The‘harmonicseries’isanartifact”:ideology,processandperceptioninGeorgFriedrichHaas’sinvain

Thereisnotraditionofmicrotonalmusic.Evenintothetwentiethcenturyallcomposerswhocomposemicrotonicallyhavebegunanew.Nowadaysitisconsideredunusualtousemicrotones.Itisnecessarytoshowcausewhyoneisusingtonesoutsideofthetemperedsystem.1

ThemusicoftheAustriancomposerGeorgFriedrichHaasismostoftenalignedwiththespectralistschoolofcomposition,whichdrawsitsmusicalmaterialsfromtheanalysisofnaturalsoundsandtheirchangesovertime.Hisvariedandprodigiousoutputincludesconcerti,operas,homagesandseveraldozenchamberworks,yetmostofhiscompositionsdisplaythethreequalitiesJoshuaFinebergassociatedwithspectralmusic:soundcolorasacentralelementofmusicaldiscourse,thesubsumptionofindividualvoicesintoarichtexture,andaresonantsonicimagenotableforakindof“acousticglow.”2TheorchestralworksinvainandHyperionmovebeyondthis“acousticglow”toincorporateopticsasbothametaphoricandliteralaspectofthecompositioninawaythatrecallsthelightassociationsofworksbyGérardGriseyorTristanMurail.ButtheconcernsofHaastranscendtheso-called“spectralattitude”toembraceadiversecompositionalpracticethatreflectslifebothwithinandoutsidetheconcerthall.InthispaperIintroduceHaas’aestheticsandmusicalinfluences,beforeturningtoinvainasacasestudyofhiscompositionalprocess.Ianalyzehowtheuseofheterogeneousharmonicresources,temperedanduntemperedtuningsandextramusicalassociationsforceaconvergenceofnatureandartifice,inamirrorofthepoliticalandethicalconcernsthatmotivateHaas’music.SituatingHaasAlthoughthesoundandassociationsofhisworksidentifyHaasasaspectralist,allthreecomposershavepositionedthemselvesdifferently.Manifestosdeliveredbythefoundingmembersofl’Itinérairewereunifiedlessbymethodthanbyadherencetoa“spectralattitude.”3Grisey,forinstance,extolledthe“livingnature”ofthesoundobject,whileMurailspokeofsoundasasensation,whosetransformationdemandsaglobalapproachtotheactofcomposition.4Incontrast,Haasself-identifiesasamicrotonalcomposerwhosecompositionalconcernsarefocusedonharmonicalternativesto—ratherthanextensionsof—theequal-temperedsystem.BernhardGünthernotesfurthergenealogicalandmethodologicaldifferencesbetweenHaasandthespectralists,yetaddswrylythatin

1GeorgFriedrichHaas,“Mikrotonalitäten,“ÖsterreichischeMusikzeitschrift54/6(1999),pp.9-15.2JoshuaFineberg,“SpectralMusic,”ContemporaryMusicReview19:2(2000),p.3.3SeeespeciallyGérardGrisey,“DidYouSaySpectral?,”ContemporaryMusicReview19:3(2000),p.1.4TristanMurail,“TargetPractice,”trans.JoshuaCody,ContemporaryMusicReview24:2–3(2005),pp.149–71.

Austria,“ismsareavoidedmorethanequidistances.”5HencethewritingsofHaasfocusonmicrotonalevents,andontheadhocconstructionsthatfeedhiscreativeprocess.Aswiththespectralists,Haasbeginswithhismaterial:“Theloveofsoundelements,attentiontothesounds,likelivingthingsunfoldinginspaceandtime,isformeoneofthebasicrequirementsofmywork.”6AsLisaFarthofernotes,Haasassignscomplexinnerlifeandnarrativetosounds.Thisnarrativebeginswiththeconvictionthatmicrointervalsrepresentneitheradistortionnorembellishmentofequal-temperament,but"abasichumanneed,”onewhosenecessitywetakeforgrantedasamundanefeatureofeverydaylife,inthesqueakofadoororabird’ssong.7

