...the music of Morton Feldman and Amelia Whiteheart

Sculptures in the Desert

Thursday, April 22nd, I attended a concert at Alte Schmiede in Vienna with piano music from two of the most enigmatic composers of the 20th century: Morton Feldman and Amelia Whiteheart.

Swiss pianist Iris Gerber was playing Piano Piece 1952, Nature Pieces, and Intermissions by Feldman. She combined pieces from the Fifties with one of his very last works, Palais de Mari. It is astonishing, that Feldmans style apparently did not change significantly over the course of more than thirty years. Even the earliest piece, Piano Piece 1952, features the same erratic succession of isolated tones and chords which also characterizes Palais de Mari. Nevertheless, Feldman refined his style, meaning that he dismissed certain techniques and means bit by bit. Piano Piece 1952 starts with a cluster which is not heard anymore in Palais de Mari or similar pieces from this time (like Coptic Light, or For Samuel Beckett). He also limits himself to one dynamic level: While certain tones are emphasized in his early pieces, in his late works a soft atmosphere is predominant.

Morton Feldman, 1976. Credit: Nationaal Archief Netherland, via wikimedia

This does not mean that his music is easy to hear. On the contrary, the discreet tone puts the listener at unease. There is no progression in the music by Feldman, no target, no teleology, even the ends are somewhat arbitrary. His music can be extremely long: Palais de Mari lasts 30 minutes, what is only half the length of his composition For Bunita Marcus. His music raises difficult questions and provides no answers. During the concert I had the illusion of walking through a desert while watching strange sculptures made by an unknown civilization. The have no apparent use nor seem they made for men. They are alien but with an strange fascination.

Who is Amelia Whiteheart?

I have never heard the name Amelia Whiteheart or music by her. Iris Gerber played a selection of approx. 35 pieces out of more than hundred. In contrary to Feldman, the pieces only last for ten seconds or so and are not longer than four bars. In analogy to Feldman, they feature erratic chords and tones ordered to no apparent rules.

Almost nothing is known about Whiteheart. The only source for her music appears to be a website by Russian composer Jashiin, who claims to have gotten the sheet music by Whiteheart through a now deceased friend of his (or hers). According to Jashiin, Whiteheart pieces were composed around 1900. They are the only known trace of this woman which is, as I already wrote, otherwise unheard of. An Internet search unearthed only Jashiin's website as well as the concert announcement of the Alte Schmiede, so there probably weren't other performances, at least not announced via the Internet. The complete set of 123 pieces can be downloaded form Jashiin's website. (I am not sure about the copyright situation, therefore I will not attach any snippets from the score.)

Like Feldman, Whiteheart's music is exceedingly alien, which makes me suspicious about the provenance of the music. Not that there weren't any anomalies in music history, like Italian composer Gesualdo and his strange chromaticism. As a matter of fact, there are composers who worked in perfect isolation (at least in their imagination) like Galina Ustvolskaya. 

My concerns with the music of Whiteheart is that she anticipates the style of Feldman and even more of György Kurtág by fifty to seventy years but is otherwise completely unknown. It is not so much her harmonic style but the way she questions the form of an artwork. Form is a parameter dismissed much later than harmony and certainly not before the 1940's.

Her contemporary would be Charles Ives, and even he did not write as fancyful as Whiteheart. Ruth Crawford Seeger, born in 1901, features a style remotely common to Whiteheart's but not at all that radical.

So the main question is: Is Amelia Whiteheart an unknown genius, a forerunner of modern music? Or is she a hoax? As a musicologist I feel the urge to rise this question, but as an artist I also feel the appeal of inventing a composer to test reactions of the audience.

With all due respect, it is certainly questionable to take Jashiin's website and his statement about the provenance of the Whiteheart-Pieces as the only valid source. A thorough analysis has to dig much deeper and try to discover for example the teachers of Amelia Whiteheart, where she has lived and was educated. How come that she was undiscovered until recently? What is the role of Jashiin, who appears to be an equal enigmatic person in terms of taciturnity?

