Mr Axel Englund - Still Songs: Music In and Around the Poetry of Paul Celan

STILL SONGS: MUSIC IN AND AROUND THE POETRY OF PAUL CELAN

I am never merry when I hear sweet music.
(Jessica in The Merchant of Venice, Act V, Scene I)

AXEL ENGLUND
Stockholm University, Sweden

ASHGATE

Axel Englund 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.

Axel Englund has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Englund, Axel.

Still songs : music in and around the poetry of Paul Celan.
1. Celan, Paul--Criticism and interpretation. 2. Celan, Paul--Musical settings--History and criticism. 3. Music and literature--Germany--History--20th century. 4. German poetry--20th century--History and criticism.
I. Title
780.0831-dc23

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Englund, Axel.

Still songs : music in and around the poetry of Paul Celan / Axel Englund.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4094-2262-4 (hardcover) -- ISBN 978-1-4094-2263-1 (ebook)

1. Music--Germany--20th century--History and criticism. 2. Celan, Paul--Musical settings--History and criticism. 3. National socialism and literature. I. Title.

ML275.5.E55 2012
831.914--dc23

2011036586

ISBN 9781409422624 (hbk)
ISBN 9781409422631 (ebk)
ISBN 9781409495222 (ebk-ePUB)

Bach musicological font developed by Yo Tomita.

Printed and bound in Great Britain by the MPG Books Group, UK.

Paul Celans texts are quoted from the following editions (all translations are by the author unless otherwise noted):

Gesammelte Werke, ed. Beda Allemann and Stefan Reichert (7 vols, Frankfurt am Main, 2000), henceforth abbreviated as IVII.

Die Gedichte: Kommentierte Gesamtausgabe, ed. Barbara Wiedemann (Frankfurt am Main, 2003), henceforth abbreviated as KG.

Mikrolithen sinds, Steinchen: Die Prosa aus dem Nachla, ed. Barbara Wiedemann and Bertrand Badiou (Frankfurt am Main, 2005), henceforth abbreviated as PN.

Music Examples

Figures

Among the many people to whom I have become indebted while writing this book, I would particularly like to thank the following: Anders Olsson for his faith in my work and for his unswerving Fingerspitzengefhl in matters poetic; Jacob Derkert for a critical attention that saved me from many easy solutions; Mark M. Anderson, Arnfinn B-Rygg, Lawrence Kramer, Eva Lilja, Roland Lysell, Torsten Pettersson, Mikael van Reis and Martin Zenck for reading my manuscript in its final stages and providing kind encouragement and valuable advice; Manne Sjstrand and Karin Blomqvist (and Siri, of course) for an all-important and long-lasting friendship; Anna Jrngrden for her delightful company and fierce intellectual edge; Matilda Svensson for being what she is and for being there; Laura Wahlfors for a queer and heartfelt amity; Kettil Johansson for many a good time and well-composed meal; Hannah Hinz, Markus Huss, Beate Schirrmacher and Regina Schober for inspiring exchanges on intermedial relations; Maria Andersson, Magnus Bremmer, Anna Cavallin, Elina Druker, Sara Gordan, Emma Hagstrm Molin, Andreas Hellerstedt, Per Israelson, Anna Jungstrand, Niclas Jrvklo, Katarina Bth, Jenny-Leontine Olsson, Ljubica Mioevi, Anna Ohlsson, Mikael Pettersson, Torbjrn Schmidt, Emma Strindmar Norstrm, Maria Wahlstrm and all my other wonderful colleagues for five great years; Siglind Bruhn, Staffan Carlshamre, Anders Cullhed, Peter Dayan, Lars Ellestrm, Lydia Goehr, Ulf Olsson, Gran Rossholm, Margaretha Rossholm-Lagerlf, Willmar Sauter, Martin Seel and Erik Wallrup for reading and commenting on plans, chapters or articles at different points during the writing process; Kate Maxwell and Katharine Bartlett for their discerning eyes, without which an abundance of errors and awkward phrasings would have persisted in the text; Richard Littlejohns for careful scrutiny of my German-to-English translations; my editors Heidi Bishop, Laura Macy and Sarah Charters for their enthusiasm and professionalism; and Drop Coffee on Wollmar Yxkullsgatan for the countless cups of delicious drip that I had there while working on this book. Most of all, however, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my family Klara, Eyvind, Edith, Dan, Lee, Sven and Monica for their tireless patience, support and love.

I am also grateful to a number of publishers for the permission to reprint copyrighted material: an earlier version of the section Juxtapositional Counterpoint in Chapter One was previously published under the title Streicht dunkler die Geigen: Berio and Birtwistle in Dialogue with Celan, in Siglind Bruhns volume Sonic Transformations of Literary Texts: From Program Music to Musical Ekphrasis 2008 Siglind Bruhn (reproduced by kind permission); parts of the discussion of Dittrichs Streichtrio were printed in my article (Im) possibilities of Communication: Celan, Ruzicka, Dittrich, which first appeared in Perspectives of New Music, 46/2, 2008 Perspectives of New Music (reproduced by kind permission); first versions of my readings of Es war Erde in ihnen and Anabasis were published as Modes of Musicality in Paul Celans Die Niemandsrose, which appeared in Seminar: A Journal of Germanic Studies, 45/2, 2009 Canadian Association of University Teachers of German (reproduced by kind permission).

For the permission to reprint Celans poems, four translations by Michael Hamburger and excerpts from musical scores, I would like to thank the publishers and copyright holders as listed below:

Paul Celan, Sie, Todesfuge 1952 by Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt GmbH, Stuttgart. Reproduced by kind permission.

Paul Celan, Engfhrung, Es war Erde in ihnen, Anabasis, Tbingen, Jnner 1959, 1963 by S. Fischer Verlag, Frankfurt am Main. Reproduced by kind permission.

Paul Celan, Fadensonnen, Singbarer Rest, Hafen, Schwirrhlzer, Spasmen, Wenn ich nicht weiss, nicht weiss, Ausgerollt, Angewintertes, Sperriges Morgen, Schlaflied, Wanderstaude, Mandelnde, Saitenspiel 1983 Suhrkamp Verlag, Frankfurt am Main. Reproduced by kind permission.

Michael Hamburger, Death Fugue, There was earth inside them, Tbingen, January, Anabasis from Poems of Paul Celan. Translation copyright 1972, 1980, 1988, 2002 by Michael Hamburger. Reproduced by kind permission of Johnson & Alcock Ltd., London, and Persea Books, Inc., New York.

Jrg Birkenktter, No. IV from Sieben Stcke nach Gedichten von Friedrich Hlderlin und Paul Celan 1995 by Breitkopf & Hrtel, Wiesbaden. Reproduced by kind permission.

Harrison Birtwistle, Threadsuns from 9 Settings of Celan 1997 by Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd. Reproduced by kind permission.

Harrison Birtwistle, Todesfuge Frieze 4 from 9 Movements for String Quartet 1996 by Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd. and Universal Edition (London) Ltd. Reproduced by kind permission.