AMicrotonalAestheticsEarlyinhiscareerHaaswasexposedtonon-temperedtunings,andtheworkofmicrotonalcomposers.AttheUniversityinGrazheperformedworksbyIvanWyschnegradsky,AloisHába,JamesTenney,HarryPartchandJuliánCarrillowithfriendsandcolleagues.AlthoughattractedtotheformalproceduresofHábaandthetuningexperimentsofTenneyandPartch,HaaswasdirectlyinfluencedbythreeofWyschnegradsky’skeyconcepts:the"soundcontinuum,”ultrachromaticism,andnon-octavianttonalcollectionsandcycles.InLaloidelapansonoritéWyschnegradskyintroducedthe‘totalsoundcontinuum’asan“operationallimit”fortheconstitutionofultrachromaticism.8Thistotalsoundcontinuum—“aninfinitenumberofmusicaltonesarrangedatinfinitelysmalldistances”—formsapurelyhypotheticalbackdroptotherelativesoundcontinuum,whichdividestheaudiblespectruminto144soundsperoctave,as12thsofawholetone.Non-octaviantfrequencyspaceswerethoseformedbysubstitutingacontractedorexpandedintervalforthetraditionaloctaveequivalence.[Fig.1]Althoughtheoreticallyanyintervalmightsuffice,Wyschnedgradsky’stablelistedeveryspacesmallorlargerthananequal-temperedoctave,asindicatedbythevolumesbelow,listedinmultiplesofthesmallestsystemunit

Inastructuralanalogywiththediatonicsystem,Wyschnegradskyemployedthesespacesasintervalcyclestogeneratescalecollections.Cyclingthroughdifferentintervalcycleswillproducecollectionsofdifferentsizesandscope.Hisfavoritesemitonalintervals—themajorseventhandminorninth—theoreticallyunfoldover11and13octavesrespectively:beyondtheaudiblerange(oratleastthespanofapianokeyboard).[Fig.2]ThistheoreticalspaceisgivenshapeintheÉtudesurlesmouvementsrotatoires,Op.45,9inwhichtwo

5BernhardGünther,programnotesforinvain(2000),availableatUniversalEdition,http://www.universaledition.com/composers-and-works/Georg-Friedrich-Haas/in-vain/composer/278/work/75666Georg-FriedrichHaas,„AnmerkungenzumKomponieren,“inMusikundMetaphysik,ed.EckhardTramsen,(Hofheim:WolkeVerlag,2004),p.117.7LisaFarthofer,GeorgFriedrichHaas:„ImKlangdenken“(Saarbrücken,Pfau-Verlag,2007),122–27.8IvanWyschnegradsky,UnePhilosophieDialectiquedel’ArtMusical:Laloidelapansonorité,ed.FranckJedrzejewski(Paris:L'Harmattan,2005;rep.1936edition).9RepublishedM.P.Belaieff, BEL 571, 2003.

Bauer, SMT 2014, The ‘harmonic series’ is an artifact”: ideology, process and perception in Georg Friedrich Haas’s in vain

1)Wyschnegradsky’s Structures de base de volume et de densité diverse, in “Ultrachromatisme et les espaces non octaviants,” La Revue Musicale 290–91 (1972), pp. 73–138.

2)Ivan Wyschnegradsky, Étude sur les mouvements rotatoires for two pianos and four hands, Op. 45, showing cycles of 11 semitones (score) and the subdivision of those cycles by 11 quartertones (below)

circlesofminorninthsinterlockattheintervalofthirteenquartertones,expressingaconstant,eight-notepulsethathelpsusimaginetheunheardportionofthecycleasitclimbsupwardonlytoreappearatthebottomofthepitchspace.