There are questions even more unsettling: If Amelia Whiteheart did exist, she would be one of the most radical composer of her time and deserved a place between the finest composers of the 20th century. But if she is a hoax, would that diminish the quality of her music? If someone assumed Whiteheart's identity and composed the pieces five years ago under her name, would that make the music bad? Is quality tied to its time? There are difficult questions lying on the bottom of that well that touches our approach to the relationship between time, identity, work, and gender.

Iris Gerber's performance of the pieces by Feldman and Whiteheart was brilliant. She was heavily acclaimed by the few listeners, and rightly so.

...WANDA "Schickt mir die Post"

Release Party

On Sunday 20th, Easter, WANDA released the first Single "Schickt mir die Post" ("Send me the mail") from their upcoming (yet, as far as I know, untitled) album. To celebrate this undoubtedly important event for this young band, they gave a concert at Fluc, like Rhiz one of the most distinguished venues for new rock music.

Marco Michael Wanda, Ray Weber (Image: B. Meyer-Plutowski)

Before the concert I talked to Stefan Redelsteiner, CEO of Problembär Records,  the label WANDA has a contract with. He told me that "Schickt mir die Post" will be a probe to prepare the world for WANDA. It is one of their more accessible songs, a carpe diem-kind-of composition that follows the last hours of a terminally ill (played by M. M. Wanda in the video) who want to ascend to heaven as soon and convenient (meaning with a party) as possible.

Unfortunately, due to technical reasons, it was not possible to screen the video clip, what was really a pity and should not have happened on a release party.

Nevertheless, the video is now available via Youtube.

It is very interesting to see and hear the difference between the studio version and the live version. The environments in which WANDA is performing provide a distinct layer of authenticity which the studio version definitively lacks. It seems to me that the dust and the darkness of the venue is a vital ingredient of the music by WANDA.

A new Account on WANDA

I already wrote a review on WANDA some weeks ago, when I first attended a concert of them in Rhiz. On this occasion, I was extolling the band, writing "Austrian pop music taken to a new level", which was subsequently cited plenty of times to characterize the music of WANDA. But as the weeks went by, I wasn't so sure that my high estimation of WANDA could stand another concert.

The main question was whether the music by WANDA is for the drunk or the lovelorn and sad. After the last concert, I can say, it is for the latter. But why these concerns in the first place?

With "Bologna", WANDA has a signature song. The fans know the lyrics by heart, and the performance of this song is available on Youtube. Thus, "Bologna" is more than a song, it's a hymn, although the lyrics doesn't make much sense, at least not to me. (It is about a man who fell for his cousin. Though he did not have the courage to love her, he dreams of Bologna, where Aunt Ceccarelli probably once did what he longs to do.) I do not think that lyrics necessarily have to make any sense, but they should at least give one or two contact points for free associations. If not, they are just songs for chanting along, quickly learned and ever quicker forgotten.

M. Chr. Poppe, M. M. Wanda, Chr. Hummer, R. Weber (Image: BMP)

This concerts proofed, that WANDA avoids that pitfall. Maybe due to the acoustics in Fluc, I was able to understand the lyrics much better than in Rhiz. One of my favorite songs, together with "Sterne", (which they omitted sadly), is "Niemand weiß, dass es uns überhaupt gegeben hat" ("Nobody knows that we have ever existed"). It is literally impossible to describe the "sense" of this song, since it is full of meaning. This makes WANDA outstanding and much more interesting than, for example, Christina Stürmer. They don't sell out the audience with asinine lyrics, and the audience appreciates to not be put off.

The lyrics by WANDA are often depressing, but they do not immerse in depression. They are complex, but they do not reject the listener. Accordingly, the music is packing the lyrics like gift-wrapping paper is packing barb wire.

A huge portion of the success of project WANDA is due to singer, composer, and lyricist Marco Michael Wanda. He certainly is born for the stage and is visibly enjoying every moment of it. He sometimes oversteps his role, when he is burping into the microphone or spitting tap water into the audience. But every performance is filled and fueled with his respect for the the music. During the performance of "Meine beiden Schwestern" ("My two sisters") the monitor ceased to work, but instead of delivering a weak song he insisted on an immediate solution before proceeding. He might be playing a role - the steady smoking on the stage, the drinking, occasional swear words - but he is also a pro. He does not sacrifice the music for his behavior.

