p4geof Time and Motion Study l. }{erc he oscillatesbetween two con- tlasting q?es of material. The first is charaaerized by static, fluid, perpet- ual motion, the other by dynamic, diverse, and expansivemotives. Ferneyho'rgl'smusic resistssightreading. Thus, p€rformersmust take a step back beforelearning to play his music.From this very basicpoint Ferneyhough'sperlormers face the question of how to reintegratetheir bodiesinto radicallyunfamiliar gesturalprofiles. Ierneyhough'.s overnota- tional practicestows down the processof decoding,thereby delaying habit {ormation. His performers are enticed into developing unique, strategic approachesin orderto overcomethe disorientationthey {ace. Percussionist StevenSchick and cellist Taco Koostra have both said that rhe effon to work through and executeFerneyhough's complex rhythmic subdivisions results in irtense, razor+harp periormances. The point is nor merely to play the so-calledexact notated rh1'thms(which any computercould do) but insteadto havea human perlormermake the arempr. Ofthe standard objectionsto Ferneyhough'srnusic and notationalusage, perhaps the most cornmon is the vehemendy held belief that rhe whole endeavor is pointless becausemany musicaldetails are inaudible.But, as many wdters po;nt out (for eurnple, Dahlhaus1987i Kramer 1988)what is audibleis o{tcn i}lu- sive and in no way absolute.There are many degreesof audibility, each dependeatupon psychological,physiological, and aestheticfactors. It may be difficult to iell the dillerencebetween what is comoletelvinaudible and uhar is brrely perLepnble.\ume mu,L is,nremronalllpu.hed ro rhe periphery of consciousnessto do its work. The complex rhythms FerneyhoughLrses such as a nestedtuplet threeor four levels"deep" clear- ly is impossibleto sightreadbut is it really also impossibleto pedorm or hear? One must s€parate the physically impossible frorn the merely di{fi- cult. Accordins to Henry Cowell, any thre€-levelnested tuplet could be accuratelyproduced i{ a performerwould simply devotcfifteen minutes a day,for 6ve months,to suchrnatters (Cowell 1969, 64). The gap between scoreand result,a fact of all live performance,is radicallyforegrounded in Femeyhousht music. Perforrners routinely 6ll this gap with performance practice-The lessexplicit a notarionis the more performersmust rely upon these kinds of conventional supplements. The accusation that a$works containedsuperfluous intentions, it is interestingro note, was originally part of Classicismtpolemic againstBaroque or mannercdarr (Dahlhaus 1987, 54). Symbolsthat simply illustratedwere praised,whereas atlegory was r€jected.For Feaeyhough,an aestheticallyadcquate performance of hrs music dependsupon "the exrent to which the performer is techdcallv and ,pirrruallrahlcrn rccognizr and embod) r\r d;mand,or ridelrrytxor 'exactitude'!)"(Femeyhough 1995, 19; ernphashhis). ResistantStruins ol Post

The formal principles ir in which informal, spontant "I meaningfuldialogue. His aes the generatorof systems,bt t and subsequentregeDeration CONCLUSION At its best postmod€rnism i forces our ability to tolera 198,1,xxv). If postmodernis nateworlds, rhensurely this they are to comprehend,cr modernismin complicatedr I rese blanceto modenist pr modernismis not necessaril in very differentforms coer.i a According to Lyotard t complexity far beyond th Lachenmann'sand Ferneyh stratinghow the .ttributes c the world o{ composedsour rhan everbe{ore. Perhaps th lssu€sreievant to contempo inventivenotational uses, ar to performancefreedom. li Lachenrnannultimately t evervthing-including the il freedomin an age without I ment could easilyserve as a