Semitonalcyclesgeneratedbythemajorseventhandminorninthofcoursegeneratethetwelve-notescaleofthetotalchromatic.Ifbyanalogyweuse11and13torefertoquartertones,asintheÉtude,wetraverseall24tonesofthesystem.[Fig.3]Butthiscyclecanalsobethoughtofastwoindependentcyclesof11semitones,interlockedatthedistanceofamajorfourth.Theinternalstructureofthisperiodicunitmaybefurthersubdividedbyperfect(equidistant)orimperfect(non-equidistant)intervals.[Fig.4].Thusthespan11insemitonalspacemaybedividedimperfectlyintoatritoneandperfectfourth,orperfectlywithabisectionby11quartertones,toproducetheintervalpairWyschnegradskylabeledmajorfourth/minorfifth.Themajorfourthwasimportantbecauseitsequal-temperedinterval—550cents—approximatestheratioof11:8(551.28cents)foundintheharmonicseries.[Fig.5].

Althoughthecycleofmajorfourthstheoreticallyspans11octaves,Wyschnegradskyreliedononlyitsfirst13pitchestoformhiswidelyusedchromatiquediatoniséescale:similartothediatoniccollection,thisscalecanbegeneratedcyclicallyfromafourth/fifthcycle,yetitcanalsobepartitionedintotwoheptachordsrelatedbythesameinterval.10Thediatonicizedchromaticwasfodderforatheoryofharmonythatreplacedstackedthirdswithsuperimposedfourthsderivedfromthedivisionof11and13,inspiredbytheharmonicpracticeofScriabin.Bysuperimposingbothperfectandimperfectfourthsandfifths,Wyschnegradskycouldrealizeobliquevoice-leadingandavoidthestaticprogressionsinherentinsymmetricalstructuresoflimitedtransposition.

Haasreadilyadmitshislong-standingpreferenceforWyschnegradskychords,especiallythoseofthe“imperfect”variety.11Heemploystheseharmoniesasaunit,andclaimsthat,to10ExplainedinIvanWyschnegradsky,“Ultrachromatismeetéspacesnon-octaviants,”RevueMusicale290–291(1972),pp.73-141.SeealsoMarcBeaulieu,“CyclicalStructuresandLinearVoice-LeadingintheMusicofIvanWyschnegradsky,”extemporeV/2(Fall1991),archivedathttp://www.ex-tempore.org/beaulieu/BEAULIEU.htm;J.-P.Caron“IntotheFull:Strawson,WyschnegradskyandAcousticSpaceinNoiseMusics,”in �Resonances�:�NoiseandContemporaryMusi�c,editedbyMichaelGoddard,BenjaminHalligan,NicolaSpelman(London:BloomsburyAcademic,2013),286–93;andchapter5ofMylesSkinner,“TowardaQuarter-ToneSyntax:SelectedAnalysesofWorksbyBlackwood,Hába,Ives,andWyschnegradsky,”Ph.D.diss.,StateUniversityofNewYorkatBuffalo(2007),archivedathttp://www.tierceron.com/diss/index.php.11GeorgFriedrichHaas,“JenseitsderZwölfHalbtöne–VersucheinerSynopsemikrotonalerKompositionstechniken,”ProgrammheftNextGenerationSalzburgerFestspiele1999,ed.FriedenSchafleiter(Salzburg:Residenz-Verl.,1999),pp.17–23;hisarticlesonWyschnegradsky’smusicinclude“Arc-en-cielop.3.IvanWyschnegradskysbehutsameAnnäherungandasZwölftonintervall,”inMikrotöneIV(berichtdes4.SymposionsüberMikrotonforschung,Salzburg1991)(Munich:Nymphenburg200),pp.79–82;and“DieVerwirklichungeinerUtopie:Ultrachromatikundnicht-oktavierendeTonräumeinIvanWyschnegradskysmikrotonalKomposition,“inHarmonikim20.Jahrhundert,ed.ClausGanter(Vienna:HochschulefürMusikundDarstellendeKunst,1993),pp.87–100.