This lust to perform is also kindling his fellow musician. Especially Lukas Hasitschka (drums) and Ray Weber (Bass) are visibly enjoying playing in this band. 

What happens on the Stage, stays on the Stage

Before the concerts I talked to some members of the audience, who told me that WANDA is not receiving only positive reviews. They were accused of being "macho assholes." I could not confirm this so far, but want to counter this so-called criticism anyway. I do not know any member of this band personally; I talked to Wanda and keyboarder Christian Hummer only briefly. They seemed to me, as far as I can tell, like easy-going guys. This may or may not be true - I don't care. The only thing that counts is their music. Their stage appearance has nothing to do with what they are beyond it. If we use personal credibility as a means to measure artistic credibility, everybody would have to submit a resume and a certificate of personal liability prior to entering the stage. What should we think of Richard Wagner, who betrayed his friend by sleeping with his wife? It should be clear by now that this kind of criticism is nothing more than an insult.

I always wish that Wanda would introduce his fellow band members to the audience. He did not do it in Rhiz nor in Fluc. I have no idea why, for me it is a little bit odd.

However, I am glad that WANDA reached the next step of their career. On May 15th they play at WUK as support for "Der Nino aus Wien." I certainly will be there.

Chr. Hummer, M. M. Wanda, Ray Weber (Image: BMP)

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...WANDA

Austro pop taken to a new level

On February 11th the Austrian band "Wanda" gave their first official concert under their new label "Problembär Records" at rhiz, a small but nevertheless prestigious venue for new pop music.

I'd never heard of "Wanda" before, which is a shame, and if not after this concert than after their performance as support for "Der Nino aus Wien" on May 13th at WUK everybody interested in fresh Austrian pop music should (and will) know about them.

From the first chord of the first song "Tu' mir weh, Luzia" ("Hurt me, Luzia") it was clear that the evening would be a success. This is easy to say, since most of the audience was already familiar with the music - thus fans - but even fans might be disappointed if the performance does not match their expectations. But the presence of lead singer (and name donor) Marco Michael Wanda was inescapable as well as the joy the band apparently had throughout the concert, visible even for Wanda first timers like me.

From left to right: Lukas Hasitschka, Christian Hummer,
Ray Weber, Marco Michael Wanda, Manuel Poppe
Photo Credit: Benjamin Meyer-Plutowski

Marco Michael Wanda, who writes most of the songs and lyrics, is already a master of ear-catching melodies. He proves that in almost every song (like "Bologna"), but especially in those which were accompanied by the audience. They gave two frenetically acclaimed encores ("1 2 3 4 - Es ist schön bei dir zu sein" "1 2 3 4 - It is good to be with you" and "Schick mir die Post schon ins Spital" "Send me the mail to the hospital"), the latter almost completely sung by the audience.

The rhiz is admittedly only a small venue, there were a approximately hundred guests or so. But nevertheless, to muster such a dedicated fan base is not a small achievement for a band that young.

Learning from the best

All songs were skillfully produced by Paul Gallister, who, according to their Facebook page, met Wanda and his companions at a cab drive, where they arranged their future collaboration. This is a fortune for us, since Paul Gallister himself possesses plenty of experience as lead singer on the stage. He is not only a scholar of classical rock music like "The Beatles" but also a professional educated composer. Therefor the collaboration of "Wanda" together with Paul Gallister is a perfect match.

It is always difficult to write about the actual sound of the music. There are a couple of videos on Youtube, which deliver a better impression than words can do. About the song "Easy Baby" a commentator wrote that this music reminds him of "Falco", which is an impression I share. There is definitively something 80-ish to this music. The music of Marius Müller-Westernhagen came to my mind, but the lyrics of "Wanda" are much better, either funny or intelligent (often both), than those sometimes asinine or even insulting ("Dicke" "Fat guys") by Westernhagen. Maybe the resemblance is merely physical, since Wanda, as well as Westernhagen, knows how to appear on the stage.

It is about time for "Wanda" to play at greater venues and hopefully on the radio. Paul Gallister told me, that they played half of there oeuvre on this evening. So maybe the best is yet to come.

"Wanda" is Christian Hummer, keyboard; Manuel Poppe, git; Ray Weber, bass; Lukas Hasitschka, dr; Marco Michael Wanda, voc.