Die Reihe 5 - Reports, Analyses / English edition - Theodore Presser co. 1961 / Paperback / Periodical magazine

Paperback 1961

EAN / UPC: 4230298150286

PAGES: 95

PUBLISHER: Theodore Presser

LANGUAGE: English

English Description:

Vol. 5 (1959/1961) contains "Reports. Analyses" including Elmerts reassessment of Debussy’s ballet Jeux ; Heinz-Klaus Metzger’s analysis of concepts in the theory and criticism of music; Maurizio Kagel deals with Henry Cowell’s “theory of relativity”; György Ligeti explains Boulez’s method of dealing with the proportion between strictly composed and freely interpreted music; John Cage’s lecture “Interdeterminacy” is reproduced.

The German-language periodical Die Reihe [The series. REI] was published spasmodically by the Universal-Edition, Vienna, between 1955 and 1962 in eight large volumes. The great interest in the new directions in musical composition created immediately after the conclusion of the Second World War and featured in this journal, prompted preparation and publication of an English-language translation, printed in England by The Stellar Press, Ltd. at Barnett (Nos. 1-5) and by John Blackburn, Ltd. at Leeds (Nos. 6-7), and issued from 1958 to 1968 by the Theodore Presser Company of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, in association with the Universal-Edition. The printer of issue No. 8 is unknown. The pages are printed in single space format. Each volume contains a different number of pages varying from 62 to 136. The English-language translations of the complex texts were prepared by Hans O. Holms, Leo Black, Eric Smith, Cornelius Cardew, Ruth Koenig and Margaret Shenfield.

Die Reihe (German pronunciation: [diː ˈʀaɪ̯ə]) was a German-language music academic journal, edited by Herbert Eimert and Karlheinz Stockhausen and published by Universal Edition (Vienna) between 1955 and 1962 (ISSN 0486-3267). An English edition was published, under the original German title, between 1957 and 1968 by the Theodore Presser Company (Bryn Mawr) in association with Universal Edition (London) (ISSN 0080-0775). A related book series titled Bücher der Reihe was begun, but only one title ever appeared in it, Herbert Eimert's Grundlagen der musikalischen Reihentechnik. The journal, whose title means "The Row" or "The Series", owes its genesis to the founding of the electronic music studio of the Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk (NWDR) in Cologne (later WDR) under the influence of Werner Meyer-Eppler, and the realisation that technology was becoming an important element in the work of younger composers (Grant 2001, 55). The contributions from composers working in the studio were frequently based on their projects there, and in the early stages of competing with the radio-play department for resources, Eimert found having such a journal useful. It helped to raise the studio's educational and academic profile above the entertainment aims of other departments of the radio station, as well as providing opportunities to young authors for publication.

English edition

Differences between the German and English editions can be seen from a comparison of their respective tables of contents. Occasionally items were omitted or substituted, but more commonly these involve the order of the articles. In some cases, however, these resulted in a different tone or emphasis, contributing to the problematic reception of Die Reihe in America. For example, the foreword to the first volume (1955) of the German edition declared it to be the mouthpiece for the younger generation, but this foreword was omitted in the 1957 English edition. In addition, the quality of the translations vary considerably. The first volume of the English edition, in particular, "is often content to avoid, rather than understand, the more complex formulations and metaphors in the text".

Subject matter

Each of the eight issues of Die Reihe was dedicated to a different theme, announced in a subtitle:

1. (1955) "Elektronische Musik" / (1957) "Electronic Music"
2. (1955) "Anton Webern" / (1958) "Anton Webern"
3. (1957) "Musikalisches Handwerk" / (1959) "Musical Craftsmanship"
4. (1958) "Junge Komponisten" / (1960) "Young Composers"
5. (1957) "Berichte—Analyse" / (1961) "Reports—Analyses"
6. (1958) "Sprache und Musik" / (1964) "Speech and Music"
7. (1960) "Form—Raum" / (1964) "Form—Space"
8. (1962) "Rückblicke" / (1968) "Retrospective"