WORKS CITED 1 hc Albernan,David. 1995. "Hd Helnut Lr.heflmdsfl 3. Ft Baffett, Richard. 1992. "Bri. editedby Briaf,Monon an Cdl, Roben. 1990. "Six Casr Portrait callery." Collcge Clenents,Andrev. 1994. "He Lner notes to compact L} Auvidis (MO 782023).12 cowell, Henry.1969. Nep M, Dahlheus,Car1. 1987. A"allr t l-evl|ie. Sfut'vesanr, N.Y: Defida, Jacques.1978. \Yr?ttrg Resistant Strains of Postmodemism 261

The formal principles in Ferneyhough's scores deline an environrnent in which informal, spontaneous gereration can re-engagethe iormal in a meaningfuldialogue. His aestheticemphasizes rhe human agenr not only as the genelatorof systems,but, also as the catalyst{or the system,sdemise and subsequentregeneration.

CONCLUSION At its best postmodernismrefines our sensibilityto diflerenceand rein- forces our ability to tolerate the ;ncommensurable(see Lyotard t19791 1984,xxv). If posonodernismcompels usto consida pluralisrnand alter- nateworlds, then surelythis must includeall typesno mafterhow difficult o .hey are to comprehend, even forms of postmodenism that break with modernismin compticatedways due to their partially severedties or ctose 'j resemblanceto modemistpractice. As thepoet Ron Sillimanpoints it, post- modernism is not necessarilya sr/e but rather a cultural situatioo where- in very differentforms coexisr(Silliman 1990, 90). According to Lyotard the posrmoden condition exhibits excessand 66 complexity far beyond that found in any orher period ;n history. Lachenmannt and Ferneyhough'smusic reflectsrhis condit;on, d€mon- srrating how the attributes of excesso! complexity might be played out in the world of composedsound. Their work is beingperformed more now than everbefore. Perhaps this is becausethey foregroundmany important 6suesrelevant to contempomrymusicians such as: the role of the score, inventivenotational uses, and rhe sig {icarce of closed-formcomposition to perfornance freedom. Lachenmannultimately desires'a music which is . . . able to re{lect everything-including the illusion of progressivetress.Art as a foretasreoI i:d freedon in an agewithout freedorn" (Lachenmann1989a, 9). His stare- ment could easilyselve as a maxim for a postmodernismoI resistance.

ha WORKS CITED Albe.ftin, David. 1995."Helmut Lachennann."Line! Doiesro compaddisc Helnut La.henmasn3. FtancerMontaisne Au'idis (MO 782075).15-18. Ba(etr, Richard.1992. "Brian Ferneyholgh."In CantenpordtyConposds, ediredby BrianMorton and Pamela Collins. London: Sr.Janes press.2Sj,87. _\s i J"l.Roben. lqcO. i r\( \.udie. i \ew Areacs \4ur,; A to,rnodern .r€ Porn^it Gallery."Co eseMasi. Synposium,30n: 4648. Clemenrs,Andrry. 1994."Helmur tachenmanr Truth, Beauty and Relevance.,' Liner notes to compact disc HelEut Ld.hekhdkn 2. Frmce: Monraigne Auvidis(MO 782023).12-13. Cowell, HeDry 1969. Nel M6tal Reso,/.es. New york: SomerhinEEtse press. Dahnar,. t ar. 'q8-. 4zal),q:and \atup Judsqpht.TarJr.ed by sresnMo Leveie. Stuyvesant,N.Y: Pendragonpress. Denida, Jacques.1978. Wtt1fls dkd Dit'fdd.e. Chi. so: Universtty of Chicago press. 262 Postmo.lerh Musi.[Postmodet?t Tbought