Bauer, SMT 2014, The ‘harmonic series’ is an artifact”: ideology, process and perception in Georg Friedrich Haas’s in vain

3) Semi- and quarter-tone interval 11 cycles and their relation.

4) Perfect and imperfect binary chord divisions in semi- and quarter-tone space.

5)Wyschnegradsky’s diatonicized chromatic scale

Wyschnedgradsky,itwasirrelevantwhethertheearcouldseparateoutitsconstituentpitches.YetHaashasthoughtlongandhardaboutwhatitmeanstonotonlycomposeoutsideoftwelve-toneequaltemperament,buttolistenandperforminamicrotonaluniverse.HisFiveThesesonMicrotonalMusic12beginwiththedeclaration“the"harmonicseries"isanartifact,”thefirstofthreephilosophicalstatementsaboutourgeneralconceptionofmusicintheWest.

Thesis1:The"harmonicseries"isanartifactThesis2:ThereisabasichumanneedforbeatsinmusicThesis3:inmicrotonalmusicthereisnolongertheprincipleofidentically-namedpitchesindifferentoctavesThesis4:ConventionalmusicalnotationisobstructivetomicrotonalthinkingThesis5:MicrotonalmusicrequiresitsowncompositionoftimeTable1,FiveThesesonMicrotonalMusic

Thepartialseriesstandsasoneofthefundamentalsofmicrotonalharmony;whethercalculatedbymeansofFourieranalysisorfilteredfromaninstrumentalrecording,itenrichesourmusicallanguagewitha“sensualcharm.”Buttheterms"harmonicseries"and"puretemperament”areloadedwithideology,wheninfacttheyrepresentamodelasabstractasanyserialprocedure.Actualinstrumentalsoundsarealwaysslightlychanging,theirhigherpartialsshiftingasthephysicalmassoftheirsoundsourceandsurroundingsshift.Hencetheparadoxicalphenomenonthatsoundswhichmostclearlymanifesttheharmonicseriesarecompletelystatic:oldrefrigerators,electricalsubstations,andothermachines.Haasdeclaresthat“anyattempttopreciselygraspthisovertoneseriesisdoomedtofailure.”13YetitisthisverystrivingafteranimpossibleidealthatseemstocharacterizeHaas’compositionalprocess,andhisaestheticsasawhole,downtothemotivationbehindinvain.Thesis2—thebasichumanneedforbeatsinmusic—servesasafurtherillustrationofthedifferencebetweenabstractmodelsandthemessinessofactualsounds.Augmentedordiminishedoctaves,“slightlydetuned”unisonsandotherexamplesof“friction,notfusion”proliferateacrossmusicalcultures.Indeed,Haassuspectsthatthenearuniversalsuccessofthetwelve-tonetemperedharmonicsystemmaybeadirectresultofits“false”butbeat-richmajoranddominantseventhchords.Thesis3notesthat,justaswehaveabstractedthenotionofaharmonicseries,sowehaveabstractedthenotionofpitchinspace.Buteachpartialtoneisboundtoanoctaveposition,aswellastoaneighborhoodofintervalsaroundit.Thefinaltwothesesdirectlyconcernthecomposition,performanceandperceptionofexplicitlymicrotonalmusic.Ourcumbersomeinheritednotationoftencloudstheintervalrelationshipsandharmonicrelationshipsofthescore,distractingbothcomposerandperformer.Butagreaterchallengelieswiththeperceptualdifficultiesofworkingwithsmallintervals.Thesmallertheintervaldifference,themoretimeittakesthehuman12“FünfThesenzurMikrotonalität,”Positionen,48(2001),42ff;reprintedinFarthofer,pp.122–27.13“FünfThesen,”inForthofer,p.122.

