Ancient Greek rhythms in Messiaen’s le sacre: Nietzsche’s legacy?
It is little known that Nietzsche - appointed professor of classical philology at Basel University in his twenties - had postulated on the basis of rigorous textual studies that the leading classical philologists active in Central Europe in the nineteenth century, predominantly German-speak...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts - Institute of Musicology of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
2019-01-01
|
| Series: | Muzikologija |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/1450-9814/2019/1450-98141927097C.pdf |
| Summary: | It is little known that Nietzsche - appointed professor of classical
philology at Basel University in his twenties - had postulated on the basis
of rigorous textual studies that the leading classical philologists active
in Central Europe in the nineteenth century, predominantly German-speaking,
had gone seriously off -track by fitting Greek rhythms into measures of
equal length. Unlike the philologists, influential musicologists who wrote
about ancient Greek rhythms were mostly French. The Paris Conservatoire was
a powerhouse of rhythmic theory, with an impressive lineage from Fétis and
Gevaert through Laloy and Emmanuel to Messiaen and beyond. Fétis and Gevaert
referenced their contemporary German philologists without really critiquing
them. With Laloy, Emmanuel, and Messiaen, however, there was a notable
change of orientation. These authors all read as if they had somehow become
aware of Nietzsche’s discovery. Yet none of them make any mention of him
whatsoever. In this study, a comparative analysis of their musical rendition
of Greek rhythms is undertaken before focusing on Messiaen’s analytical
proposal that there is an impressively long series of Greek rhythms in
Stravinsky’s Le sacre du printemps. I seek to throw light on the resurgence
of interest in ancient Greek rhythms in modernist musical works, and
question how the convoluted reception of Nietzsche’s discovery in Parisian
music circles might have sparked rhythmic innovation to new heights. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1450-9814 2406-0976 |