Ferneyhoush,Brian. 199.1."Pahlel Udverses."In lsthetik und Kohposition rur CIIAPTER 13 Ahttalitiit det Ddmstadte/ Fenenhwsat eit, internaiionales Musikisdtut Darmstadt, edited by Gi$nrrio Boio and Ulrich Mosch. Maiu: Schoft. Implodingtht :22. 17 Kageland the Dec( . L99s. Colbcted Wr,;i,gs. Edired by Janes Boros dd Ri.hard Toop. Amsterdan: Hmood Academic Publishers. Paul Attinello Foster, Hr], ed. L983. The Anti-Aestheti.: Esqs on Posthodetn C,ltare. Port Towssend,Wash.: Bay Press. ix-si. Go$wald, Clfus. 1980. "Brian Feneyhoush." In Tre Nee GroueDictioflary of Musn dnd Musicinfls.landon, Madillatr Publishers.397 Harvey, Jonathan. 1979. "Rfi^n fcneyhough." The M"sical Ti$es, 120176391 723J8. Hawkes. Tererce. '1977. Stru.tLtdliffi dnd Semrotiu. Berkeiey and Los Anseles: Universiry of Califorlia Pms. Hockings,EIke. 1995. "Helmut LachenmanntConcept ofRejeciion." 193. "dmpo 4-74. has create( Koostra, Taco. 1990. Queslionnaire responsein Conpldrt4,3 Edited by Joel ual conceptualand theatrit Boqs. Rotterdrm: Job Press.27. present remarkably cons: 'fhe Kraner, JonathaD D. 1988. Tine of Musi.t Neu Meaninss, Netu processesthat subv€rt and 'tetupotulities, Neu Listenifls Stateaies. Nw York and Londo Schirner similarways.ln addition,tl self-conscious philosophier Llchennann, Helmur. 1997. Program Note, Krannert Cente! for The through their implosion o PerformingArts.University ofIllinois at Urbana chanpaign, Novenber 19, the comparisonwith decor 1997. th€ possibilityo{ cultural n -. 1989a. "Gespra.h mit Ursula sdirzbeche." h Helmut La.heflnaflfl, the ideasof individuals,K translated by Roger Cl6ment. Viesbaden: Breirkopf od Hnrtel tially sarcasticreaction t( --. 1989b. "Selbstponrait." ln Helntt La.hefmanfl, tanslated by Ro8er rlaining-can overturnth€ Clanent. wiesbaden: Breitkopf und Hartel. that can never foryet that i Lyotdd, Jean-Franeois.l\9791 1984. The Postnoden C'ohdition:A Repott on Kno*led.ge. Ttatsl,led by Ceoff BenniDgton atrd Brian Massumi. INSTRUMENTAI PREDI Mra.erpols: Uliter.irv or \4,nne'orrPre+ . 1993. The PostnaAem Ex?ldined. Cfiespoldd.e 1982-1985. RAted Processesof subversion art by Julid Pefdis and Morsan Thom, trMslabd by Don Bailv. Bemldetle Kagel\ early works, even t Mahe., Jllid Pefmis, Vnsinia Spate, dd Morga! Thomo. Mjmeapolis: such as the Sexbto de ., University of Minnesota ?rs. (1958-59). The ,Serteto1i Norris, Chistophe! 1990. what's Wtons tuitb Postnodenism: Gitial'fheary revisedin Kiiln under the in dnd the Eds of Philosophy. Baltimore Johns Hopkins Udvdsity Press- at the tirne(Kagel [1962] 1l Schick, Steven. 199,1. "Developiqg an tnterpretive Conter:t: Learning Bdan tal string sextet that recalls Ferneyhough'saorc Alpla bet." Perspe.ti,es of Netu M"sic 32. 132-53. is remarkable about the Ser Silino, Ron. 1990. "Postrnodemism:Sisn for a Stru88lefot the S;€D."Iaco@dsant rnixed with indeterminate a means mat E$atrs, edited by Janes Mccorkle. Detroii WaFe StateUniversiry Press.79-97. that Kagel's first Toop,tuchdd. 1988."Four Facetsof 'The New Comple'tily;" Cobtert 32:4 s0. already representeda confo -. 199:1."On Complerqr."Penpe.tiues of Neu Mtsi.3Tlrt 42-57. which could not be compler