perceptualapparatustodistinguishit.Rapidmovementswithinmicrotonalsystemswillsimplyneutralizepitchdifferences,asbothperformersandlistenersneedtimetohearoutslowbeatsandtheupperproportionsofthepartialseries.Thusmicrotonalmusicneedsmorespace,moretime,andmoreopportunitiesfordevelopment.CompositionalProceduresHaasbeganhiscareerworkinginamoreserial,abstractmanner,includingaresidencyinIRCAM.MuchlikeGyörgyLigetiandtheFrenchspectralists,hisworkwithcomputersmadehimmoreawareoftheinnerstructureofsounds,andofthepossibilitiesofextendingthatstructurecompositionally.Thushedevelopedtheconceptofprojection:therealizationofanyabstractmodelwithinagivencompositionalsystem.Ina1995articleheliststhreeformsofprojection:spectrographicsoundmodelsasanaidtocomposition,theprojectionofcomplexfrequenciesonagivenmicrotonalgrid(e.g.,asixth-tonesystem),andprojectionasaharmonic-theoreticalconcept(e.g.adominantseventhchordasaprojectionofthe4th,5th,6thand7thpartialstotemperedtwelve-tonespace).14[Table2]Thosemodelsusedininvaincompriseatleast5categories:1.“superslowmotion”intimatedinthefifththesis,2.composed-outacousticbeats,3.soundsplitting,ormicrotonalfrequencycompactionaroundapitch,asinthemusicofScelsi,4.amusical-thematicapproachtotheShepardscaleeffect,and5.combinationtones.Allofthesetechniquesappearinthe75-minutesinglemovementinvain,writtenfor24instrumentsanda“spotlight,”avisualfeaturethatputsuniquedemandsonperformer,listenerandconductor.

1.spectrographicsoundmodelsasanaidtocomposition2.theprojectionofcomplexfrequenciesonagivenmicrotonalgrid(e.g.a6th-tonesystem)3.projectionasaharmonic-theoreticalconcept(e.g.amajor-minorseventhchordasaprojectionofthe4th,5th,6thand7thpartialstotempered12-tonespace)Table2,Threeformsofprojection

LettherebeLightHaasbeganusinglightasametaphoricalfeatureofhistheatricalcompositionswiththebriefoperaAdolfWölfliin1981.Inthe1996chamberoperaNightthecharacterofHölderlinappearsbathedindifferentcolorstoindicatehismentalstateandthefluctuationbetweenrealityandfiction.Melancholia,anoperaaboutthepoorNorwegianpainterLarsHertervig,useslightsimilarlytodistinguishtheartist’sinnerlifefromhiscoldreality.Butworkingwithlightasa"musicalinstrument"hasbecomeapartofHaas’instrumentalmusicaswell,culminatingwithHyperionin2006,subtitled“ConcertoforlightandOrchestra.”TheartistrosaliedesignedalightsculptureforHyperion’spremiere,butthepublishedscoreallowssomeflexibility,aslongasfourorchestralgroups—placedaroundthefourwallsoftheperformancespace—areeachfacedbyadifferentlightsource.

14“DieAbbildungakustischerPhänomenealsMaterialderkompositorischenGestaltung,“Ton4/1996–1/1997,pp.24–7.

