Page 112 - Weiss, Jernej, ur. 2018. Nova glasba v “novi” Evropi med obema svetovnima vojnama ?? New Music in the “New” Europe Between the Two World Wars. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 2
P. 112
nova glasba v »novi« evropi med obema svetovnima vojnama
flashy gestures, it resigned on the popularity with wider audience. These
artists have demonstrated extraordinary service to new production (new
music). They were able to study a large amount of music and interpret it
selflessly aside of the public interest. Many of these artists belonged to the
circle of compositional schools and had songwriting ambitions themselves.
The situation among the authors who belong to the circle of students and
friends of Alois Hába is characteristic.
For example Alois Hába (1893–1973), composer and pianist Erwin
Schulhoff (1894–1942), Karel Reiner (1910–1979), pianist and musicologist
V áclav Holzknecht (1904–1988), cellist Váša Černý (1900–1982) and clarinet-
ist Milan Kostohryz (1911–1998) and expressed their opinions on the topic of
interpretation. (The same can be observed in the circuit pupil and friend of
Arnold Schoenberg.)
The mentioned authors published a series of studies which are dedi-
cated to the issues of performance practice of new music, not only Hába’s
but also works of other authors. They focus primarily on the way of phras-
ing and a technique of control of traditional or new (quarter-tone) instru-
ments. All the listed authors are also the authors of the studies dedicated to
the performance practice of new music. 2 Authors of new music then con-
nected the fates of their work with newly formed ensembles. Zika-Quartet
and Czech Nontet are among the most significant.
Sound recordings are a testament of the level of interpretation of new
music. The first ones come from the record company Esta which distribut-
ed them for Czechoslovak market in years 1930–1946 (between the two wars
there were also other companies on the Czech market: His Master’s Voice,
Odeon, Parlophon, Ultraphon, Telefunken, Polydor). The most represent-
ed author of the contemporary music is Alois Hába with his quarter-tone
pieces (besides the String Quartet No. 2 in the quarter-tone system, op. 7
2 See Váša Černý, “Čtvrttóny na violoncellu (K provedení Hábovy čtvrttónové fantasie
pro violoncello),” [Quarter-tones for Cello (On the Performance of Hába’s Quarter-
-tone Fantasy for Cello)] Klíč, ii (1931/32): 162–164. Karel Reiner, “Technika hry na
čtvrttónovém klavíru,” [Technique on a Quarter-tone Piano] Klíč, iii (1932/33): 22–
25; repr. Rytmus, iv, 1938/39, 51–53. Karel Reiner, “Interpretace nethematické hud-
by” [Interpretation of Nonthematic Music], Klíč, iv (1933/34): 46–48. Erwin Schul-
hoff, “Wie spielt man auf dem Vierteltonklavier?,” Der Auftakt, vi (1926): 106. Václav
Holzknecht, “Problém atonality v klavírní technice (Na okraj Hábovy Symfonické
fantazie pro klavír a orchestr),” [The Problem of Atonality in Piano Technique (Some
Remarks on Hába’s Symphonic Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra)] Klíč, i (1930/31):
9–14.
110
flashy gestures, it resigned on the popularity with wider audience. These
artists have demonstrated extraordinary service to new production (new
music). They were able to study a large amount of music and interpret it
selflessly aside of the public interest. Many of these artists belonged to the
circle of compositional schools and had songwriting ambitions themselves.
The situation among the authors who belong to the circle of students and
friends of Alois Hába is characteristic.
For example Alois Hába (1893–1973), composer and pianist Erwin
Schulhoff (1894–1942), Karel Reiner (1910–1979), pianist and musicologist
V áclav Holzknecht (1904–1988), cellist Váša Černý (1900–1982) and clarinet-
ist Milan Kostohryz (1911–1998) and expressed their opinions on the topic of
interpretation. (The same can be observed in the circuit pupil and friend of
Arnold Schoenberg.)
The mentioned authors published a series of studies which are dedi-
cated to the issues of performance practice of new music, not only Hába’s
but also works of other authors. They focus primarily on the way of phras-
ing and a technique of control of traditional or new (quarter-tone) instru-
ments. All the listed authors are also the authors of the studies dedicated to
the performance practice of new music. 2 Authors of new music then con-
nected the fates of their work with newly formed ensembles. Zika-Quartet
and Czech Nontet are among the most significant.
Sound recordings are a testament of the level of interpretation of new
music. The first ones come from the record company Esta which distribut-
ed them for Czechoslovak market in years 1930–1946 (between the two wars
there were also other companies on the Czech market: His Master’s Voice,
Odeon, Parlophon, Ultraphon, Telefunken, Polydor). The most represent-
ed author of the contemporary music is Alois Hába with his quarter-tone
pieces (besides the String Quartet No. 2 in the quarter-tone system, op. 7
2 See Váša Černý, “Čtvrttóny na violoncellu (K provedení Hábovy čtvrttónové fantasie
pro violoncello),” [Quarter-tones for Cello (On the Performance of Hába’s Quarter-
-tone Fantasy for Cello)] Klíč, ii (1931/32): 162–164. Karel Reiner, “Technika hry na
čtvrttónovém klavíru,” [Technique on a Quarter-tone Piano] Klíč, iii (1932/33): 22–
25; repr. Rytmus, iv, 1938/39, 51–53. Karel Reiner, “Interpretace nethematické hud-
by” [Interpretation of Nonthematic Music], Klíč, iv (1933/34): 46–48. Erwin Schul-
hoff, “Wie spielt man auf dem Vierteltonklavier?,” Der Auftakt, vi (1926): 106. Václav
Holzknecht, “Problém atonality v klavírní technice (Na okraj Hábovy Symfonické
fantazie pro klavír a orchestr),” [The Problem of Atonality in Piano Technique (Some
Remarks on Hába’s Symphonic Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra)] Klíč, i (1930/31):
9–14.
110