AccordingtoHaas,achangeinlightcolorchangesone’sperceptionofsounds,andthestructureoflightintime“actslikeasilentdrum."15Butitistheabsenceoflightthatchangesbothaudienceandperformer’sperceptionofsoundsandspaceininvain.Inthebestknownofitstwoversions,concertlightsontherostrumanddeskfadetofulldarknessatm.70.Theshiftfromlighttodarknessaccompaniesandintensifiesmetaphoricalgradationsoflightintheharmoniclanguageofthework:combinationsof–andtransitionsbetween–vastlydifferentharmoniccollections,andstrategicjuxtapositionsoftemperedandnon-temperedharmoniesthatgenerateauditoryillusions.Wyschnegradsky’snotionofcyclesfeedsintocertainpitchparadoxesthatHaasfavors,suchastheShepardscaleeffectthatservesasthework’sthematicbackbone.Haas’schordvoicingsseemtoreflectWilliamSethares’sdemonstrationsontherelationbetween“sensoryconsonanceanddissonance”andtimbreandtuning.Setharesdemonstratedthattritone-basedchordswillsoundconsonantandfunctiondifferentlyinaninharmonicmusicaluniverse.16Invainbeginswithdescending(0167)tritone/fifthchordsoverC2inthebass,inmarimba,crotales,piano,accordion,andstrings—soonjoinedbywinds—inahetereophonic,descendingcascade.cascade.Inm.2theuppervoicesarefurthersubdividedtoformanoctatonic(1,2)collection,whilethosebeneathG2reflectasymmetrical(0134)tetrachord—octatonic(0,1)withgapsofathird,asshowninapitchreductionoftheopeningbars.[Fig.6]Inmm.2-9theShepard’stoneeffectgathersmomentum:althoughthescalesdescendinpitch,theycirclebacktoriseeverhigher,withinstrumentalgroupsebbinglikewaves.Inm.18asustained(0235)inwoodwindsandstrings,joinedbyaseptachordinstrings,heraldsanewharmonicphase.Hereonewhole-toneoftheoctatonicissubdividedinordertoformnon-octavianscales:adifferentpitchcollectionineachregistralband.Bym.29a3-octavedescentappearsinwinds,malletpercussion,piano,accordianandstringsfromC#6toG#3,asshowninFigure7.[Fig.7]Thelightdramaticallydimsinmm.70-78,andthescalefragmentswaneinwinds,glockenspiel,piano,andaccordion,while,beginninginthebass,staggeredlinesriseinsustainedascentsofsemi-andsixth-tones,asshowninaharmonicreduction[Fig.8].Herethepaceslowsdramatically,andHaasshiftstoletternamesfortheglaciallyslowm.76.Bythistimetheauditoriumiscompletelydark,andtheharmoniccastshiftsfromtritone/fifthchordstothosebuiltonnon-temperedpartials.[Fig.9]TheharpentersatrehearsalEwithpartialsofBb,followedbythestringswithpartialchordsrelatedtoBb2andA2.[Fig.10]Barnumbersresumeinm.77alongwithahesitantmarchbackintolight,accompaniedbywhatisessentiallyanextremely-sloweddownversionoftheinitialascendingdescent,

15IntroductiontoHyperion,trans.PeterBurt,UniversalEdition,http://www.universaledition.com/composers-and-works/Georg-Friedrich-Haas/Hyperion/composer/278/work/12730.16“…consonanceanddissonancearenotinherentqualitiesofintervals,but...aredependentonthespectrum,timbre,ortonalqualityofthesound.”“Boththefifth...andthefourth...lienearpeaksofthetritonedissonancecurve.Thus,thedissonancecurvepredictsthatachordcontainingbothafourthandafifthshouldbemoredissonantthanachordcontainingtwotritones,atleastwhenplayedwith[certaintimbres].WilliamA.Sethares,Tuning,Timbre,Spectrum(London:Springer,2005),pp.1,102.

Bauer, SMT 2014, The ‘harmonic series’ is an artifact”: ideology, process and perception in Georg Friedrich Haas’s in vain

6) in vain, pitch reduction, mm. 1–7

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conductedasaprogressionofspectrabasedonvirtualfundamentals,asshowninFigure11.[Fig.11]Duringtransitiontoafinaldarkphase,combinationsofdifferentovertonespectraemergelikesparks:forinstance,inm.483,trombonesplaypartials6and7ofF#1,whilehornsplaypartials5and6ofA1,toproducetwoC-sharp4sa12thtoneapartandtwoE4sa6thtoneapart.[Fig.12]Invaindisorientsthelistenerbymanipulatingseveralfundamentalparadoxesofaudition,paramountamongthoseourdependenceonauditoryimagestoorientourmusicalperception,andourunconscioususeoftimbretomapanacousticenvironment.Shiftsfromlighttodarkness,mutationsofharmoniccollectionandtemperament,andextremeorchestrationsallcontributetoshiftsinwhatCorneliaFalescallsourperceptualizationofsound.Perceptualizationisacognitiveoperationorfeatureoutsideoftheactualacousticelementsofasignalthatnonethelesscontributestoitsperceptualoutcome.Timbreistheparametermostfrequentlyandintenselyimplicatedinperceptualization,whichcontributestotheso-calledparadoxoftimbre:timbreistheparameterofsoundmostimplicatedinsourceidentificationbutalsomostimplicatedinthediscrepancybetweenanacousticsignalandtheperceptitprovokes.Thosemusicalattributescentraltoourdeterminationoftimbreincludespectralcentroid(arepresentationoftherelativeweightsofhighandlowfrequencies,correspondingtotimbralbrightness),averageattacktime,spectralflux,andspectralirregularity.ThesearetheveryattributestargetedbyHaas’manipulationofmicrointervallicfluctuations,“superslowmotion,”combinationtonesandsoundsplitting.If,asFalescontends,“perceptualizationistheguardianofsensoryequilibrium,”thentheauditoryanomaliesfavoredbyHaasseemdesignedtoconfoundmorethanjustourmusicalbearings;asFalesnotes“thecumulativeeffectofamusicalexperienceofdramatic,subtle,sustained,orsporadictimbremanipulation…maymovelistenerswitharangeofspecificityandemotion:fromamoreorlessvaguesenseofperceivingsomethingnormallyimperceivable,toanunaccountablefeelingoftranscendenceorseparationfromtheearthlyworld.”17Theendofinvainreturnstothebeginninginadirectrepresentationofitstitle,withanodtothetraditionofstilllifepaintingknownas“vanitas.”Thebright,untempered,assymetricalharmoniesofthework’smiddlesectionareeventuallyabsorbedintoanequal-tempered,symmetrical,darktorrentofeternaldescent.Asthesoundcontinuumcontracts,thetranscendentsenseofseparationfromthemundaneexperiencedduringm.76anditssubsequentelaborationfades.Thecyclicdesignofinvain—aworkthatjuxtaposesmicrotonalharmonieswithequal-temperament,lightwithdark,anddizzyingacousticillusionswithaclearformaldesign—seemstocontradictitsbrilliantcentralvision,inthewaythatthevanitaspaintingsjuxtaposeddazzlingbeautyandopulencewithsignifiersofdeathanddecay.Haaswrotetheworkinaresponsetotheformationoftheblack-bluegovernmentcoalitionbetweentheAustrianPeople’sPartyandtheright-wingFreedomPartyin1999.Whileaudiencesareoftenthrilledbythetraditionalrecapitulationthatclosesinvain,Haas

17CorneliaFales,“TheParadoxofTimbre,”Ethnomusicology46:1(Winter2002)pp.64,78.

Bauer, SMT 2014, The ‘harmonic series’ is an artifact”: ideology, process and perception in Georg Friedrich Haas’s in vain

10) in vain, beginning of partial-chord descent, m. 76 E

11) in vain, progression of “virtual” fundamentals in mm. 76–326.

12) in vain, conflicting F#-A thirds in horn and trombone, m. 458

remarks“Icannotimaginethatanyonewilltakethisrecurrenceofthebeginningasanythingbutoppressive.That'senough.Nothingmoreisneeded.”Yetlikeitsprecursorartworks,invainhasoutliveditspoliticalmoment.Itsexposureofparadoxesinmusicalnotionsofthenaturalandartificialcreatedsomethingaltogethernew,inthewordsofonereviewer“akaleidoscopeofperpetuallyshiftingtexturesandcolours,seeminglyhintingatnocturnalworldsanddarknaturalforcesandthingsmysterious,irrational,andunearthly.”AsHaaswroteofWyschnegradsky’sattempttocarveourindividualworksfromthetotalsoundcontinuum,constructiveconsiderationsarejustthestartingpointforacomposition.Theworkreflectsthetheory,butthe“realizationofutopia”iswithinthemusicitself.